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Bag-aholic—No Longer Anonymous |
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Volume 6, Number 10 |
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News Stanley is one of the speakers for the National Press Photographer's "Convergence 10" in Charleston, SC in July this year. Here is a link to the event. In This Issue Bag-aholic--No Longer Anonymous
National Press Photographers Association University of Georgia University
of Nations, Kona, Hawaii Tips On Hiring A Photographer Digital Photography -- A Real
Stimulus Package Learning From The Masters Three Useful Doohickeys 300 PPI Come
Along Collaboration Public Speaking
for Communicators: How do people learn? Do Your Photos
Provide Context For Your Subject? Social Networking My Investment
Advice What about the
audience Teaching is a
great way to learn The Psychology of
the Telephoto Lens The Psychology of
the Wide-Angle Lens M-Audio Microtrack II This recorder lets you record in WAV or MP3 recording to compact flash card. Looking
for Microphone Think
Tank I have always used Nikon cameras and lenses through my career. They have a great line of cameras and lenses for any job. |
“My name is Stanley, I am a bag-aholic.” I’m not the only photographer who has a closet full of camera bags. Once you have more than one camera, one lens and one flash you need a bag. You need a backup camera and several lenses. I carry the Nikon SB-800 that lets me fire my flash off camera. When I am not using the flash, it’s in the bag.
If I shot the exact same type of an assignment all the time I could, perhaps, find the one perfect bag since the equipment would be the same all the time. However, I like most professional photographers, I shoot a variety of situations that call for different equipment. So I end up with small, medium and large camera bags to use on different jobs. One of the greatest inventions is the photography vest. You can carry a couple lenses and a flash and evenly distribute the weight on your shoulders. The problem with those vests – they are too hot. Now modular belt systems are available. ThinkTank designed one of the most popular systems. Small pouches of varying size fasten to a belt and allow you to pick which equipment to carry. This is more efficient than the vest, and it’s much cooler. There’s another factor to consider when choosing a bag — fashion appropriateness. Wedding photojournalists do not dress the same way as news media photojournalists, but they are generally using the same equipment. From a practical standpoint it makes sense to use the belt system for the photojournalist. From a fashion standpoint the wedding photojournalist can’t wear the belt. They usually work out of a large shoulder camera bag they put in the corner of a room. Photographers need to blend in with the crowd to catch natural moments and looking like a suicide bomber with all the gear strapped to them isn’t the best way to blend in at a wedding.
Some wedding photographers minimize the awkwardness of the fashion by putting just a couple items on a belt or they may just have a lens on a belt. The good news for the camera bag manufacturers is that photographers need more types of bags than they do cameras or lenses to be able to be appropriate for any situation. Digital photography has the double edge sword when it comes to camera bags. We no longer have to carry all that film. Just a few flash cards can be sufficient for most photo shoots. The downside - many photographers need to carry a laptop to process those images at the time of the shoot. Wire service photographers, for instance, need to transmit those images as quickly as possible. They need a camera bag with space for a laptop. Flying with your camera gear is another issue. Many times camera gear will not fit as carry-on luggage. Turning over to the baggage handlers $20,000 of gear is scary. If they drop your bag on the tarmac, you may end of with a smashed lens or camera. They are not responsible for damaged goods, just lost ones. You need a case that will protect your gear if it is dropped. The distance from your car to your seat on the airplane requires a case with wheels.
One of the hidden costs in buying new gear is the impact it can have on your camera bag system. Once you have more than one bag and you add one more piece of equipment, often this will force you to upgrade a bag or two to accommodate the new purchase. Are you a bag-aholic? Here are the stages of becoming one:
Once you have acknowledged you are a bag-aholic you can then move from the stage of acceptance to embracing that you must have more than one bag. Now, you to no longer able to let this be a hidden cost in doing business, but just like the need for a new lens or camera, you need to budget for new camera bags. |
