Michael Bolton Live in Dubai

Last night went with Su and Katrina to see Michael Bolton. Was a great night. We decided to catch a taxi to Jumeirah as the performance was at the Madinat Arena which is in the vicinity of the Burj Al Arab and the Madinat Hotel is built in an old fort like structure. We decided to have a drink and a bite to eat first at one of the many alfresco eating places within the Hotel complex..Trader Vics was our choice....

View on way to Madinat Arena

Dining at the Madinat..

Dubai being a predominately Muslim country means the serving of Alcohol is usually confined to the high class hotels and you pay a hefty premium. It often also means the serves can be small ..so after some consulattion Su opted for a Bud, Katrina a wine and me a Singapore Sling..so at about $12 each drink we only had one..

Outside the Hotel..at Triolgy Nightclub...$130 Dhs cover Charge!($36)

Michael sure put on a great performance, the girls thoroughly enjoyed it...in fact a number of girls were yelling out we love you Michael....makes me sick, (jealous)..but yes a great concert and I believe we alraedy have ticketsfor his concert at Jupiters Casino at the Gold Coast.

A Collection of Gadgets..

Those of you who know me know I have a passion for gadgets and generally collect them. In fact it would not be the first time I have been called go go gadget man...whilst in Dubai I have manged to collect a 70-200L series Thermos Cup, which includes a bag to carry it in, a Canon Camera and lens Money Box. Today I managed to score a telephoto lens for my iPhone for 90 Dhs..about $25.00..Bargain..and it actually works. It comes complete with Tripod, iPhone case, lens and lens cloth with a holder for the Tripod...in a nice box. And guess what it actually works! I decided to pass on the Canon camera usb memory stick....but would have been interested in a panaroma lens for iPhone as well. I just can't stop collecting lenses....

Dragaonmart and Diera City Centre

Inside Dragonmart

Today we set off for Dragonmart. Su was after beads and looking for some different beads to add to her collection...it was surprising as I didn't expect to come away with anything however guess who came away with a few bags??? Yes me I could not resist the Canon 70-200 Thermos Flask nor the Canon camera and lens money box..(start saving for 1D X).a set of headphones  and a few other trinkets.

Dragonmart is an interesting place as it has a myriad of stallholders who sell handbags, homewares, lighting, bathroom fittings, hardware and jewellery oh and shoes.

Not at 1400 Dhs...sorry

I came across some fantastic pieces once again for photoshoots...some unreal necklaces and earings...but at around 1500 DHS or about $425.00 bit expensive for a one off shoot and I could not convince Su to buy one.

Deira City Centre

Marks and Spencers

In the afternoon we went off to Deira City Centre one of the older shopping centres in Dubai. First stop was Marks and Spencers...now interestingly the shop was decked out in Christmas  decreations...the stock once again was rather odd for  a hot country...I think they ship the winter stock for ex-pats to buy so when they arrive home they are in fashion...there cannot be any other reason as I am sure  it never gets cold enough in Dubai to wear half the stuff...

Drama Queen shoes..plenty of Bling Deira

Not to mention height...

A Fabulous Wedding

Pior to heading out to Dubai I had the priviledge of shooting Jadye and Adam's wedding. I have shot about twelve weddings as a second shooter so this was my first on my own and i was very happy how it all turned out. I had Rebecca Robson of Lil'B Photography help me out. I spent the full day starting out with the girls getting ready and left after the Bridal waltz.
It was a full on day and the most stressful part was the drive .the Brides place to the venue for the ceremony...especially when the limo was two cars behind me. Thankfully the guests were late and the limo did a lap of New Farm Park. Here are some of my shots.

Return to Dubai

My Favourite Camera Store

Firstly I must apologise for not keeping my blog more up to date....okay apology over lets get down to business. I thought I would restart my blog with my return travels to Dubai.  We flew out on Emirates Airlines early Sunday morning and I must say with  alot of anticipation. Sadly Emirates disappointed me with their service..their staff were very snooty and appeared to lack teamwork I was unable to work out who the leader was in the cabin but sadly felt that if we were to have an emergancy I doubt they could get their shit together.

Anyhow I digress we touched down in Dubai early afternoon we arrived at Katrina's and Costa's had a shower and set off for Mirdiff Shopping Centre. Katrina and Costa have moved but still a short stroll and now the weather is cooler no effort to walk there.

The shops are displaying winter clothing which is a bit unreal as their winter is very much like our Summer but Katrina assures me the girls dress in the long boots, scarfs and fur coats....

Those of you who know my wife know she loves bling and whilst checking out the homewares shop I had to hold her back from bring these two items back....

Actually the $2500 price tag held back...Phew...

Mind you in another shop I did wonder..am I too old for this bed?

Su managed to make a beeline for Forever 21 and buy an outfit for Christine ..infact I could go wild myself in this shop so many clothing options for photoshoots including accessories..Su is worried about me but you just dont see this stuff in OZ and the prices are so cheap. The shopping centre has a few empty spaces confirmation the GFC has made it to the UAE not that any one talks about it. Anyhow must sign off as we are off to Al Karama  to haggle with the local traders..Su just loves this.





Some Skittles and a few 100's and 1000's...

Last Friday I had a shoot with one of my favourite models Eve. Eve was starting a new job the following week so this would be her last shoot for awhile unless I can persuade her on a  weekend. Anyway she wanted to do a lingerie shoot and had this concept in mind. I had only done one lingerie shoot before  and that was probably over a  year ago. Luckily our bedroom had been recently repainted...like the day before and my wife is into shabby chic style of furnishings. Eve had her makeup done by Charel Cowan and I have to say it was awesome makeup. Eve had some Skittles and after doing a few shots at the dressing table Eve put 100's and 1000's on her lips and proceded to scatter Skittles on the bed.

For lighting I used two continous lights reflected by silver umbrellas with my flash shot up on to the ceiling. I am very pleased at the outcome of the shoot and have had numerous comments as well as expression of interest by other models in doing something similiar. I think what worked with thsi shoot was I know Eve well, we have worked together numerous times, I took my time and I was able to tweak the lighting alI went. One of my more enjoyable shoots and yes my wife is very understanding. Full gallery here.

Krank Photography Workshops

Taken without permission www.krankphotographyworkshops.com.au

Last night I attended a photo retouching workshop run by Krank Photography Workshops, Photographers Glen Krohn and Deborah Boots are the masterminds behind this enterprise. In March they ran a Mansion shoot and recently a vintage bride shoot. These shoots feature high fashion and they have fashion stylist's, makeup artisits and hair stylists involved. Glen predominately shoots hair and fashion Deborah is more into wedding shooting.

It was an interesting course and as my good friend Cindy said..worth the price just to discover the use of  the Liquify filter to manipulate images. I of course use very little Photoshop and tend to do limited editing in lightroom. I am sure though to create teh edge i need to invest in some photoshop courses.

We all sat with our computers to follow along and must say I was mighty pissed when I open my recently rebuild hard drive laptop to find a very odd message about not locating the hard drive when I fired up my Photoshop Elements 9. I did have my netbook but it is not really designed for editing unless you have a magnifying glass.

One of Glens first tips was to calibrate your monitor and to regularly do this. Glen started about four years ago and said he has self taught his photoshop skills and quickly professed he was no expert...maybe no expert but certainly turns out some fine images. There is no doubt that retouching in fashion is far more intensive and given you work with fewer images it is easy to see how two hours can quickly pass on editing an image. This would not do for say a wedding shooter but certainly worth knowing if you want to enlarge that bride shot say to go on a canvas or large arcylic.

I must say after watching Glenn last night I am starting to view the magazines and adds for comestics, hair etc with a slightly more critical eye. I took copious notes and hope to have a fiddle over the weekend once I sort out my PSE issues. Meantime if Krank Photography run another retouch workshop I suggest you better register you wont regret it.

Photographing Animals..K9 Photography



Diana's "Two Souls" canvas was sold at the Variety Club of Queensland's Heart Art Auction recently.

Anyone who knows me, knows my wife is a mad animal lover. We have two dogs, two cats, 4 cocktail's and a number of budgies. Ever since I have had my camera my wife suggests to me, take a picture of the dogs,the cats...quick take a picture of Cleo, Monty, Zeus....When I return from a shoot she is only interested if I have photos of dogs or cats...not at all interested in the models, the events I go to.... unless it has an animal in it.

Now you often hear that you should never work with animals or children and if the shots I have tried to take of my animals are anything to go by I have the greatest respect for Diana Leventhal of K9 Photography. I met Diana several years ago at a workshop and she was photographing animals back then. I have watched her develop her portfolio over the years and everytime my wife says take a photo of the dogs I sake my head and think nah..couldn't do as good a job as Diana. Why don't you photograph something interesting? Like dogs says my wife. No I say, there is only one Dog photographer..Diana and I could never be as good as her besides I am not natural an animal person.

Yesterday Diana went to the Italian mansion that Krank Photography Workshops used for their Fashion Workshops with an Afghan Hound. Amazing photos once again.  I don't know what her secret is but whenever I want to take a photo of my dogs they want to come up and lick the lens. I decided I don't have the patience so if you want pet photos go to Diana of K9 Photography you will be pleased you did.

Introducing Violet Morphine..

I met Violet about 18 months back when I did a shoot with Beck. This was an Absinthe Fairy theme shoot and from there we have done a few shoots together. Violet is what is called an alternative model and so she tends to be more in the gothic style. She has a large following and once again for a young girl she amazes me with her drive and passion. Violet has recently  been studying make-up and in particular using latex and the like to create special effects. I felt very privileged to be asked by her to photograph her final assignment for her makeup class.

She had a model, Becstacy CreativeModel made up as Tim Burton's Character from the Movie The Corpse Bride.



Here are two images showing Violet's awesome work!

In a few weeks Violet will be off to the USA, well Los Angelos to be exact to do a 12 week course in film and stage make-up, now I cannot remember the name of this school but if I can remember rightly from what Violet tells me doing this course is a pre-requisite to getting work in the Americian Film industry.

I certainly wish her all the best of  luck and sorry to see her leave our shores here but hope she remembers us when she has made it big in Hollywood. Meanwhile I will reflect on some of the images I have captured of her and hope to capture a few more in the future. Good Luck Violet....Au Revior....

Introducing EmmaJane Couture..

EmmaJane in the Middle with Models Apex Student Fashion Display

I first meet Miss EmmaJane at a Off Camera Flash group shoot were she was one of the models. We instantly set up a friendship and a couple more photoshoots ensured and I soon got to know a bit more about EmmaJane. EmmaJane is studying Applied Fashion Design and Technology  at MSIT which has it's campus at Mt Gravatt. EmmaJane has her own label and a webpage EmmaJane Couture.

EmmaJane Couture was started by Miss EmmaJane in 2010 when she began her studies at TAFE. She is currently studying her Diploma of Applied Fashion Design and Technology as well as undertaking subjects from the Diploma of Sustainability. She is also a member of the Queensland Spinners Weavers and Fibre Artists as well as the Lace Making Guild and models part time. She enjoys textile manipulation and print design. She classifies herself as an artists and love finding ways to reinterpret traditional crafts. (taken from EmmaJane's website)

So just what is Couture? I went to wikipedia...

Haute couture (French for "high sewing" or "high dressmaking"; pronounced: [ot kutyʁ], English pronunciation: /ˌoʊt kuːˈtʊər/) refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. Couture is a common abbreviation of haute couture and refers to the same thing in spirit.

In 2009 Miss EmmaJane also entered the Apex Australia Teenage Fashion Awards casual wear category. Placing second at State level, she went through to National level where she did not place. So it was with the Apex Australia Teenage Fashion Awards that I helped out last Saturday when she was invited to show some of her latest work at the National Presidents Changeover. EmmaJane has done a fair bit of modelling as well and has an interesting and diverse portfolio.

EmmaJane through her TAFE Studies recently designed the fabric print and the swimsuits for a collection to go to Billabong as part of her assessment. She organised a professional photoshoot with JnS Photographics and a Video clip was also compiled.

Of course the swimsuit collection was the highlight of the night from the predominately male crowd. EmmaJane quickly admits that her designs are not for everyone and certainly not for mass production. I feel extremely lucky and excited working with such a talented young lady. I am constantly amazed at the people I meet through my photography.

A big shout out should also goes to the make-up assistance and models on the night who did a fantastic job. A few snaps from the night can be found on my website http://www.iconphotos.smugmug.com/.
EmmaJane may be a name to remember in the future.








,

Adam Knott Photographer

Okay every now and then you see a photo that makes you go wow. On a Friday I like to hit the lunch room and take the magazine from the Australian or Financial Review. These magazines are printed on high quality paper and whilst they have great articles it is normally the photography that I am looking at.( kinda reminds me of the reverse reason of why I bought Playboy just for the articles...lol.) Anyhow here I am browsing through the magazine and I saw this photo...the one above of Virgin Australia's John Borghetti in the Australian Business Magazine called The Deal.

Now look closely at this photo of which I had to shrink and scan so hopefully you can still see the detail. (The link also takes you to the article on The Australian website.) Okay the photographer is Adam Knott and more on him later..lets deconstruct the photo. Firstly he has used off camera flash...one under the table we can see that and obviously one to camera left so the shadow of the plane cuts behind his head. Now look at how John is sitting in the chair..with John seated facing the wall...and does he not look as though he is sitting in an airplane? Brilliant work I say.

Now some info on the photographer, Adam Knott is the Chief Photographer of the Weekend Australian Magazine, Wish Magazine and The Deal. He has  spent 13 years in the United States working as an editorial photographer. His portraits of celebrities such as Audrey Hepburn, Nelson Mandela, Hilary Duff, Cate Blanchett have appeared in Esquire, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, Time, and Harpers Bazaar. 

I have found this blog which shows some of his work during the time his wife suffered depression whilst writing a book. Would love to see further samples of his work but I still think this photo is absolutely wonderful...what do you think?

Shout out for Foxton Danger

Went  last week to MODA Creative  Launch showcasing designers here in Brisbane. The Styling was done by Elisha Casagarande who I have just found out will assist in the Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival in August. Congratulations Elisha, a well deserved honour. Anyway I digress.. one of the designers showcased last week was Foxton Danger. Now Foxton Danger is not unfamiliar to me, why? Well I work with the Mother of the designer, Emma Mclean, who is the real person behind Foxton Danger. In fact I bought..well all right  I stole  her old Canon 20D.  Emma I love that camera and it is still going strong by the way.  Emma is a proficient photographer in her own right having studied photography and puts together the photoshoots of her designs for the web, brochures and advertising. I can see how the fashion bug and the lure to design can come about in fact maybe there is still some of that in her old camera and that's why I have a keen interest. From my wife's point of view perhaps too keen an interes,t as when I was wanting to bring stuff back from Dubai but that is another story.

Okay back to Foxton Danger, Foxton Danger has probably been around about two years and Emma designs a beautiful range of clothing primarily Kaftans out of beautiful silk and cotton blends. Foxton Dangers collection are exciting, vibrant and different. They seem to appeal to women of wide age ranges and her designs also seem to take in those plus size ladies as well. Foxton Danger featured earlier in the year in New York with G'day USA Australia week ...a sign that this fashion label has gathered respect very quickly. Accompanying me the other night was Miss Emmajane Phillpotts a  young fashion design student herself (more on EmmaJane in another post) as well as a fellow student Watson. Certainly EmmaJane's favorites were the Foxton Danger designs and in particular a number called Andromeda. I have attached a few photos from the night and given the location.lighting and the fact I carried minimal gear not exactly my best work but gives you an idea of what we saw on the night.

Stockist for Foxton Danger can be found on their website

Introducing Elisha Casagrande...

I went to a Krank  photography workshop, I felt I did not learn a lot in terms of photography but  like my discovery of make up on a model improving the results, the fashion the girls wore blew me away and added to the quality of the images.  I knew this did not happen by accident  and became accutely aware how a stylist can improve the work of the photographer. The stylist was Elisha Casagrande. It is with great pleasure I share with you an entry on her blog today wriiten by a student journalist Alexa Gordon. I just hope I can work with her whilst I can afford her and before she becomes too famous. Here is her story so far....

“Fashion’s not going to stop the world but confidence will”.

At just 23 years of age, Elisha Casagrande has it all.

Looks, youth, a loving husband and a career that’s taking off faster that you can say ‘Louis Vuitton.’ or whichever high-end fashion label takes your fancy.

There is only one thing standing in Elisha’s way.

Herself.


“I’m my biggest critic. I’m not happy unless I’m perfect at what I’m doing. Whether it’s being the perfect wife, perfect stylist or perfect interior designer.”
That’s a lot to live up to by anyone’s standards, but Elisha it seems, is willing to give it a go.
Elisha grew up in Burpengary, about an hour outside of Brisbane.
“There was nothing to see there, nothing to do,” Elisha says.
Tired of small town life, Elisha moved to Brisbane at age 17.
She enrolled in an Interior Design course and secured work while still at university.
Something wasn’t quite right though.
“My heart just wasn’t in it” Elisha says with a sad smile.
Elisha soon found herself being approached by family and friends inquiring about her knowledge of local fashion designers and her dress sense.
Inspired, Elisha began writing her own online fashion blog, Elisha Casagrande Fashion Stylist.
Elisha soon discovered her love of styling and was contacted by well known designers, photographers and models to style editorial shoots and fashion parades.
“Editorial shoots are a great stepping stone and I’m so grateful to have been given the opportunities that I’ve had,” Elisha says.
“My great passion though is personal styling.”
After much soul searching, Elisha abandoned her studies and set up her own business as a personal stylist.
“I’ve had the opportunity to go back to interior design…giving away all that time and years of study was hard. I kind of regret it but my heart wasn’t in it.”
Elisha’s first break came when fashion brand Mimco’s agency The Taboo Group, approached her to style a campaign for their collection An Unpredictable Revolution.
Elisha was able to showcase her talents and have her images viewed globally.
Following the campaign Elisha was asked to style a photo shoot for collaboration between the National Breast Cancer Foundation and major gym wear line Running Bare.
The aim of the project was to raise money for breast cancer research.
Co-designer for the project, Amy Oram, was impressed with Elisha’s professional manner and energetic approach to the project.
Gold Coast designer, Joanne Rahn, was also impressed with Elisha after collaborating with her on a number of projects.

“It is great collaborating with Elisha, as she brings a lot of energy and excitement to the table,” Rahn says.

Rahn allowed Elisha to borrow labels from her Glamorous Life swimwear collection to style for a photo shoot featuring international model Ellie Gonsalves

After the shoot Rahn was inundated with enquiries from customers and retailers on how they could order one of her pieces, the ‘Marilyn’ swimsuit which Elisha had styled, with Gonsalves as the model.

Elisha also helped style fashion parades for Rahn’s three swimwear labels at BusinessGC Swim 2011 at Sanctuary Cove for FashionTV.

Gonsalves, who is moving to New York this year to compete for a place as a Victoria’s Secret Model, says;
“I see Elisha as becoming one of Australia’s leading stylists - the ‘go to girl’ for style. Elisha’s professionalism & willingness to constantly learn will help assist her career to grow…”
Life in the constantly evolving and unpredictable world of fashion is notoriously difficult to break into though.
It often takes years and the “right contacts” Elisha says, to establish yourself in the industry.
“Styling is a very competitive industry – you must be very passionate, and love the industry to have any chance of ‘making it,’ ” Rahn says.
“I believe Elisha’s passion and drive is what really sets her apart.”
Elisha’s husband, Simon, says “the fashion world is very cut throat, but she absolutely loves it.”
"I support her wholeheartedly, even if it doesn’t always work out financially for us.”
The financial issue may be a thing of the past if Joanne Rahn’s prediction for Elisha comes true.
“I see Elisha in five years time as becoming one of Queensland’s foremost fashion stylists, or potentially overseas in Europe or the States, giving the likes of Rachel Zoe a run for her money!” she says.
So what’s next for this up and coming fashion stylist?
“I’m so excited,” Elisha says.
“Fashion to me isn’t just about looking good, it’s about feeling good about yourself and that’s what I want to give other people.
“Fashion’s not going to stop the world but confidence will.”


Written By Alexa Gordon

And to see some of Elisha's work see my album here.

Self Portraiture

Self portraiture by photographers is nothing new and I thank Mel Sinclair for arousing my interest in this subject. She pointed me to a very talented photographer on Flickr Miss Aniela who has an outstanding portfolio of work on display. She is one gutsy girl and seems quite comfortable in front of the camera as she does behind it. She even has the guts to stand nude in front of the camera. Now don't worry I wont be doing that...not yet anyway. In looking and reading more on this subject an article came up on the Digitial Photography School Blog offering a book on Self Portraiture by Anna Gay. So I downloaded a copy of this book and printed it out. It is interesting to see what one can achive, how you can experiment with light, flash, camera settings and the like. And if you get it wrong your model is hardly going to get upset are they? In studying Miss Aniela work she also has a whole album on Multiplicity. This kind of work intrigues me also, so here is my crude attemps of self portraiture and multiplicity. By the way check out  Mel Sinclair's work she has some awesome work in her portfolio. She is a Brisbane photographer, a Nikon girl but don't hold that against her. Thank you Mel for sharing with me.

Save your precious Data

Publish Post

One of the things we all fear is getting the blue screen of death on your computer or not being able to boot up the computer. Usually it results in lost data and of course I was going to back up yesterday. Recent tragedies with a couple of my friends has made me re-examine my practices. Hard disk storage has got a hell of alot cheaper, so there is no excuse. I run  a couple of Laptops and regularly back up to portable hard drives. I also load images to Smugmug and use dropbox, However I don't have  a system and am hap hazard so I decided to look for a solution. I was down at my local Officeworks and noticed a Western Digitial 2Tb My Book World II Dual Drive Nas.  Okay what caught my eye with this drive is it uses RAID Technology so it has a dual-drive system which provides an extra safe solution for backing up the data on all the computers in your home. RAID Technology is basically using two disc drives that mirror each other so your data is actually written to two disc drives each of 1Tb. Now I am no computer tech head but my understanding is as your data is written to two drives if one drive dies your data is still on the other drive. You are still able to access your data and once you replace the faulty drive it automatically copies the data from the other disc. This system is able to sit wireless or wired on your network and you can set up an automatic backup program for all your digitial media. Best of all for $300 you have a great system..cheap insurance. 1Tb not enough? there are bigger systems.

The Curse of the GPS

A few years ago I paid a princely sum for a  Uniden Trax 350 GPS including Australian and NZ maps. I have also used a Garmin that my father had prior to buying a Tom Tom with a wide screen, because he is a bit deaf he prefers to see where he is going...I know a scary thought, rather than hearing instructions. I also used a Tom Tom in the UK.  As my Father did not have internet I set up his Tom Tom to update the maps and install the NZ map bonus. I also decided to purchase for him future map updates, as like all parents, it gets hard to buy presents for them when they have everything. It was through this process and transferring the update process to his laptop now having internet access that I decided to look into my GPS. So I hooked it up and went searching for map updates. After Googling and going to the Uniden website to no avail. I then thought I would send an email to ask where an update maybe found. Now to be fair to Uniden I sent an email around 4.30pm in the afternoon and by 10.00am the next morning they had replied. Their reply however stunned me.

Hi Steve,







Thanks for your email.






Unfortunately we will not be releasing the mapping for the GNS Series


You may be interested to consider an upgrade offer below, to the latest Uniden model.






Latest Model Upgrade


Simply send in your unit to the address below with $149.95 and we will upgrade you to the latest model IGO 43, Or for $199.95 an Upgrade of the IGO50..(International mapping is available for this on NAVIEXTRAS.com)

Okay so do I go with this or buy a Tom Tom? A quick search of the internet soon tells me I can buy the complete unit without sending my old one for less than Uniden want. The one retailer selling them at RRP has none in stock. The write up on the manufacturers website sounds good but will they deliver on map updates? Hmm another email to Uniden I think to see if they can convince me otherwise.  I think Tom Tom might have another convert...

Pro Runner 450 AW - My Review

Not my Gear

As you all know I bought my Lowepro Pro Runner 450 AW when I was in England in December/January. I have used it extensively the last 5 months and recently took it overseas to Dubai with me. I packed two camera bodies, a 1000D with battery grip , a 20D with Battery grip, a 70-200mm 2.8 lens a Tamron 24-75mm lens, a EFS 17-85mm Lens, a 50mm lens, a 2x converter, a hoodman loupe, one flash, two battery charges, assorted cables, Filters, Rechargeable batteries, a raincoat for the camera, a poncho and my netbook in the laptop packet. I then weighed it....Gulp 12.5 kilos. Hmm this will be interesting as I am aware Brisbane International is one of the few airports that tend to weigh carry on bagage which is suppose to be 7 kilos. I also took my Carbon Fibre Tripod in it's bag. Come departure day we fronted to the check in counter, the  checked in went through okay now for the next hurdle, the carry on baggage. Now I had the Pro Runner on my back, my wife had her carry on wheelie case, the normal size. As we went to enter through security screening for our carry on baggage, my wife was asked to weigh her bag....oh oh here goes...I was about to remove my backpack..you want to weigh mine? "No sir you're right." Now I have a theory, if you have a wheelie case you can tend to overload it, but if you have a backpack, well who in their right mind would carry 12 to 13 kilos on their back? Why a dedicated photography traveller does! It is okay our secret is safe...just watch as you try to place the bag in the overhead locker though. And be careful when standing in line to board the plane...if you swing around you might wipe out a fellow traveller. On my return trip I took out my netbook and carried it in a laptop bag. I must admit the Pro Runner without a laptop in the envelope between the bag and your back is more comfortable. So want to travel? Want to take a bit of gear? buy a Pro Runner 450 AW.