Preparations for Pakistan

Less than two weeks before I leave for Riga on the first leg of the trip to Multan. There is that moment when you make the decision and then the ball starts rolling and you start googling flights and finding deals. Nerve wracking for a few days - the Pakistan visa requirements - so complicated and as it says on the form - if anything is missing then the application ends up pending.

Had a brief chat on FB with Junaid a couple of days ago. On his FB page he is counting down the days to his wedding. He was worried about the situation in Pakistan; the recent suicide bombings in Karachi. He said that he has never known a single year of peace since his birth. I can't imagine what that is like: to spend your whole life in a country where uncertainty is everywhere on a daily basis.

My plans are mostly about what camera to take. The choices are - Sony R1 - 10mb; a very light and easy camera to use and 'low key'. You don't get stared at and no one thinks twice when you take their picture. Its got one of the best lenses I've ever used on any camera and its 'fixed' to the body - so you never get dust inside.

Second choice is a ton of Canon 5D mk II and lenses. I spend a lot of time with that camera changing lenses, cleaning sensors and generally fussing around. At 21 mega pixels though - there is a lot of image to play with and the quality of the high ISO ratings is amazing.

I hate having a lot of gear with me if I'm moving rapidly from one place to the next - so I have a feeling I'll go with the Sony.

Last year in Los Angeles I had the Sony with me. I remember that amazing feeling when I got on the plane - the first time I wasn't worried about all my camera equipment. I took some great shots and the whole thing was so uncomplicated. With a couple of speedlights instead of heavy lenses I think I can focus on the creative side of image making.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks you'll see this page gradually turn to images of Pakistan as we set out to celebrate Junaid and Samira's wedding.