A trip to Mexico, with my family, I had never been there before and I was excited to go, not knowing what to expect, but full of anticipation and a little trepidation.
Why you might ask…well, I’ll tell you.
The preceding few months I had suffered with back and neck problems and there was some concern on how I was going to be – away for ten days, not long, but away from local healthcare and home, should I get into a bit of trouble. It had been a few years since a “big” trip (anything further than downtown Toronto) and on those trips I had always carried a DLSR type system with, this trip however, needed to be different. I had been used to carrying my Sony A99 for the last few years, where ever I had travelled to, I was used to it and never had any doubts with using it and the resulting images. My trusted Sony gear was too heavy for me to carry and risk a problem with my back and neck, so I would have to travel with my Fuji gear.
I love shooting with my Fuji cameras, they are wonderful, but there was something I had to get my head around, it was a simple matter, but one that was initially troubling me. Quite simply the small dilemma I was facing at that time was that the Sony was full frame and the Fujis were not. There was also the fact that with focal range and length, I was well covered with the Sony, having enough lenses to choose from for the type of photography that I shoot, However, at that time I had just two lenses for my Fujis.
The battle ranged two and forth in my mind for a couple of weeks, what was I to do? The Sony was a complete system, but heavy, the Fuji was much smaller and lighter, but I had just two lenses, was it going to be enough! I wanted to carry the Sony system, I didn’t want to be caught on the hop!
Common sense finally triumphed, with me opting to take my two Fuji Bodies and the two lenses I possessed, at that time. I told myself that I would have to trust my experience and skill to make the most of it. What I was missing, that would have made my decision a much easier one, was an ultra-wide-angle lens (for my Fuji System), which I didn’t have at that time. Still, it made for a much more enjoyable shooting experience and one that my neck and back thanked me for, as the 10 days in Mexico went very well, with my only issues coming from another source, which I’ll tell you about shortly.
The flight down to Mexico, was wonderful and we had to rush a bit for our connecting flight to Zihuatanejo – yes, for those of you who remember the film “The Shawshank Redemption”. The final approach to our destination was through a rain storm and we arrived in the afternoon with the feeling that we had landed in Goa (in India), it just felt so familiar! We were off to a great start.
…I’m going to summarize (very briefly) as you don’t need a blow, by blow account of my entire ten days, in fact the day I’m going to centre on is day 7 and more than that – just a couple of hours in the morning, whilst going for a late breakfast. By this time, I had pretty much got into a routine of going out with just my water bottle, one camera and two lenses, usually only using one – so one camera, one lens effectively, and saying so again – don’t regret your choice, make the most of it.
I was enjoying travelling light, why I hadn’t I done so before? I had been brain washed into thinking that you must travel with a full kit, as you never knew what might present itself. It doesn’t matter! Whatever comes your way, whatever you have gets the job done, it’s you that counts. Time and age had prevailed and unburdened by a bag full of heavy gear I was now able to move around much more freely.
I mentioned earlier there were another issues, these were the heat and humidity and the multitude of insects that inflicted hundreds of cruel bites on my body, especially around my ankles. There was one day, about mid through our stay in Mexico, that I spent most of the day in our airconditioned bed room laying down feeling completely drained and exhausted from the heat and humidity – I had spent a good many hours in the sun the previous day waiting (unsuccessfully) for an abandoned drug lord’s mansion to be opened so I could photograph it. Legend has it, he had minimum security in place as he kept full grown tigers and lions on his property, as guards! I waited for hours in the blazing sun for the gate keeper to come – he never did!
On a few occasions I carried both camera bodies with me, but for the most part I carried one camera and both lenses, often just using one lens. A couple of days into our holiday left me in no doubt that I could definitely travel light – I didn’t need full frame and I didn’t need large heavy gear. I didn’t even feel that my choices were compromised, I wasn’t just making do, I was enjoying my gear and making the most of it. There were no regrets at all.
The photos I shot of the wedding and the images before and after, in this post were shot in about a two- and half-hour period with my Fuji X-T20 and the kit lens I had with a Fiji 18-55mm F2.8 – 4 – a great lens and a great travel and walk around combination. Light and capable.
The wedding I stumbled upon was in the morning, whilst I was out for a late breakfast with my wife and daughter. I didn’t want to intrude, but I could not resist a few shots, no one seemed to mind and nothing was said to me. However, after I took a few, as much as dared, I respectfully stopped.
I may take another opportunity to write about my trip to Mexico and expand on a few areas, but for this post I think we’re done! Where’s the cake?