Camera Padding Insert: Anti-DIY

The completed padding insert, with the equipment it was made to protect.

Well, I finally did it. I made the padded insert to convert my purse into a camera bag. My intent was to post how it was done, but truthfully, it's a fair amount of work. And if you don't have the materials already handy, it could cost as much as one that you could just order online (Amazon.com has plenty of choices of size, color, etc for $15-50).

Bottom Line: Just order one. Or reconfigure the pads and dividers from your "real" camera bag to fit your purse.

Confession: I'm an amateur at the sewing machine. I lost the manual before I had a chance to read it. There were many things I realized I did wrong during this project. Sometimes the most important lessons are the ones about what NOT to do. So, if you want to make your own, for whatever reason (you want custom fabric, you prefer a thicker padding, you want to hone your sewing skills, etc), then tally forth! And if you're going to make one of your own, I'm going to assume you know how to sew, so I won't go into detail about the actual sewing process.

First, measure your purse. What size padding would fit in your purse and still allow it to close properly? Write this down. STICK TO IT. Yes, really.

Now, gather materials. Make sure you have enough. I had extra fabric and velcro strips from a previous sewing project. The two inch thick foam padding I had was packing material from a furniture purchase, so that was FREE. I wanted padding thicker than the 1/4 inch thick pads that come with most camera bags, but two inches is a bit much, so I cut it in half for most of this insert. I left it two inches thick for the base of the insert, since the most likely source of shock is from putting the bag down on a table or floor.

Minimum 1 yard of fabric, foam padding, measuring device, sharp knife, velcro, cutting guide for straighter cuts, and usual sewing notions.

Next, figure out the plan. Draw simple blueprints. Make note of the dimensions. Where should the velcro go? Are there extra features you'd like to add, like pockets, covers, etc? KEEP IT SIMPLE. I chose to cover each piece separately, meaning I was making 7 pieces. Had I made the wall one solid, continuous piece, then that would have meant only covering 4 pieces, nearly half the amount of work. My other mistake? See how the walls are different heights? That's because I didn't stick to my plan. I started with the camera laying down, but wanted to be able to add two extra pieces of equipment, so I changed my plan. Standing my camera up makes it easier for me to grab it out of the bag for a quick shot, but it made it taller than the height dimension I had determined from my measurements. It would still fit into my purse, but I wouldn't be able to close it.

This was my plan for my insert. Turns out, it wasn't the best or easiest way to go.

Sew, sew, sew! Cover each piece with your fabric. Make sure you sew on the velcro, pockets and anything else before finishing each piece. Otherwise, you'll find yourself sewing by hand for a few hours. And believe me, hand sewing velcro is not my idea of fun.

Covering my pieces with fabric. I went with two colors for aesthetic reasons, but it added another level of difficulty. Keeping to one fabric would make things much, much easier.

Put it together! Give it a test, make sure things fit.

The base of my purse was roomier than the opening of the purse, so it's a little more snug at the top.

This is how I would like to carry my camera -- with lens attached, standing up. Additional extra lens and shoe mount flash handy.

This was the original plan, which actually fits in the purse. Camera laying down, grip easily accessible and one accessory readily available.

My "new" inconspicuous camera bag purse, padded up, zipped up, ready to go!

There were things I could've done better, more efficiently, but I'm happy with the results: a fun, colorful camera padding insert that I feel confident with (over the store-bought padding). Best of all, I don't have to carry a boring, black "professional" camera bag anymore. So, all in all, SUCCESS!


Kudos,

Mui Chao
Photographic Artist
SimplyMui Photography

Camera Bag?

I'm not a fashionista. I'm still a tomboy at heart, but having two girls have made me a little more tolerant of pretty, girly things. I've even expanded my black/gray/olive green/navy blue wardrobe to include other colors, like maroon, purple, cream and coral (although I insist I will never wear pink. Not that there's anything wrong with that). I'm also very minimalist and don't like to draw attention to myself. The purses I've carried for the past decade (the ones that don't double as diaper bags), looked something like this:

My dinky purse. Just barely big enough to hold my wallet, phone and keys.

Now, throw in the Photographer aspect of my life. On my stock agencies' "Wanted" lists are things like snowy scenery, traffic jams, tourist shots, Open/Closed signs on business windows, skylines, etc. Things that require me to go out and about and keep my camera on me in my daily life.

Obviously, my DSLR with additional lenses, batteries, filters, and speedlite are not going to fit into my tiny purse. So, I had to carry this:

My backpack-styled professional camera bag. Holds lots of equipment.

This was great for carrying all the gear I would need to shoot anything on the fly. I loved it for when I'm doing a formal shoot on location. But as a lone woman doing informal, around-town shots, it screams "HEY, I'm a photographer and I probably have REALLY expensive stuff in here. Come rob me!!"

I wanted to be a little more inconspicuous, so I got a bigger purse (relatively speaking) to stash my camera & wallet in. This meant I had to leave behind the extras. Still, my basic camera set-up (just the body and my go-to lens) weighs 5 pounds, which quickly wore out the purse. And there was the concern about protecting the camera against bumps. I wrapped in a scarf but obviously, that's not the best protection.

There's a few websites now selling more attractive camera bags, geared towards photographers who want a little more style and flair. I perused Kelly Moore,  Epiphanie Bags, Cheeky Lime, Shootsac, and more. But the Ladies' bags are usually too girly and wild for my taste. And the Men's styles are a bit dull. And alas, the ones I want are always the pricier ones. My favorite so far:

Camera bag from Porteen Gear. This one is "For Men" but I LOVE it. All bags are custom made to order, so you can choose your size, style, and materials. Woo-hoo!

However, I'm a frugal person. So I drew up some sketches for what I want in a bag, bought some discounted colored leather from Jo-Anne's Fabrics with every intention of crafting my own custom camera bag, and then happened upon a wonderful find.

Large Jessica Simpson purse found at Marshall's for $50.

Yes, the color is outside of my normal comfort zone, but it's a good size and well constructed. And I figure if someone grabs it and runs, it's easy to spot and chase down.

I don't like that I have still been wrapping my camera in a scarf to put into this spacious bag. And I certainly don't want my extra lenses, speedlite, or batteries knocking around in there either. I've started to build a padded compartment to hold my equipment in here and will post it when it's finished. Stay tuned!!

Mui
Photographic Artist
SimplyMui Photography