On camera bags

Like any other camera happy woman I have been quite unhappy for the longest time about the über fugly camera bags on the regular camera/photography market. In the last couple of years a bunch of sites have popped up selling really awesome camera bags that actually look like handbags. Now that is a concept I like.

The first one I came upon a few years back was jill-e.
Their medium bag in chocolate suede was really the first bag I had seen that looked nice as well as was practical.

(Image from Jill-e)

I couldn't afford the price tag it came with though and decided to try to make it work with regular bags for a while. My friend Anneli helped me make an insert, and I tried picking apart an old regular camera bags, using the removable padding in my several different handbags. While it kept the camera safe it certainly wasn't user friendly as everything kept moving around in there.

Then I found Kelly Moore, and their red croc pattern bag. Oh swoon!

(Image from Kelly Moore)

I really love the dark red of this one. But spending that amount of money on a red bag ... hm, no, even for me that would be very irresponsible.

After that I saw Epiphanie and, seriously, their bags are off the charts cool. I love their Lola bag. Sadly, when I was searching they only offered it in red. And even though it called to me, the same logic still applied for red bags. (However, they now offer it in black as well)

OK, so now I really was hooked on finding the perfect camera bag. I kept searching and came upon *emera. Oh my. Not only is the bag totally stylish, it can also hold a laptop. Man, that is perfect for when I travel for work. I wouldn't have to bring two bags or feel forced to leave the camera at home.

(Image from *emera)

Unfortunately the bag is currently out of stock. I sent an inquiry when the bag would be available again, and was told mid May. If you are interested in the bag you should contact them to see when it will back in stock. I think this is the bag that Ali Edwards uses.

After this I was a little bummed and kind of gave up on finding the perfect bag  for a while. But the idea of being able to keep both a laptop and a camera in the same bag stayed with me. While browsing in an electronics store I saw a funky bag from Golla that I quite liked. It's not stylish like any of the previous bags, but it's cool. It's called Grit, which I guess explains the style pretty well, lol.

So I bought it. It was cheap compared to all the above bags. It holds, and this I can say from experience, one 17" laptop with charger and chord, one Nikon D80 camera with 18-135mm lens, one make up bag, two mobile phones, one large wallet, one hard cover for my glasses, one key chain, and one scarf. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Now, I am very happy with the Golla bag. But I still wanted something more stylish as the Golla is very casual. And if I'm not carrying a laptop it's pretty big to lug around.  So I decided that I needed another bag.

Hey, I'm a woman, right? Right!

But after having already spent money on one camera bag, I knew I couldn't justify getting any of the above bags. But fear not my friends. A woman will always find a way when it comes to shopping.

Enter Jo Totes. I found this site just the other week and instantly fell in love with the adorable ruffles of the Rose bag.

(Image from Jo Totes)

And guess what? Yesterday I ordered it! Woohoo! It should be here in a few weeks.

So that is my story for you on choosing a camera bag. If you are in the market for one, do check out these fabulous places. If anyone has any tips to share about other places that I haven't mentioned here, then please, do share! Even if I have no business what so ever getting any more bags any time soon, I love to window shop, and I think perhaps it would be helpful for other readers as well. :)

Me want!

Isn't it delicious? It's from Jill-e designs. It's the first camera bag I have seen that doesn't look like a camera bag. I wouldn't mind this bag one little bit. Not at all. But the price tag? Ouch! I need to win the lottery first!

Hand made camera bag

For the longest time I have been looking for a camera bag that doesn't look like a camera bag. I have an aversion to the black and grey and oh so boring standard cameras that just scream "come and steal my camera". I wanted something that looked like a regular bag. Something pretty but functional.

Not being able to find anything I liked without having to pay a leg and an arm I complained to a co worker of mine a few weeks ago. She mentioned that perhaps I should consider a smaller bag that I could put inside my regular bags and hence get the protection the camera needs as well as nice looking bag.

Of course this would mean that I would have to make it myself. And though I love crafts, sewing is something I am really really bad at. What to do? Ask a friend! :D I have the most awesome friend called Anneli who agreed to help me out. She is a woman who can do everything. And I really mean it. From beautiful greeting cards, to yummy cakes, to gowns, to [insert anything here]. So I got the fabric and the padding and gave her a sketch of what I had in mind and this is what she came up with:







Is it not beautiful? It fits beautifully inside several of my hand bags and the Nikon fits snugly and comfortably inside. I am so happy with it and so greatful to my dear friend Anneli.