photo by brytta via iStock
One common mistake that I see beginner photographers making is that they don’t have a camera bag to carry their gear in.
I like to start conversations with people and so I asked a photographer that I saw the other day why they weren’t carrying a camera bag. They had their camera on a strap around their neck and after we started chatting, they said they were carrying their memory cards and an extra battery in their pocket.
They said that they were a brand new photographer. They had just received the camera for their birthday from a family member and so they hadn’t had much time to build up their gear list yet. But, watching them struggle to carry all of their gear was hard.
I am a firm believer in making sure that you have the right gear you need to so that you can make long days easier on yourself. If you’re a new photographer, then a camera bag should absolutely be on your list of items to buy.
I’m definitely not suggesting that you need a huge camera bag, or even that you need a really expensive camera bag. In fact, I’m suggesting quite the opposite. You should buy yourself a small camera bag that is just large enough to fit your starter camera.
I’m about to tell you why, but I should note that I’m going to be using Holdfast’s Fundy Streetwise Bag to illustrate my points throughout this article because I personally think it is the best camera bag for beginners due to its size, quality, and price.
Let’s get started.
Camera Bags Keep Your Gear Safe
There are a ton of reasons to have a camera bag, but the very first one is so that you can keep your gear safe. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but cameras and other camera gear are incredibly expensive. There’s really no point in putting all of that money into a hobby if you aren’t going to think about how to protect it.
A proper camera bag will keep your items safe from each other and from the elements. Take the Fundy bag as an example. This bag is made out of waxed canvas. This means that the bag is weather resistant so that you shouldn’t need to worry if you accidentally get caught in a shower or some snow. You can rest assured that your camera isn’t getting any water damage.
Likewise, though, the Fundy bag keeps your camera safe from getting scratched by your other camera gear because the bag is adjustable. Each piece of equipment can be divided from one another by removable inserts and each piece of equipment is further protected from bumps and bruises because the bag is lined with shearling. It will keep each piece of camera gear exactly where it is meant to be.
They Provide You Comfort
The benefits of a camera bag cannot be overstated, but the benefits of owning a really nice camera bag also cannot be overstated. I’m of the personal belief that your first camera bag should be a camera bag you’d be proud to own a few years down the line. But, in order to make that dream a reality, you need to be willing to invest in a camera bag that is seriously comfortable.
I have definitely made the mistake of buying a camera bag that was more aesthetically pleasing, instead of one that was more designed to be comfortable, and I pretty much immediately regretted it.
That’s why I recommend the Fundy bag for people participating in beginner photography. It is a traditional shoulder bag, but its shoulder strap is really thick so that the weight of the bag never ends up making that strap dig into your shoulder.
It can also carry a lot of equipment for its size, so if you find yourself needing something other than a traditional shoulder bag as you buy more camera gear, then you can pair it with a MoneyMaker to distribute the weight over both of your shoulders.
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They Keep Your Gear Organized
I get a lot of people asking me what to look for in a camera bag and feel that organizational capabilities is a quality a lot of people forget about.
As you start to acquire more and more gear, you’re also going to need to figure out how to store that gear and how to bring it with you. If your bag doesn’t allow you to keep your gear organized in it, then it’s just going to lead to frustration down the line.
The Fundy bag helps you keep everything organized because it comes with a removable insert, to keep everything inside the bag separated, and exterior pouches. I use these exterior pouches to house things like memory cards and batteries, things that kid I talked to was holding in his pockets.
They Save You Time
One other thing you should recognize about beginner photography gear is that it can really either make or break your career as a photographer. If you currently aren’t using a camera bag, then you know how long it takes to get all of your camera gear together in the morning. Sometimes it can be such a pain to find everything that you may choose to forego shooting altogether.
Camera bags save you time because they help you to keep your gear organized. You will always know where everything is. It is so much better to be able to wake up in the morning and head out straight away.
If you are interested in picking up a Fundy bag, then you should know that it is going to be an investment. The bag costs $450. If you can’t afford that right now, then you can also choose to buy it through 4 interest-free payments of $112.50.
Every bag created by Holdfast comes with a lifetime guarantee, though. So if you do decide to purchase this bag, you won’t ever need to purchase a small camera bag again.
You can find out more about the Fundy bag right here.