It has been raining and raining for the past 3 days. At least it isn’t snowing.

Tomorrow there is going to be the annual Walk MS in Salt Lake City, Utah and I will be going to help photograph the event. It should be fun and hopefully not wet. Last time I was caught in an all day event in the rain I was prepared enough with plastic trash bags. They kept the equipment safe in the rain but damn it was difficult to photograph.

So I have my eye on the Think Tank Photo Hydrophobia. It helps protect your camera gear in the rain while letting you access the buttons and controls and continue to photograph. This is on my Amazon.com wishlist and so hopefully I will buy it soon. And I will review it once I do.

There are versions that will even support the big lenses at 600mm! All I will need is the one for my 70-200mm.

As for that rain day last year, I was surprised to see how many photographers were not even protecting their cameras in the rain – I was passing out plastic garbage bags to them and encouraging them to keep their gear safe.

I love my new camera bag – I have as many camera bags as some people have purses. This is my rolling bag that carries all my essential cameras, lenses, and some flashes.

And why I am blogging about it today? The security features built in to the bag. There are two locks for the bag. One lock is to keep the bag closed and the second lock can be used to attache the back to something stationary. Just my luck today I am showing the back locked to a plastic chair at an event from the weekend. In the future I will be doing my best to lock the back to something more solid.

Typically I like to keep things locked out of sight – maybe in the truck of the car. If that isn’t available you have to hide your bag at an event – maybe there is a backroom that limits access to the general public.

The best security is to keep your gear on you. If you can’t, then keep it out of view and as many obstacles such as locks to keep it safe.

Lock up your camera gear!

Think Tank Photo Airport Security 2

I already received my first question on for dav.d photography tips. Woo hoo! Now is my chance to screw it all up! Kidding of course.

“David, I frequently shoot events and carry my gear with me. I am looking for a setup that will allow me to change lenses with just one body. I am looking heavily into the Think Tank Photo gear. Any thoughts?” Alex

I absolutely love Think Tank Photo’s bags. I own a few of them already – my latest bag is the Think Tank Streetwalker Pro which is great to carry a pro sized DSLR with a lens attached and a number of lenses and flashes. And like all the Think Tank Photo gear it has a ton of little pockets to store memory cards and accessories.

However, using bags at events is always a bit of a challenge. And depending on the event I would recommend different bags. For events like weddings, parties, or events where there are a LOT of people I want to be able to sneak through the crowd without bumping into people – and backpack just gets in the way.

For these situations I use the Shootsac which can hold 3 lenses and memory cards, batteries and other items in 6 pockets. 3 of the pockets are designed for lenses and the other 3 are for the other items (including a lot of business cards). And the Shootsac lays flat against my body – they should design a better strap for the bag – it rests on one shoulder and it can get a bit sore after a few hours. I will admit that the Shootsac borders on looking like a purse – you can even buy different covers for the Shootsac that will personalize the bag for you.

The big advantage of the Shootsac is sneaking through crowds without knocking them over or bumping things off tables. Not good at weddings or parties.

For other events – like sports – or outdoors I will use my Think Tank Photo Streetwalker Pro – or my LowePro FastPack 350 – the LowePro is cool because it’ll hold a 17″ laptop, pro camera with 70-200mm lens and 4 other lenses or flashes. And it has a big pocket for miscellaneous items.

And finally, I have never used it, but I hear people rave about the Think Tank Photo belt system. You buy a belt and then you can attach a number of modular components. It is very customizable, however, it is one step more nerdy than wearing a photo vest. However, if you are shooting sports and you need a lot of gear with you – and a backpack isn’t going to cut it – the belt system would be ideal.