Lost (and found again)

So, I spent all week long without the charger for my camera. Friday before last, I completed an assignment, and we (and by we, I mean myself and the first and second assistants) were flying to pack up, and in our haste (well, frankly, their haste, packing was their responsibility) the charger for my camera batteries was left behind. I did not realize this until mid-week, when I needed the charger and could not find it. I spent (and by spent, I mean, I paid the two assistants to look) two hours scouring the office and re-opening all the lighting cases looking for the wayward charger. Alas, to no avail.

I then took the time to revisit the shoot location, which took me over an hour, round trip, to see if it had been left behind. Sure enough, there it was, set aside just for me.

Why am I telling you this? Because of the importance of having backups and redundancies. Had I not had a second charged battery, I'd have a problem. (A problem a colleague of mine ran into at the anti-war rally on Saturday). Had I not had a backup camera system, I'd have a problem. Further, it is important that not only does all your equipment have a label with your name and phone number on it, but that you do a sweep of the areas of operation to discern if you too have left something behind.

The biggest problem is not only in the hassle of hunting for it, but, if it ends up truly lost (as opposed to temporarily misplaced) the time involved in re-ordering the item, paying for it, and paying for the shipping (or having to go to the local store and get it yourself) is a significant expenditure of capital and time.

Instead, make a point of sweeping your location before your final departure. It will save you so much hassle down the line.

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