I wear my M around my neck

I

intinsifi

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I wear my M around my neck, and I don't see anything wrong with it. Someone told me the other day that I look like a tourist.

I don't understand how wearing a camera around my neck equates to being a tourist. How else am I supposed to hold my camera (ignoring wrist straps & strapless)?

He told me I should carry it in my bag, but that doesn't make any sense. I don't understand why people don't understand that photographers take pictures. If I carried it in my bag, I would always miss important shots.

He said that if I keep wearing it, it might get stolen one day. With that logic, I might as well never go outside with it.

It seems like people thing photography is a joke or something and that all we do is take snapshots. Whenever I pick up my M, I feel obligated to take good pictures. I feel obligated to document the world around me through photographs.

I get tired of people asking why I am carrying a camera.
 
Who cares what people say or think. I hold mine in my hand with the neck strap wrapped around my wrist. This way I can kind of hide it behind me or whatever if I dont want the camera to be obvious. But just do what youre comfortable with.
 
I understand what you are saying and agree that burying a camera in a bag makes it less immediately useful. However, carrying a camera via a neck strap where the camera is riding on one's chest or stomache does make one look like a toursit. Further, in this suspicious age in which we live, so obviously displaying a camera is sure to raise someone's concern. What I've been doing lately, and I'm finding it to work very well, is to wear my camera "bandalero" style where the neck strap goes across one shoulder and then down and across my body with the camera resting on my side just in front of my opposite arm. That way the camera is less obvious (and more protected since it's tucked under my arm or just in front of the crook of my elbow) yet is still immediately available to take a shot. As for getting tired of people asking why I'm carrying a camera, yeah, I'm right there with you on that one!

-Randy
 
I wear whatever I'm using that day around my neck or, rarely, over one shoulder. If it's in your bag, you'll miss shots you'd otherwise take. You will look like a tourist, but that's just life. I'm too old to care if I look cool anymore. Go ahead and wave your phreak flag.

I know a guy who bought a Leica as an investment, and it's never left his safe-deposit box. That's the saddest thing. Cameras should be used, and the best place for that is around your neck or in your hand.
 
If carrying a camera implies that you are either a tourist or a presumptive terrorist, I'd rather be taken for a tourist. I think most people would care less if a "tourist" took their picture than they would if a local took it.

Fortunately, it hasn't gone this far in Norway yet (but judging from the amount of security checks at the airports, it's where we are going... :()
 
You should carry your camera wherever and however is comfortable for you. For me, that's either in my hand on a wrist strap, on a neck strap over my shoulder, or in a bag that's over my shoulder. (I don't carry a camera round my neck, on my chest, simply because I find that uncomfortable).
 
Actually, I've rec'd the same comment from a photo-enthusiast friend. This one is terrified of carrying his Canon DSLR outside of his bag and has mentioned that my gear will also get stolen because of the M-Classic Bag I often use. He carrys a $400 messenger bag as a briefcase. That same friend buys a good deal of very nice equipment and can talk specs all day long. He rarely talks about shooting. And hardly has any images to show for all the time/money he spends on his hobby. Most of the time he seems to be searching for equipment. There's nothing I love more than walking around w/ a camera around my neck and just a couple of rolls of film in my pocket. Anyone who doesn't understand that is probably more into accumulating gear rather than photography.
 
Cant' get why would I care stranger's opinion regarding my look ? I do what is comfortable for me, as long as it harmful for others. Would I find hanging it on my neck to be comfortable - I would do that and cound't care less for opinions of others.
The truth is that I personally found haning the camera on my neck isn't comfortable at all and actually interfares with my shooting style. I never carry photo bags with me either. The camear is either across my chest and is hanging down near my right elbow, or in my hand ready for a shoot secured by Leicagoodie's sling.
When I'm on photo "hunt" - it is in my hand on sling ready for the action. The hand with the camera is lowered and is raised to my eye only for a particular shot. On the other hand, when just being around (and my M6 or M3 is always with me, even to/from work, shopping, strooling, whatever) - it is across my chest.
 
I'll admit that walking around San Francisco with my Leica around my neck does make me look like a tourist. So now I still wear it around my neck but backwards to no once can see the camera.

For some reason I still get strange looks though.....
 
Sometimes it is to your benefit to look like a silly tourist. I usually have my camera and camera bag slung from the same shoulder, or, bag over the shoulder with the camera in my hand, the neckstrap wrapped 3 times around my wrist.
 
Nothing wrong with being a tourist.

You want to become invisible, stop somewhere and stay for a while,
people will ingnore you after a short time.

Same at parties and such. In the beginning you get comments, after
a while the camera gets ignored.

Roland.
 
I don't wear it over my neck, I find it uncomfortable and I do think it draws attention. I'l often wear it over my shoulder under my arm, often under my jacket that way it is just as accesable but not as obvious.
The only time it's over my neck is if I have 2 bodies over my beck and I'm shooting a lot of pictures with both cameras.
 
There are benefits to carrying your camera in a shoulder bag, especially in areas where you may get mugged if you let expensive or expensive-looking cameras in plain sight all the time.

My bag looks like an ordinary no-brand black "diaper" bag. I put my camera of choice in it vertically (held by adjustable inserts to accomodate different lens size) and ready to be pulled and used at any time.

Yes, I lost probably half of a second compared to carrying the camera in my hand or neck, but I can live with that. ;)
 
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Use the camera the way it feels best, most natural to you. Try not to get caught up in "posers" issues. You will get alot of useless advice and the best way to sort it is using your own common sense.

Best regards,

Bob
 
If you carry the camera as one poster described it "bandolero" style with thee camera hanging under his left arm, make sure that the strap is over your neck and resting on your opposite shoulder, not just resting on your left shoulder. I had an M3 slip off my shoulder once when I was carrying it in this manner. Fortunately it was in an ever ready case which afforded some protection but it still wore a small ding afterwards. OUCH!
 
Just to second peterm1's comment, that's exactly what "bandolero" style means (put the strap over your head, not just on one shoulder) I believe the term comes from those old bullet-carrying straps sometimes worn in a criss-cross fashion across one's chest. The other reason why I like carrying the camera that way is because prevents the camera from swinging away from my body and banging into something when I lean over.

-Randy
 
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