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