Happy Thursday: Last Day of June

Have a fantastic Fourth of July Weekend!  This picture is from the July 4, 2009!  What are your plans? I will be hitting up the gorgeous Southwest Florida beach at some point.  Happy Independence Day!

Mom and Dad 30th Anniversary

Today is my parents' 30th wedding anniversary!  I am so lucky to have them as parents and I love them so much.  Their never ending love for each other and for me has been and always will be my inspiration for living and loving.  A couple of weeks ago I took them on a photo shoot on 3rd Street as a gift!  The pictures came out great!  Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Happy Thursday: Birthday Edition

Today is my birthday!

Camera Bag Search Part 3

While I was browsing the crumpler bags site the other day looking for a link to the bag that I currently have, I saw this as one of their new releases.  This is a portable padded camera protector.  It can go in any bag so you can store your camera safely.  This is a genius idea!
The Haven comes in three sizes depending on how much you want/need to carry.  The Medium is supposed to carry a camera and two lenses, with one attached.  There are also pockets on the back that hold cables, memory cards, and lens caps.
It is made of a water-resistant material and the padded sides fold down on top to provide 360 degrees of protection.
Dimensions:
S: 7.8” x 8.6” x 3.9”
M: 8.6” x 8.6” x 4.7”
L: 10.2” x 9.2” x 5.5”
$50.00
Since my crumpler bag has lasted for a while I’m sure this will as well.

Along the same lines as the Haven from Crumpler is this Any Bag Camera Bag Insert designed by ONA Bags and sold through Photojojo.
This insert is made of a water-proof waxed canvas material.  It has five exterior pockets and a magnetic snap closure flap.
The padded sides contain only one velcro moveable divider, so it really only holds the camera and 1-2 lenses.  But it does go in any bag, but I don’t know how it would fit with the bags I already have.
Dimensions:  10.5” x 7” x 4”
$59.00

Camera Bag Search Part 2

This bag is really cute! It’s from *emera which I’ve never heard of before. It’s a very stylish bag that is made of water-resistant cotton canvas with real leather handles and trim. I wish it had a cross-body shoulder strap though.
It closes with a zipper on the top, but that does look like it’ll open and then be hard to close again because you have to put the ends of the zipper together, like on a jacket.
It has seven padded compartments to hold camera and up to 2-4 lenses with personal items. There are outside pockets for easy access to your phone or water bottle. There is also compartment inside the bag for magazines or an iPad. And a zippered inside pocket.
Dimensions: 15” x 11” x 6”
$169

Another tote bag, but this one is from Jo Totes. I like this bag a lot as well! Plus the price is hard to beat!
It is made of water-resistant faux leather and it closes with a zipper on the top. It has two hand straps and a detachable cross-body shoulder strap. It looks like it’ll really hold it’s shape.
It can hold: a camera with a lens attached, one extra lens, 15” macbook pro, and personal items. It has two interior zippered pockets and one open interior pocket.
It only comes in black, despite one of the pictures on the website showing other colors.
Dimensions: 15” x 11” x 5 3/4”
$89

Camera Bag Search Part 1

Whenever I read forums to look for a woman’s bag suggestions The Kelly Moore Bags constantly come up. I like the look of The Classic bag the best. It looks just like a purse I would carry normally.
 I don’t know what the material is like but it is a water resistant man made material.  From the picture it looks a lot like leather.
 It claims to hold a camera body, flash, 2-4 lenses, cords, phone, keys, wallet, and batteries, with 2 magnetic snap pockets on the front, 2 side pockets, and 1 large back zipper pocket which can hold an iPad.
 It has the long shoulder strap to wear across the body and snaps along the top to close.
 It comes in many colors. I love the Rich Fuchsia I posted above!
 Dimensions: 16” x 11” x 4”
 $199

Another bag company that often pops up in online conversations is Epiphanie Bags.  These are also really nice looking bags, similar to the the Kelly Moore Bags.  Both bags are designed by female photographers because they were not satisfied by the market for female camera bags.
The Clover bag is the one I featured above.  I like this one the best because it has a shoulder strap in addition to the hand straps.  It has a zipper on top to close.
The material is water-resistant synthetic leather and the inside is soft felt.
The bag claims it can hold: 1 15” macbook pro with battery cord,1 camera body with lens attached,1 long lens, 2 extra lenses, wallet, keys, cell phone, and other miscellaneous personal items.
It comes in three colors: gray, turquoise, pink.  I think I like the turquoise the best, but I’m not sure it’ll work with my wardrobe.
Dimensions: 18” x 13” x 6.25”
$184.99

I do have to say that I tried to purchase the red Lola bag previously, but I had to return it because I ended up not feeling like I could spend so much money on a camera bag when I didn’t fall in love with it.

This one is a little different. It’s not really what I am looking for, but it looks great for a travel bag and it’s pretty cheap. I would have loved something like this for my trip to Tokyo two years ago. Lowepro makes professional camera bags and this is considered their unisex small travel bag.
It holds: DSLR with zoom lens attached, one extra lens or flash, memory card and plenty of room for personal items. There are outside pockets that are not fastened and two inside flaps for a phone. There is also a zippered expandable section, but it is not padded. The camera box is removable and has a little pocket for an extra memory card.
It comes in three colors: black, blue sky, and mica. I think the black is the most practical.
Purchase through Amazon: $46.99

Why is it so challenging to find a camera bag for a woman?

The camera bag I currently have is a Crumpler bag, I believe it’s the 3 million dollar home.  I bought it a long time ago when I only used one lens.  It has lasted for years, so it definitely does it’s job.  However, it is not practical for what I need and want in a camera bag anymore.

What I Am Looking For In a Camera Bag

• Looks like a purse…fashionable!
• Made of quality material
• Carries my usual purse needs: iPhone (easy access pocket), wallet, keys, lip gloss (at a minimum) and pen, sunglasses, tiny makeup case, bluetooth headset, point & shoot, plus a bit of extra room just in case (at a maximum)
• Protects but allows easy access to my Nikon D90 with a lens on it
• Holds and protects 1-2 extra lenses
• Fastens on top to prevent thieves
• Shoulder strap so I can wear it while I do photoshoots
• Not too heavy so I hurt myself…distributes weight evenly
• Weather-resistant in case of rain, wind, sand, or surf (would love for it to be a good travel bag as well) but this is not a deal-breaker

Of course, this decision to get a camera bag comes a bit too late for my birthday wishlist.  My birthday is in less than a week!
I will be posting some things I find over the next few days.  Any suggestions?

Happy Thursday!

I thought I'd share the best picture I took on the first couple rolls of film.  This is my dog Chardonnay.  He is a West Highland White Terrier, or Westie for short.  He is almost 16 years old, but doing very well for his age, although he usually looks pretty scruffy.  He is very loved.

Around The House (Film Part 4)

This will be my last post on my Explorations in Film series.  I must thank Richard Photo Lab for doing an amazing job developing and scanning my film.  And I never would have even picked up my film camera again if it was not for Jonathan Canlas and The Film Is Not Dead Guide.  In fact, if you are interested in purchasing you can use the coupon code HAPPYCUSTOMER to get $10 off!  I cannot recommend it enough.  Jonathan is a complete open book, plus his work is amazing!  The guide will teach you a lot, whether you shoot digital or film.  I am planning on reading it again since I went to eBay and purchased a professional 35mm film camera: the Nikon F100.  I just finished my first roll and am going to be sending it off next week, so I'll let you know about the results!

Jimmy P's (Film Part 3)

If you guys have never been to Jimmy P's Butcher Shop & Deli you must change that...immediately.  The meat is so so so good and their wraps are also great.  I love the Buffalo Chicken Wrap  Jesse and I went for a walk to get lunch and I took my film camera.  We found that piece of paper below on the grass with those drawings.  All shot on Kodak Portra 400 with my Nikon N65.  Again all of the photos were developed and scanned by Richard Photo Lab.

Happy Thursday!

Fifth Avenue Art Show (Film Part 2)

When Fifth Avenue South had one of their art shows in April, my boyfriend Jesse and I took a walk to go see it.  I usually try to go to one of the art shows every season.  It's a really exciting environment and I love looking at all the art.  Here are some more film shots on Kodak Portra 400 with my Nikon N65.  All of these film posts were developed and scanned by Richard Photo Lab...all the way in California.  I haven't compared them with anyone but I'm very satisfied with the results.

Explorations in Film Part 1

A few weeks ago I dug out my old film camera (Nikon N65).  I grew up on this camera.  I learned photography on this camera.  It felt great to play with it again.  We have some beautiful light here in Southwest Florida, which makes for some fun photos.  Here a few of the purely nature shots.  These are all shot on Kodak Portra 400.

Happy Thursdays!

My mother has always said "Happy Thursday!"  So every Thursday I plan on posting one picture that makes me happy.  I hope it cheers up your Thursday just like my mom always did for me as a kid.