The Billingham 550 camera bag is sturdy and reliable. It also has an amazing design. Mind you. This is a large bag and houses 3 SLR Pentax cameras and the Pentax 645 medium format camera too. Also inherent? The filters, light meters, film, sandwiches, flask, etc. This ends up being impractical re: weight. So it doesn’t get taken out into the ‘field’ often and so retains it’s newness. Trouble is, I want it to look travel worn and beaten up by the weather. A few scuffs and battle weariness about it’s character.
So alternatively I have an old sturdy but beaten up canvas military bag, much smaller, which is ideal for off the cuff photography times. Rock up in the VeeDub somewhere. Grab a camera, two lenses, a couple of films…….. shove them in the military bag and get out there. Always grab the LX camera with the 50mm lens and another, usually the 120mm. I have a ‘hardly used’ telescopic Pentax lens too to offer choice. And two more Pentax SLR’s. Not here but hiding away in the Billingham. Very shy cameras and lens and keeps to themselves. Mind you they could be sulking and don’t want to come out.
Usually take a VeeDub run to the Dunes, woodland or lakes/rivers. Nice open spaces. Then kettle on once returning to the VeeDub Bus.
Subject matter for photographs? Always prefer nature by choice. Don’t photograph people. Well. Very rarely. Leave that to my daughter who takes superb captures. Not studio based but naturally social/activity takes. Gets the photo that requires an inherent star filled ability in the photographer to have the insight and understanding to capture that perfect moment from the presentation of unique human nature.
Me? Haven’t taken a photograph for a long time though. Too busy when nursing and too drained afterwards to summon motivation. Plus restrictive travelling from COVID early days put an inherent ‘careful how we act responsibly’ psyche into many minds. Isolation is a difficult one to shake off. Getting back out there comfortably is beginning to surface though. And my chosen choices of subject matter means comfort and freedom that countryside and seaside scenarios proffer.
Here are the bag and cameras in pose mode. Not exactly cook book ‘photographing the food/recipe/meals’ standard. But it all adds up ok for the blog.
Gray Summers 
Reblogged this on Gray Summers and commented:
I was under the stairs yesterday, thinking of donning the new wellies for working in the garden. But decided to leave them there as we, my wife and I, were still putting together the raised bed made of galvanised metal. It is a 400x80x81 cm (LxWxH) one and required struggling to line up dozens and dozens of holes for nuts and bolts assembly. Took all day! What has this to do with cameras you say. The Billingham camera bag was next to the wellies. The sun was shining. The choice was there for the taking. I chose neither wellies or bag.. But we did finish the raised bed assembly. Next time I look at the wellies need……….it will be tempting to grab the bag! Been a long time in not using the cameras. Shame that.
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