Message from Clay Dube

[clay dube]

Linda -- I would avoid bringing a laptop. In China we'll be using trains and buses and there's considerable risk of damage or losing the beast. I think that it's a better idea to bring memory cards and, as needed, to have shops make cds for you.

Ana and others, on the megapixel front, I think you can get great shots without the latest gear. All the photography shops suggest 6 mp is enough for sharp 8x10 prints. Some cameras come with a nice variety of preset modes (one Sony I've seen had one for "food") that automatically adjust a number of settings.

One feature my camera (a large Olympus beast) has that I find essential is a viewfinder. In bright light, I find it difficult to use most of the video screens now found on digital cameras. We will often be taking photos outdoors and in bright light (using sweaty palms....). I wish my camera had a stronger optical zoom like those I've seen on some Kodaks (10 times). And image stabilization seems like a feature worth having (it wasn't common when I bought my camera two years ago). Business Week's 3/27 issue has a comparison of cameras with image stabilization.

I think the future belongs to digital cameras, but it isn't necessary to buy one for this trip. If you've got a film camera that you know how to use, it will do just fine. Virtually all photo services will scan your images on to a disk for you, so you needn't suffer from email or web displayed photo-envy. It's the eye of the photographer that ultimately matters most.

We shouldn't let taking pictures get in the way of SEEING. A friend of mine said the best thing about a 6 month trip he made to Africa was having his camera fall under a truck tire after the first month. "It was liberating," he said, explaining that instead of taking pictures to show others, he concentrated on really looking at things, trying to imprint them deep into his mind. I'd have bought another camera, but I take him at his word. He was liberated to concentrate on the experience of being there rather than thinking about how he would show the experience to his friends.

Having written all this, I know that most of us intend to take photos and perhaps video to use with our students. And I can attest to the power of being able to say to students, "when I took this..."[Edit by="Clay Dube on Mar 22, 6:29:33 AM"][/Edit]