It's a case of training and practice. As a Class One police motorcyclist I was trained to ride one handed. I wear an open pouch on the left of my jacket, with the camera sitting in it. Learning to turn it on and off with (unlined elkskin) gloves on is a matter of practice - which I often did at home whilst watching TV
. Once you develop the muscle memory for how to do it, it becomes second nature.
As with anything like this - if you are not confident you can do the above safely then you shouldn't attempt it yada, yada, yada...
Prepare your ego for a bruise.
I don't do this for anyone except myself. This is my diary, and it is a gift from present day Me to future Me. I'd write this anyway, indeed, when I was first planning my 2004 trip to the USA, I asked Paul (BHT) if he had room to store it on his server, as I dreaded the idea of losing my laptop and the journal. He suggested we make it public - I honestly had no idea it would become so popular.
I also don't care whether anyone likes it or not...
When I'm sitting in the retirement home, others may be staring out of the window - I'll be reading these journals and remembering that maybe, once or twice, I did something a little wild or unusual.
Plus the chicks in the home won't be able to keep their hands off me...
I can assure you that I enjoy every day - photographing and writing my experiences is the way I try to preserve and rekindle how I was feeling when I looked at a view, or met someone. Writing my diary has become an integral part of travelling for me, and I don't feel that I've finished the day's travelling unless I've written it up.
Thanks - American Airlines Auckland - LAX; American Airlines LAX - Charlotte; American Airlines Charlotte - LHR