Baggy

Sometimes I like to take photos. I'm not saying I'm brilliant at it or anything but I've got equipment: big, heavy, pretty impressive looking SLR equipment. It currently lives in a couple of drawers in the hall and when I want to take it out and use it, I have the same dilemma. I've been doing a bit of photography on the side recently (I've also done it right-way up, on my front and even on my back, but probably not in the dirty-minded way you're thinking right now), and taking the full kit out presents me with this dilemma: where to put it all? I don't have a really flash, whizz bang, pocket-for-everything camera bag. But I kind of need one. So I've been looking around at various options. While I'd love a Crumpler, they're just ridiculously expensive. And that's pretty much my whole point for this post. Lowepro bags, too. So fucking expensive. Now, I don't need the full-on backpack with 200 secret compartments for filters, lenses, spare film, moisturised lens wipes and the like, I just want a decent shoulder bag with some of those padded, velcro-attached dividers so my lenses don't bump into each other too much, a pocket on one side for unused film, and a pocket on the other side for exposed rolls. Maybe somewhere to put a pen, too. And how much is a name-brand bag like this? Around $120. I'd rather sew my own fucking bag. I was in K-mart a few weeks ago and found myself looking at those soft-sided, insulated, esky lunchboxes. They come in a few different sizes. You could get one of these, that could fit a camera nicely and, I assume, keep your sandwiches fresh till lunchtime, for around $20. But they had no compartment things and no external pockets. And they were garish colours so looked kind of gay. But c'mon! Why is one padded bag with pockets five times the price of a padded bag without pockets? I know there must be a general, all-purpose bag out there for around $40-$50, that has similar specs. And right now, for a mobile phone cover I'm using one of my daughter's odd baby socks, so you're looking at someone who knows how to improvise to save a buck or two. So let's all be on the lookout for a non-camera camera bag. I know it's out there somewhere.