Another cheap gear tip.
01.07.09
I often work the sidelines. It is an exciting, but sometimes dangerous, area to work. The first time I got run over on a court I never saw it coming because I was at 200, and by the time I realized he was closer than close it was too late and he was on top of me. I lost my flash bracket in a freak wrestling mat incident last year, and I can’t even count the times I have almost been steamrolled on the football field. It is exciting work until someone gets hurt, which I did, I blew out my knee getting out of the line of a roller girl at a Derby match a little over a year ago. I was worried about saving my gear and not myself.
My husband thinks it is funny and every time a photographer gets pummeled on live TV, he backs it up and makes me come watch the carnage. What a sweetie!
Anyway, I figured I needed to be as mobile as possible, so I started researching waist-packs for gear online, with prices upwards of $150 I knew I couldn’t do that so I tried to think of something else. I had to go to Home Depot for some knee pads and in the same aisle were the contractors belts, so I decided to take a look. Not only are they expandable, but they are extremely durable and secure and many of them have built-in back supports and they even come in black. Turns out the hammer hook works great for holding a DSLR on a monopod which is awesome for when a team wins and I have to go in for the close-up victory celebrations. The big nail pockets are perfect for resting cameras lens down taking the weight off of your shoulders and putting it on your legs where it should be and the belt is normal sized for adding the lens cases you may already own. I can’t say enough about them, but I’ll just add one more thing, prices start at a mere $20.
Think of all the extra cash for getting other new toys or hardware for building equipment. A bit of foam, or even the pads out of an old camera bag provide the extra bit of protection you may want if it makes you nervous and there are tight secure pockets for things like Ipods, wallets, a bit of cash or a cell phone.
You may or may not be a sports-shooter, but this setup would work good for nature hikes, fun-runs, long walks or trips to the zoo without a stroller as well (I know I was sad when my kids stopped riding on wheels. Strollers are the best gear-humpers ever)
Just a thought.
Quick and dirty pictures of my shooting gear for sports
You can see in the images, on the left is my light meter,
my Quantum Turbo battery pack and the back left is my 70-200 case.
You can see the monopod is put through the hammer hook which also has these great little clips
(also from Home Depot) attached to it.
The hammer hook is great for balancing a loaded camera
You can also see the main big pocket is deep enough for my second flash,
and the front pocket is perfect for card cases.
Behind the pocket is a slim tight pocket perfect for essentials like ID, cash, and personal stuff.
I also slide a reporters notebook in and there are pen hooks right on the side for pens.
Tags: big lens carrier, camera bag, camera waist, camera waist bag, cheap tricks, construction belt, gear safety, ghetto photo, hammer hook, hauling photo gear, mobile photo gear, sideline saftey, sports photography