I’ve said it before — many others have said it — and I’ll say it again: always bring your camera.

My main reason for being in Germany last month was to attend the Annual Convention of the Society of American Travel Writers. On the final night of the convention, there was a gala dinner at the Porsche customer center in Leipzig. You’ve probably been to these kinds of events. You put on a tie, there’s a little cocktail party first, then a long dinner with plenty of speeches. What’s to shoot, right? Well, you never know. Especially with this group. The setting for this dinner was spectacular and we arrived at Porsche just as the light was perfect — that time just after sunset when the sky goes cobalt blue. It was a perfect backdrop for the futuristic building.

It’s always a little inconvenient to have a big hunk of camera with you at a nice dinner but, in this case, I’m glad I did.