On Assignment: Heading home from Key West, FL

The 4-day shoot went something like this:

Day 1 - trains, planes and automobiles (and lots of cell phone minutes) to get to Key West. I arrived from the 4.5-hour drive from Ft. Lauderdale about 10 minutes before sunset, parked my car on a side street and jumped out with my camera and tripod to catch a gorgeous sunset.

Day 2 - Carried way too much stuff and made the brilliant, but painful decision to walk Key West in order not to miss anything. [Note to budding photographers: don't do this. It hurts.] Plus, it was a perfectly sunny day. Not a cloud in the blue hot sky. By way too much stuff, I mean: 2 cameras (one with a zoom lens, the other with a wide-angle lens), tripod and camera bag. Now, I realize this may not sound like much... but damn. This stuff is heavy!

Day 3 - Woke up early contemplating my career move to photography. It was a blessedly overcast day, which meant... soft light! Hurrah! Since Day 2 was so sunny, I backtracked and reshot most of my outdoor stuff. Still carried all the gear, but instead of walking opted for Sam, the best taxi-driver in Key West.

Day 4 - Finally figured out why most people bike around Key West. Cause it's fun! Ate breakfast, shot more roosters and 6-toed cats and headed out for the long, but gorgeous drive back to Ft. Lauderdale.

All-in-all, it was a successful shoot. Of course, being myself, I analyzed the whole experience to death on my drive back to the airport. I concluded that what I really need is the perfect photo bag... : )