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3 Ways for Women to Carry Camera Gear
Do you like my socks? They’re sock monkey socks.
This is one of those duh, I could figure that out blog posts. I like to take photos, which means I need to have my camera with me. Which means I need to figure out the easiest way to do that depending on what I’m going to be doing. Mostly I’m just running around town and would like to just pop my camera in a bag that I would take normally. This is where the camera insert comes in handy.
I totally believe that you should have at least one camera insert. Sometimes you can scrounge from another bag that has an insert that comes out or you may have to buy your own.
I’ve got an Ape Case camera insert and I love that it’s bright yellow. Very helpful if you need to park an airliner. Or just seeing things in a dark bag.
So obviously there’s the camera with a lens, on or off, up to you. My religion says lenses on so the rest of you will go to hell. Then there’s your wallet of choice, nail glue and file, eye drops, chap-stick, pen, highlighter for some reason, sanitizer, eyeliner, lipstick, microfiber cloth, gum, Aldi quarter, ear buds and mints 😉. And I guess keys, if you use them.
Behold, see how it fits in the quality pleather bag I definitely didn’t buy on TikTok.
I blame my phone camera but here’s an idea of what it looks like when wearing. This concept can be used for any size camera insert you may find and bags currently in your possession. I have a couple of inserts from dedicated camera bags that I can move into other purse like bags or back packs which makes this one of the more practical ways to carry your camera. It’s just not as fun as purchasing the perfect camera bag again.
Speaking of the perfect camera bag, this one is close. I alternate between this Domke F6 and a Wotancraft Pilot 7l (buy this 10l if you can). I love the cram-ablity of this bag. With it’s waxed canvas and flexible insert I’ve had two cameras, extra lens and film, plus usual camera things stuffed into this bag. The strap is great with the rubber grippy on the inside. It will pull long hair though.
Downside for this specific bag and other flap covered bags is that it is hard to see into when wearing, the flap likes to flap and I have to fight to grab stuff out and put back in and organization goes out the window.
See what I mean, outward opening flaps would be so much easier.
That said, here’s how I load the Domke with camera and personal bits and roberts.
Next of course is your backpack carry, gag. I hate backpacks usually but they are great at what they do. I’ve got this old Mindshift camera backpack. I don’t use it often, but when I do use it I’m glad I have it.
I’ve got a lot gripes about this backpack but having it works for photographing with the long lens. I can tuck a mono-pod or tripod or collapsible stool in the stretchy pockets. This backpack is great for day hikes and once I have the camera out with the long lens on it’s quiet light since I have the strap to carry when on the move.
I can fit a bunch in this bag but it’s not packed down in dedicated pockets like in a Lowpro or something more bulky and box shaped.
Oh god the blasphemy.
So we’ve got a camera, two lenses, mono-pod, mono-pod foot that goes in the small lens bag if it’s clean, rain cover, camera strap, personal junk, water bottle that still tastes like plastic, a power bank and typical camera things.
It’s got a nice sternum strap that was of course designed for men and I wear it with the straps as small as they can go or close to it.
I’m still looking for ways to slim down what I need and what to bring. But this is the system that works for me. And none of this is for women only. The more you take your gear out the more you’ll be able to narrow down what works for you.
Have fun and take photos! Like this bald red-bellied wood pecker sneaking up on it’s friend.
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Minnesota’s North Shore In October
Earlier this October I was able to get up to Minnesota’s North Shore. It was nice to get away for a few days with Husband and get some hiking and photography done. I hadn’t been up north of Duluth for a few years so it was a needed escape after a busy fall start at work.
Gooseberry Cabin’s Shore Line We were able to snag three nights at the wonderful Gooseberry Cabins, just south of Gooseberry State Park. Their property is right along Lake Superior and for the most of the time the lake was still and the skies clear. Follow their social media for cancellations for last minute planning. Their cabins were a perfect location for playing around with long exposures. Just an hour north of Duluth and two hours south of Grand Portage it makes a great spot for a relaxing base for your explorations.
Gooseberry Cabin’s Shore Line at Twilight We had a lovely time exploring Grand Marais as we had never stopped in town before. Downtown was a great place to explore and see the North Folk School’s ship Hjordis sail the lake. Grand Marais’ downtown is lovely and walk-able with stores restaurants and stores to stop in and explore. I was able to find some gluten free food for lunch and had a huge plate of nachos. We beat the lunch crowd by stopping into a restaurant right at opening, so plan accordingly it is a popular stop along highway 61.
Motorcycle Parked in Grand Marais Hjordis Most of the hiking we did was focused on waterfalls in the state parks along the North Shore. On our honeymoon 24 years ago we hiked and camped the state parks and we were tried to recreate that just a little. We made it up to Grand Portage for the first time to see High Falls, Devil’s Kettle in Judge CR Magney, Illgen Falls in Tettegouche.
The trail to High Falls was mostly paved with some decking and stairs and not very long at all.
High Falls in Grand Portage The trail to Devil’s Kettle was way more than I remembered. Changes in elevation and lots of stairs there and back. Forty year olds get out of breath, but it’s a fun hike!
Devil’s Kettle in Judge CR Magney Illgen falls was a new stop for us. With just a small hike from highway 1 it’s a easy hike.
Illgen Falls in Tettegouche – this group later jumped in the river. The hike to Shovel Point in Tettegouche was lovely with very pretty, just ahead of peak, fall colors. There were more stair there and back so be prepared for that. The lookout at the end of Shovel Point is windy so hold onto your belongings.
Shovel Point Hike Shovel Point Hike with Palisade Head in the distance. It was a great trip, I got to do some long exposure photography, play with my new CPL filter for darker skies and contrast in the foliage. The hikes did highlight my need to take care of my IT band issues. But it was fun! Spending time with Husband alone for a few days was great and we can’t wait to get back.
Shovel Point Hike The last day we headed out to Gooseberry falls early before the crowd and got to play around the falls with very little people around. The salmon were running so it was a touch smelly but only below the falls. The fish splashing around was new to us and great to watch.
Middle Falls At Gooseberry State Park My Favorite Photo of Gooseberry Falls Thanks for taking a look!
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10 Things I Do When I Get A New Camera
I’ve had the new Nikon Zf (zf? ZF?) for about a month now and I hopefully have all my settings and customization dialed in. I thought I’d share 10 things I like to do when I buy a new camera just to make the transition a bit easier.
Re-research the Camera I Just Bought to Make Sure I Really Wanted It
The fifty million videos I watched about specs and user reviews were obviously not enough. I need to make sure I re-watch my favorite ones. Bonus- if there have been new ones made that agree with your purchase. Re-convincing myself that I didn’t do something stupid with my money is an important first step. Husband loves re-watching the videos I’ve forced him to watch on the living room TV.
Buy Lens Mount Adapters
A plus of mirrorless cameras is adapting other lens mounts to your camera. I have old Pentax, Olympus, Minolta and Nikon F mount lenses around the house. Most of them are manual focus so I don’t need to get auto-focus enabled adapters. But being able to use the random Ai-S 200mm on my Nikon Zf is handy. I have adapters for my X-S10 so my collection for the Zf needs to grow beyond the FTZ-II I picked up. I love the look I get from my Zuiko 50mm 1.8 on my OM-1 so I think that will be the first one I grab in the near future.
Learn My Menus
I grew up (hahahhaha) with our Nikon D90 and D7200 so Nikon’s menus are where my heart lives. Randomly using our Sony A6000 for travel hurt my photographer heart. And even though I love my little Fujifilm X-S10 the menus confuse my middle aged brain. Digging back into Nikon’s menus to set up the Zf was easy and smooth. All I had to do was catch up with the new additions to the menu because of the mirrorless and auto-focus upgrades between the D7200 and the Zf.
Buy A New Camera Bag
What better accessory for a new camera than a new camera bag. Forget that I have four others, the obvious thing to do is buy a new one. There is something currently wrong with each bag I own and a new bag will solve all my problems. I have learned from my camera bag buying is that I do not like backpacks, that I need something bigger than 3 liters and I do not like square boxy bags. Until I find the perfect new camera bag I will be forced to use the worst bags ever with my new camera.
Buy More Peak Design Anchors
I have firmly lodged my camera strap into the Peak Design ecosystem. I love these little anchors. I have two of the Peak Design straps and love being able to quickly switch between cameras. I have them on everything from my Yashica 124G to my Nikon F4 and the new Zf.
Get An Extra Battery and A New Memory Cards
Cameras today barely come with a charging cable. The Zf had a cable for USB-C charging and that was it. I picked up a charging brick along with a spare battery to get through an outing. All that’s left for me to add to the power consumption and charging, is an outside the camera battery charger. But I’ll wait until the current setup bugs me enough. I do also like to pickup fresh cards for my new cameras. The Nikon Zf uses a dual slot setup of a SD card and a micro SD card so I picked up two of each of those for redundancy. Watch the write-to speeds and make sure they are the same, because, reasons.
Stalk Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for Lenses
I like to buy vintage lenses. I like being able to use my lenses on my old Nikons and the new Zf. I spend some time looking around Craigslist and Facebook marketplace for older cameras and lenses. Then I abandon my search and head up to West Camera or National Camera Exchange to buy new or used gear. I also torture myself on eBay looking at lenses but that takes too much patience. Currently I’m making myself wait to buy a Z 24-120mm or a Z 28-75mm. I wonder how long I can wait till I buy a native macro lens.
Research a Completely Different Camera to Buy
Now that I’m set with the perfect camera it’s now time for a manufacturer to come out with one slightly better and newer. Now my brain will go into goddamit mode and buyers regret will appear. To fix that problem I go out and shoot as much as I possible can and remind myself why I fell in love with the setup I currently have and how much money I will save by staying with what I have. But that won’t stop me from bingeing on YouTube videos of new cameras and researching the hell out of them, hello OM-System.
Use DP Review* to Compare My New Camera to My Old Camera
*What’s left of that site, anyway?
DP Review camera compare is (?) was (?) a great place to compare specs. It helped me choose the Fujifilm X-S10 when it first came out and I’ve been happy with that choice. Being able to side by side compare two choices really helps when you want to avoid the what-ifs in buying a camera. That being said once I have a new camera it’s fun to look back and compare your old cameras to the the new one, especially if you traded-in your old camera.Scour KEH For a Film Camera to Buy
Or eBay, or Craigslist, or Facebook marketplace, or or or or. GAS is never ending and film photography GAS is even harder to resist sometimes. Did someone in a video or an article somewhere mention an underrated film camera. Off to look for one for yourself. Forget about the multiple thousands of dollars you’ve spent on a new fancy digital camera, my monkey brain wants what that person has and film cameras are cool! I usually combat this urge by placing things in shopping carts soon to be abandoned. My wallet thanks me and I can once again feed my family.
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My First Gallery Submissions
There is an open exhibit next month at a local art gallery, The 410 Project. I’ve never exhibited my photography so this will be all new for me.
Here are the three pieces that I’m submitting. They will be in 8×12 metal prints. The show will be 9-26-22 through 11-5-22 with the opening on 9-28-22. Enjoy!
Purchase photos I’ve blogged about here.
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Using the Nikon F2 Photomic and Nikkor 200mm AI
Giving My F2 Photomic a Little Exercise
I love using my F2, I found this camera on FB marketplace from a local who used it to photograph swim meets. He had the standard 50mm AI lens and a lovely 200mm AI too. I think I picked them up for around $150 a few years ago. I’ve mostly kept the 50 on it and haven’t had a chance to use the 200. The shots in the post are dev’d and scanned at Boutique Film Lab.
Decided to take it out and see if I could get some good shots of the Minneopa Bison Herd that are nearby.
I’ve had mostly Superia 400 laying around so that’s what I popped inside and off I went. Viewing the herd can be hit or miss as they have a large enclosure that you can drive through. I’ve had them leap out in front of my vehicle suddenly, seen them lounging in the mud, and right up against the fence on a hike around the enclosure. One is not guaranteed a shot or even seeing them.
I definitely should have driven my taller vehicle to get a vantage over the tall prairie grasses.
The herd moved on out of reach of my 200 and so I went down to the falls part of the park and took a couple shots in the ravine.
Decided to head out to Fort Ridgley State Park to roast ourselves in the sun and get lost on the multitude of trails but only took some shots of the old Harken Store that’s unfortunately closed.
I also took a welding class at the Mankato Makerspace and brought the F2 with to fill up the roll.
I had a few shots left on the rolls so of course there are cat photos. Loki is 6 months old and sometimes sits still enough for manual focus.
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How I Organize My Files
There are many ways to organize your files, this is how I do it.
First off I am not a Lightroom user. I bought LR 6 before CC/Classic came out. I have it installed to make use of the Negative Lab Pro for my color film scan conversions and a few presets I may have purchased in the past. I don’t take catalogs and LR into consideration when I am ingesting new files or moving them around.
I have a Drobo that holds my main storage. And I have a working storage drive on my desktop. Using Bridge I will import my photos to a working folder on my desktop machine and name the folder YYYY-MM-DD and the a descriptive name for the folder. This is something that I have to get better at since I often take photos in the same place or with the same people or doing the same activity.
Once my photos are done converting to DNG and are in my working folder if I’m doing my edits I’ll keep all the new files in the same folder. I used to have a capture folder for RAWs and a master folder for PSDs and an output folder for JPEGs but that made it hard to view all the files from one capture in Bridge. So now they all live in one folder and I use the filter in Bridge to pick from the different formats.
So since all the files are living in the same folder I can view the differences once they’ve been edited and sharpened and cropped with just a few clicks.
When I’m done editing or if I didn’t have time to edit when I was ingesting files I move them to the photo storage partition of my Drobo. I have a backup service that backs up any new files.
I really find using the native Windows explorer to manage my files more intuitive that using LR. But if I’m scanning color film I do have to bring it into the mix since Negative Lab Pro is a LR plugin. The steps are similar but once the conversion is done and I have my positive version TIFFs I can move them to the Drobo once I’m done doing any tweaks in Photoshop.
If you want to learn to use Bridge (it’s free with and Adobe ID) I can’t recommend enough taking a Damien class. I’ve taken all his classes and he’s really helped me understand PS and Bridge better.
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Non-Photo terms for the Photographer
Fuzzy Parts aka Blurry Parts – This the part of the photo that is out of the depth of field.
Cut off head – Artistic cropping of the face to emphasize the eye of your subject.
They won’t let me print this – Print release that wasn’t paid for.
Fancy Camera – The several thousand dollar investment to your craft that you know inside and out and you wield with complete control.
Doodads – Anything from flash and strobes to backgrounds and props.
Bits and bobs – Cords, cables, stands, sandbags and apple boxes.
Just bring your camera – You’re not invited as a guest you’re invited to provide a service, free. Aka unpaid labor.
4x6s – Proofs, never ordering bigger prints
A couple of shots for the Xmas card – Unpaid labor
I’ll buy you coffee – Payment for unpaid labor
I’m selling my house – Unpaid labor
Hey Bobby is a senior now – Unpaid Labor
I’m looking for a new job – Unpaid Labor
Guess how many followers I have – Unpaid Labor
Lets collab – Unpaid Labor
I’ve got a great idea for a podcast – Unpaid Labor
I’ve got a friend who’s a photographer – Someone who will work unpaid.
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When You Live In a Boring Place
Finding cool things to photograph where you live can be the ultimate level up for your art. As someone from out of town coming to your dull village I would probably find it quaint and interesting. I would see stimulating details that are refreshing to shoot.
Where I live can be dull and boring and I don’t like “going out and shooting something cool”. But I know that every time I try I become a better photographer. The best way to get your brain in the game for this task is to pretend that you have been given an assignment from a publisher and an angle to shoot from.
Some examples could be; find the best bakery, or small mom and pop restaurant, find the best AirBnb or kitschy motel, find the craziest car or truck someone has mod-ed. You could also do the traditional photo class route and hunt shadows or lines. Find reflections and color contrasts can strengthen your eye.
Another way to challenge yourself is with your choice of gear. Try a telephoto with small and large depth of field. Or a wide-angle and see how close you can get to people. You can also focus on lighting people with window light or open doors.
The most important thing you can do is shoot everyday. Making your boring corner of the world the next Instagram hotspot can be a skill in your back pocket for the rest of your life.
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The Inevitable
We have all had it hit us, a creative block. Some point we feel meh with our photography. I’ve encountered more creative blocks than I care to count. I know how frustrating it can be to try and break out of a rut and get caught up being critical. When this sort of thing happens, there are several ways to approach it.
Stop Trying So Hard
I think this has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to learn. But I can’t stress this one enough. It’s easier said than done, but one of the best things you can do for yourself is to stop trying so hard. Let go. If you need to step away from your camera for a little bit, by all means take a break! Just do it. Sometimes stepping away from something for a while can not only be refreshing but just the thing you need to break out of a creative rut.
Revisit Old Images
Go back and look at some of your old work. Edit old images that you may have overlooked previously. This is one way to help draw inspiration
and possibly spark new ideas. Re-editing a photo that you’ve previously thought was spectacular is a fun exercise. I know I’ve changed my style over the years and seeing the proof in one photo that I love can be motivating.Visit A New Location
Go location scouting, plan an excursion to a place you have never visited or a place you haven’t visited in a while! Head out for a day and discover new locations. I often hop in our vehicle and just drive around with the kids.
I have a personal Google Map that has all my locations mapped. I visit them and update my listings and make notes. I bring the kids and we all have fun.
Try Something New
This is one of my favorite ways to break out of a photography rut. If I feel like the work I’m producing isn’t very versatile, I try something new. Try copying a photo you’ve seen in a commerical, album cover or Instagram. My favorite subjects to photograph are my boys, but I often take breaks from photographing them to try out something different.
Film
Return to or get started in film. Flagship film cameras from all major manufactures are cheap on Ebay now days. Grab a roll of 400 speed C-41 or B&W film and get to work learning a new medium. You can get as in-depth as a home darkroom and scanning negatives or just sending off your film and get back the digital files from a lab. Shooting film can reignite your passion for capturing images.
Macro.
I’ve taken out my macro lens to capture nature shots or portraits. I love documenting eyelashes. I typically have to raise my ISO more often then I would with other lenses. This is where auto-ISO comes in handy. Don’t forget to also try macro with and without a flash
In-Camera Double Exposure.
I’ve researched how to process an in-camera double exposure for my camera and spent an entire day devoted to trying it out. Not all cameras have this ability, but it’s where your camera basically layers multiple images on top of each other. Check your camera’s manual to find out if yours has this capability.
Free-lensing.
I’ve taken out my 50mm to try my hand at free-lensing and still photography. Free-lensing (or poor man’s tilt-shift/macro) is where you detach your lens from your camera, hold in place with your hand and tilt. It creates a small, tilted focal plane where most of the image is blurry. I use my backup camera though as I’m paranoid about dust.
Draw Inspiration From the Art World
Drawing inspiration from things other than photography is another great way to escape a creative block. Study art by visiting a museum or online, and really study it… don’t just glance at it. Learn the lighting of a famous painting. Another idea is to watch a movie or listen to music. Try to recreate the feeling in a photograph.
Draw Inspiration From Other Photographers
We all have photographers that we look up to. Study their work and discover what you love about their work so much. A couple of mine are Regina Pagles and John Keatly. Get lost in a photography forum. There is practically an endless amount of tutorials, photography tips, on them that can help you break out of a creative rut.
Draw Inspiration From Your Family
Challenge yourself to capture your everyday, and include yourself in the frame. Remember to change your angles to include different perspectives and feelings. Follow a day in the life for an inanimate lovey of one of your kids. Try an immersion study with one of your children and follow them around all day capturing their daily routine.
Just know that it’s ok to take a break from your camera if you need it. I know there’s a lot of pressure to consistently create. Sometimes the photos I love the most have little to do with perfect light and composition, and more about a specific moment in time that means far more to me than anyone else can see just by looking at the image.
Remember art and creating is all about how it makes us feel.
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