So what exactly do you mean when you say things like "Now I take my camera everywhere"? I'd really like to do this but the practicalities are tricky with a DSLR. Do you have your camera and a single lens? In a small camera bag? In a big camera bag with several lenses? In a back pocket? Around your neck? Disguised or completely invisible? Do you carry your camera, plus (as I would have to) your briefcase + other bag + handbag (ladies of course)?
When you leave home in the morning, is it with you every minute of the day? Do you leave it in your car? At your desk when you're working? When you go out for lunch or before/after work, is it hanging around your neck? Do your workmates and neighbours expect to always see you with your camera?
Do you go on specific shot-finding jaunts during lunch or before/after work, either side of shopping etc? Or do you just always have your camera with you while you're doing something else, for that spontaneous shot eg sitting in the dentist chair or catching the bus home?
Hoping to get some ideas on how to make it work. Thanks!
I have a P&S Canon Ixus that is really compact and can fit into a pocket that I take everywhere with me. IT lives in my hadnbag, so unless I am not taking my handbag somewhere (unusual) I always have it with me. I have even taken this P&S running with me - I stuck it down my bra - because I wanted to get the light down by the river when I was running.
I find that sometimes dragging around my DSLR is a pain, especially if I am not sure what lenses I will need. SO if I am specifically going somewhere with the main aim being photography, then I take my DSLR and lens. If I am going somewhere that does not involve carrying too much other stuff, then I often take my DSLR, and will just carry it is it's case off my shoulder, or I might stuff it in my big handbag. But as a fallback I always have my P&S - at work it sits in my locker, but is easily available to me, and I have used it at work, and definitely on the way to and from work.
I have mine with me everyday, everywhere. The only time it isn't with me is if I go out in the evening and don't want to carry my large bag with me. I bought a Kelly Moore camera bag to make it easier to carry it around with me, without looking conspicuous like I'm carrying a camera bag everywhere and I love it! Its fits my DSLR with lens attached, space for 2 more lenses or 1 lens and a speedlite, as well as usual handbag things, eg. purse, keys, lipstick, tissues, panadol! You get the point! Lol!
In terms of taking the shots, it depends what is happening that day. I generally have a plan for a shot in mind, but may leave that if I see something more interesting in my travels.
All of the Above! !!! I take it everywhere i go ...mostly i carry just one lens but if i feel the need for another one i stick the other one in my purse well protected with caps on. I go nowhere without my camera and yes everyone who see's me thinks i am going to take thier picture! And most of the time i do! :)....the times i have let my husband talk me into leaving it in the car was the worst decision's i have ever made and he eventually agreed, it seemed like the best photo op's would spring up when you least expect it!! I guess it all depends on how serious you are in your photography...I have had my camera with me long before i started this project..but now its a must! :) hope i answered your question in some way!
I would never be onto year 2 if I didn't have a little camera in my bag at all times. When my Ixus started to fade I thought of getting a super dslr but realised I wouldn't have it with me all the time. I settled for another compact Canon instead, hoping to get a dslr for Christmas and take it out when I know I'll have time to play. I guess a bigger handbag /pocket might have sorted the issue! :)
I take my panasonic P&S everywhere I go, literally everywhere! I haven't left the house without it since I started this project over 18 months ago! It's sat next to me on my desk right now :)
currently I'm working in London and realised lugging laptop bag around the tubes was not good for my back, so I bought a laptop backpack and my DSLR fits nicely in there. I tend to only have one lens with me and I also always have my P&S with me. If I know I'm going to be taking photos on the way home for instance I'll take my DSLR out of my bag before I leave the office and carry it on my journey home - I also do this if I'm say at an airport...it felt weird to start with and I felt really conspicuous, but what it means now is becasue I'm used to carrying it (even when not in photo taking mode) I feel really comfortable and it is completely natural to snap away. Like Phil, I wouldn't be in year 2 if I didn't do it this way, it'd be way too much hard work to be continually working out where and when I needed my kit, and sods law says the great photo moments always come when your camera is not by your side!
I wear mine on my shoulder 99% of the time and when I'm shooting street or macro it lives in my hand. If it is major and I mean major, torrential rain, then I sometimes slip it in my slingshot bag and put the rain cover on.
My gear goes everywhere. I usually keep it in the car, and often take a backpack for light travels. I'm doing a shot a day, so if I cant take my dslr I'll use my mobile camera.
My Rebel fits in my purse so it goes with me everywhere. You just never know when you'll need to pull the car over for a shot or something happens at work. I'm never far from it.
As I go out the door in the morning my camera is in my tote bag. Sometimes if I know I'm off to the park or the beach then I take my small camera bag with a few other lens. My camera always has my every day lens Sigma 18-200mm on it. I always have my camera. Even people at work knows it. If they see something they will call me at my desk and tell me to see what ever. LOL!
I bring mine around everywhere. I don't have a camera bag so I either carry it, wear it, or stick it in my purse. When I'm at work it sits on my desk or sometimes under my desk. We're a small company and the area we work in is locked to anyone else, so I don't worry about theft. People at work are always asking about it, and one of my coworker friends is a big photo guy too. I've been trying to get him to join 365! I also even had someone at work ask me if I would do a portrait session! I am soooo not ready for that, though.
The center arm rest in my car keeps my second lens, ND filter, mini tripod, and remote, so I'm prepared for most situations! :)
I haven't lately, but I used to bring my DSLR with my 18-135 kit lens in my purse. That way, I could grab it quickly whenever I saw a potential shot. I actually really miss having it with me and have been thinking about starting to do that again. This time, though, I want to get a camera bag that could double as a purse instead of the other way around.
A friend of mine does take her DSLR everywhere she goes. She carries it in her large purse. When I don't want to carry my larger camera with me, I rely upon a small 14 megapixel digital camera I picked up. It is a very nice size to put in my pocket or in my regular sized purse. Sometimes, I take pictures on my camera phone, but I have difficulties downloading pictures from my phone. My "pocket" sized camera has allowed me to capture pictures I normally would have missed.
LOL! Like Aleksandra (@aleksandra), I carry my DSLR in a purse which is actually a camera bag. In addition to checking out the Kelley Moore line also check out Epiphanie.com! More great camera bags for women :-)
My camera is always on me, usually tucked into my Epiphanie bag. I keep my 15-85mm lens on it, when I am running around in my daily life, but all my gear is in the trunk of my car (in another, larger, Epiphanie bag), along with my tripod and monopod, so always close by when I need a different lens or tripod, and easy to grab & go!
The one time I don't carry my camera is that time I'd miss the photo op of a lifetime, so never never go anywhere without it :-)
Always have my vanguard hearlder 28 bag slung over my shoulder when I leave the house (well almost, but to the point that I feel naked if I forget). My dslr with kit lens in it for now with a few accessories and room for lenses when I have enough pennies saved. I have it with me at the dentist, church, movies (though I don't pull it out to pirate anything I swear) work, drumming sessions, out to coffee, out to dinner, for neighborhood walks with the kids dog and wife, on leisurely bike rides, while geocaching, have even had it bumping against my side on short jogs though not often, have had it at the gym with me, during yoga classes, in the airport/plane, on the bus, grocery shopping, clothes shopping, electronic shopping, Christmas shopping, taken it with me rock climbing, and .......well you get the point. :)
There are a few times when I forget or have left it at home like longer serious runs or government buildings where they made me leave it at the door. But I really do feel like something is missing when that happens.
I grab my camera every morning when I leave for work and just leave it in my car in case I happen upon a good shot during the day. Sometimes I don't realize how annoying I may be to others with my photography habit though. We got ready to leave for an anniversary party the other night, and as we were going out the door I was going to grab my camera and my husband emphatically shouted, "No!"
It's the reason why I have a G12 - big enough to take fab photos, small enough to carry on me or in a bag 24/7. My camera hs not left my side for almost 3 years now.
Even though I do some planned photowalks and photo meetups. I mostly photograph when an opportunity presents itself. I like it that way but it means I need my camera to be ready in a hurry. I carry it 90% of the time. The other 10% I usually wish I had it with me. ;-)
I used to only bring my dslr with me with I knew I was going to take photos, and relied on my iphone for the spur of the moment shots. But I found I was missing too many opportunities for shots that needed what my dslr could do, and my 5 megapixel iphone didn't create shots that could be enlarged enough for the print on demand site that I upload to. So I made the committment to carry my dslr with me everwhere. At first I bought a big purse and dropped in a camera bag divider made for a messenger bag, and just recently upgraded to a Kelly Moore bag, and I love it!
This morning I missed an amazing bit of sunrise because my camera was in my bag, in the boot of the car. This evening I missed an even more amazing sunset because "I'm only popping out to drop the boy off so I won't need it". Let that be a lesson to everyone who is not as prepared as everyone that has replied to this thread already!!!!
@tulipgirl I have more cameras. In my handbag I always carry a compact camera and of course, my phone. When I go to work, shopping, to family etc. I always have my bag with me. I also have a DSRL. I use this one at home, at special occasions and when I go out to photograph. I have a special bag for it, but in that bag is enough space to take a lot of other stuff too. Taking 2 bags (one for girl stuff and one for a camera) with me is to much trouble, I think.
Sometimes I have an idea of which I want to take a pic of but often I don't. But I'm always prepared!
My compact stays in my pocket pretty much all the time; increasingly I'm carrying a film camera too when I can. Oh, and there's the old 35mm compact which lives in the car and usually gets forgotten about too.
Yup everywhere I go! I take pictures for the newspaper and Murphy's Law, when I don't have it, that seems to be when I come across something newsworthy!
I have a nikkon 3100 (quite big) so I bought a sholder sling its easy to carry without looking like a turist its easy to sling behind your back when you dont want to be noticed, but its quick to use...for all those men who dont want a hand bag ....:-)
i carry a small nikon coolpix in my purse and my canon p&s. i have a larger bag with my dSLR. i've had a camera on me everyday of my life. two years ago, i just went down to buy something and when i was going back to the office, our building was shot down because there was a heist happening at the bank on the ground floor. where was my camera? underneath my desk. since then, the camera bag goes with me all the time. in fact, i'd leave my purse behind but not my camera bag. :-)
@stuckinoz Janelle I appreciate about taking the camera running. When I first started this project I only had my p&s and I used to carry it as I walked (and occasionally ran!) - good for my health and good for getting my daily shot. When I got my dslr that all went out the window. Can't lug it on a run and even feel silly carrying it when I walk. hmm, what to do. Maybe I need to buy a better p&s and start walking again!
@stuckinoz I know what you mean. I checked them out this morning, and they look wonderful. Hmm, yes the excuse. I already quite a few related items on my Xmas list! @aleksandra Thanks so much Aleksandra for posting the pic of yours. We like!
I only own a p&s - am saving up for a dslr, but can imagine that even when i do have one, i'll still carry my p&s round most days just out of convenience!
Will have to look into the Kelly Moore line. I have an Epiphanie camera bag/purse, although it is a bit on the large size for my everyday. Just ordered another one. Google to check them out.
@tulipgirl I'm another one with only a compact digital camera, albeit a fairly sophisticated one. DSLRs and in particular their lenses seem very bulky and unwieldy compared to their old manual focus film counterparts.
I bring my camera with me everyday along with my purse. I do not leave in my car. Basically, I carry two large purses with me to work everyday. And again when I go to lunch. I bring it every time we get in the car.
I use a Tamrac rucksack for work which has my 7D with carry lens attached at the bottom & my normal stuff - lunch, work stuff, credit cards etc in the top & yes I take it everywhere with me :)
I mostly carry my P & S on my belt or in a pocket nearly everywhere I go. Also phone all the time. I have a Loewpro Passport sling bag with camera dividers which holds my DSLR gear so I can pick it all up as I go out the door - and I can get a couple of bottles of wine in it too when I unzip it out!!
@chackmann Which Kelly Moore bag do you have. I am eying of the 2 sues ( I like that it is tall and soft feeling, so not too bulky) and wondered which one you have?
I'm like the rest of them! I have a camera bag packed with all my gear and it goes everywhere with me! I have a great little hidden area behind my back seat that it fits nicely. If it gets too hot in my car to leave it in, I take my bag to job sites with me. Makes a fun conversational piece! :) You never know when the light is just right! ;o)
I used to carry my point and shot everywhere so my friends were used to me always having a camera with me. I have a Nikon D5100 now and in the beginning only carried it in my camera bag. I soon decided this project is just gonna work if I carry it with me at all times! I now wrap it in a little cotton bag and carry it in my purse with me everywhere and get it out when needed. Since my purse is only medium size other things have to stay home ;) When I know the days will be super busy I leave it home.
@stuckinoz -- I chose the MiMi, because I like handbags with short handles...I'm not shaped right to use a shoulder strap, lol. It's a little bulky, but everything fits well, and it's seems to be really well made. I love mine!
Hi @tulipgirl. I'm still trying to find out the best way to carry a DSLR with me all the time. Lately I have been using a Samsonite laptop bag with an expandable section. In this section I have put the lining of an old camera bag and later replaced that with the inside bag of a Crumpler bag. Now I can carry my laptop, papers and DSLR in one bag, but the bag is huge and heavy. The side effect is is that most of the time the camera stays in the bag. I have been trying taking two bags to work: A briefcase and a photo bag, but that's also not convenient. Starting from Monday I'll take a Crumpler 370 daily bag to work holding my camera, additional lens and spare battery with charger. The only work-related element will be a 7 inch tablet, since I've decided to minimize work at home. I'm not sure how this will work out. From time to time I search the net to see if somebody has come up with a solution. Actually that's how I found this post.
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I find that sometimes dragging around my DSLR is a pain, especially if I am not sure what lenses I will need. SO if I am specifically going somewhere with the main aim being photography, then I take my DSLR and lens. If I am going somewhere that does not involve carrying too much other stuff, then I often take my DSLR, and will just carry it is it's case off my shoulder, or I might stuff it in my big handbag. But as a fallback I always have my P&S - at work it sits in my locker, but is easily available to me, and I have used it at work, and definitely on the way to and from work.
In terms of taking the shots, it depends what is happening that day. I generally have a plan for a shot in mind, but may leave that if I see something more interesting in my travels.
The center arm rest in my car keeps my second lens, ND filter, mini tripod, and remote, so I'm prepared for most situations! :)
My camera is always on me, usually tucked into my Epiphanie bag. I keep my 15-85mm lens on it, when I am running around in my daily life, but all my gear is in the trunk of my car (in another, larger, Epiphanie bag), along with my tripod and monopod, so always close by when I need a different lens or tripod, and easy to grab & go!
The one time I don't carry my camera is that time I'd miss the photo op of a lifetime, so never never go anywhere without it :-)
http://www.amazon.com/Lowepro-Passport-Sling-Camera-Bag/dp/B0039NLS4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350563931&sr=8-1&keywords=lowepro+camera+sling
There are a few times when I forget or have left it at home like longer serious runs or government buildings where they made me leave it at the door. But I really do feel like something is missing when that happens.
Sometimes I have an idea of which I want to take a pic of but often I don't. But I'm always prepared!
Thanks everyone so much for your comments and suggestions. Hmm, I can see that I may just need to toughen up and get used to being seen with the camera bag, and then aim to get one of those very lovely Kelly Moore ones so I'm not carrying so many. I'm actually surprised that so many of you have and use your p&s. Though I did 2 months of this project with mine, when I do get it out now I've almost forgotten how to use it other than just to point and shoot!
I only own a p&s - am saving up for a dslr, but can imagine that even when i do have one, i'll still carry my p&s round most days just out of convenience!
When I go out o a photo walk, I use a 'real' photo bag or dedicated rucksack (Lowepro).