Looking like a camerabag or not. Does it matter after all?

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Soeren

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Lately there has been some discussion on camerabags, Leatherbags, Diaperbags etc and the comment " I need one that doesn't look like a camerabag" allways pops up. Ok I don't go photographing late nights in dark places (long time ago I did) so I don't have the fresh experience of people eyeiing my gear but does the bag really matter?
Will the thieves think Camerabag = $? or is it whether it looks expensive that matters? Could it be the size => lots of stuf inside? The "Pro look" of the photog and perhaps his camera?
What do you guys think draw the attention to you and your gear as potential donators of it?
Best regards
 
Best disguised bag I've encountered is a diaper bag,with a dirty one on top of the camera part.

ps, I have had over $30K of camera and computer stuff stolen from me. And I'm not all that careless, but I don't spend all my time watching my equipment.

I totally believe good insurance is all the protection you need, but if you want to save time, make it unappealing. And nobody (not even thieves) want baby sh*t!
 
I think it's mainly how you portray yourself/act in an environment. However, that could be influenced by what you wear/carry. So if it puts some folks at ease by using a non-descript bag, then so be it. For others, they might not care and anything'll work.
 
I don't think that the bag matters. If I'm getting mugged, my cash, cards and iPhone are more important than my camera.

I am, though, more interested in the non-camera-looking bags, because they carry better (less structured) and just look better. IMI, of course.
 
Thieves don't read RFF and dont know what Billingham or A&A or whatever says about the contents. A Canon or Nikon logo may spark an interest of course, but most theft is based on opportunity. Any bag will be stolen if there is a thief and an opportunity around - regardles of looks.
 
Lflex said:
Thieves don't read RFF and dont know what Billingham or A&A or whatever says about the contents. A Canon or Nikon logo may spark an interest of course, but most theft is based on opportunity. Any bag will be stolen if there is a thief and an opportunity around - regardles of looks.
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Obviously true, but equally obviously, if there are (say) 10 bags available to steal, a thief will go for the ones that are likely to contain the most valuable stuff, e.g. a camera bag (especially, as you say, if it has a Canon or Nokon logo, which might as well say STEAL ME) rather than a shopping bag or student's backpack. I completely agree with uinku, too: I think it's mainly how you portray yourself/act in an environment. However, that could be influenced by what you wear/carry. So if it puts some folks at ease by using a non-descript bag, then so be it. For others, they might not care and anything'll work.

Cheers,

R.
 
One thing I've found, over many, many years, is that appearance matters for anyone who is working with people. All the successful photographers I've met, and that's quite a few, wear the appropriate clothing and carry their cameras in containers that reflect the image they wish to convey.

This applies to amateurs and professionals alike. A smart alloy case works wonders for people who do on-site portraits of businessmen, while a scruffy canvas army bag is de rigueur for documentry pictures in rough places. Of course, fashions change and the people who succeed in their chosen fields have the knack of changing with them, which is one reason why so many makers of camera bags have healthy profits. 😉

As for thieves, they are less interested in the appearance of the goods than the appearance of the person carrying the goods. Several of my policemen friends have told me that the secret to not being ripped off is simple: look alert and hold any bag firmly. Thieves, so I'm told, will try to find an easier target every time.
 
Sejanus.Aelianus said:
As for thieves, they are less interested in the appearance of the goods than the appearance of the person carrying the goods. Several of my policemen friends have told me that the secret to not being ripped off is simple: look alert and hold any bag firmly. Thieves, so I'm told, will try to find an easier target every time.
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Very true. A sort-of-related tale:

When my wife was a student at USC, a campus policeman asked her if she was carrying CS gas. She was rather taken aback, and said, "Yes, I am, but I have a permit." The policeman smiled and said, "No, that's all right. It was just a little bet with myself. You don't walk like a victim, and I wondered why. Then I thought about the CS gas..." I should add that she's only a little over five feet tall.

Cheers,

R.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Very true. A sort-of-related tale:

When my wife was a student at USC, a campus policeman asked her if she was carrying CS gas. She was rather taken aback, and said, "Yes, I am, but I have a permit." The policeman smiled and said, "No, that's all right. It was just a little bet with myself. You don't walk like a victim, and I wondered why. Then I thought about the CS gas..." I should add that she's only a little over five feet tall.

Cheers,

R.
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I can relate to that. People able and willing to defend themselves act more confident than those who can't.
Best regards
 
tom.w.bn said:
Why do you think of such a scenario? Ever thought about the fact that most camera bags just look really awful? The more protective a bag is, the bulkier it is and the more ugly it looks.
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No reason in particular. Jeust the worst case street photog I could think of.
The protective thing goes for any bag so for that matter there are no reasons to buy a diaper bag and then stuff it with foam inserts etc. 🙂
Offcource If you dont like the looks that a good enough reason.
Best regards
 
Sejanus.Aelianus said:
One thing I've found, over many, many years, is that appearance matters for anyone who is working with people. All the successful photographers I've met, and that's quite a few, wear the appropriate clothing and carry their cameras in containers that reflect the image they wish to convey.

This applies to amateurs and professionals alike. A smart alloy case works wonders for people who do on-site portraits of businessmen, while a scruffy canvas army bag is de rigueur for documentry pictures in rough places. Of course, fashions change and the people who succeed in their chosen fields have the knack of changing with them, which is one reason why so many makers of camera bags have healthy profits. 😉

As for thieves, they are less interested in the appearance of the goods than the appearance of the person carrying the goods. Several of my policemen friends have told me that the secret to not being ripped off is simple: look alert and hold any bag firmly. Thieves, so I'm told, will try to find an easier target every time.
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So its more a "blend in" thing?
Best regards
 
I just merely hate the appearance of camera bags. They're ugly as sin. Especially lowepro, crumpler and tenba style ones. So I like the domke/billingham/A&A style MUCH more.
 
When swung appropriately a well made bag loaded with sunbstantial camera equipment can generate a huge amount of torque. Remember this the next time you are the target of an evil doer.
 
rover said:
When swung appropriately a well made bag loaded with sunbstantial camera equipment can generate a huge amount of torque. Remember this the next time you are the target of an evil doer.
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A 500CM body will do as well as a brick to the head 😀 ... After trying all possible camera bags available where i live i have decided that i will lug my camera around the neck 99.9% of the time :bang: still have not found "the bag" and I doubt I ever will without shelling a Voightlander lens worth of cash for it...
 
Soeren said:
So its more a "blend in" thing?
Best regards
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What camera(s)/gear are you carrying? It makes a lot of difference in bag selection and how you are perceived. The smaller camera in a fanny/bum pack on the waist is pretty low-profile. A large bag, well, it certainly has a lot more bang for the buck for a potential theft, IMO, which could include electronics like iPads, phones, iPods, wallets, etc.

First rule of being safe is your location choice. Second rule is whether or not you appear vulnerable. I rather like the Smith and Wesson T-shirts myself.😛

Personally, there are things you can do without carrying a diaper bag. If I could afford insurance, I would certainly have it. If I could afford the risk of going to rather risky areas, I would still avoid it, just not my interest. But a man has to have a certain minimum standard of style and IMO a diaper bag ain't it!🙂
 
It also depends on where you want to blend in. I remember being in Kashgar and walking through town with a large Billingham bag, it doesn't really look like a camera bag unless you know camera bags (it did look out of place but then so do I in that kind of setting, so I don't care). It was all very nice and not camera-bag-like and useful for carrying stuff in the extra space. But then I was sitting in a restaurant and eating some laghman, a Chinese came over from a group at the next table and asked me whether I could take their picture because obviously I must be a photographer, given how I carry a Billingham around. So even a non-obvious bag can be recognized because of its non-obviousness 🙂

When I really want to blend in, however, I either take a cheap attaché case or a plastic bag with some extra stuff in it.
 
uinku said:
I think it's mainly how you portray yourself/act in an environment. However, that could be influenced by what you wear/carry. So if it puts some folks at ease by using a non-descript bag, then so be it. For others, they might not care and anything'll work.
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That's always been it for me--It's never been about stealing. I've always felt I got the best photos by blending in, and anything that says "special person, over here!" detracts from that. Having a camera in my hands is bad enough--why accentuate that with a fancy bag? So for 40 years I've used some variety of hippie shoulder bag or what the current trend was (a messenger bag, today).

I've also cultivated body language and dress to do the same. I remember being very impressed once by a TV piece about a guy who shot film of wild mountain goats, notoriously shy characters that hunters have a hard time getting within several hundred yards of, and had learned (and taught his family) how to crawl right up into the middle of them and jam his movie camera up their noses. I used to shoot children in classrooms for educational materials, and teachers would comment after how the children had not even seen me: success!

If anyone knows who the goat film maker was, please tell me--that was about 30 years ago, and I've not been able to find reference to him. He lived in the mountains of Colorado, or similar, and the show was on educational TV.
 
Once you take the camera out the illusion is shattered. Quick story I heard from a friend if a friend, this person had one of those thermos that looks like a Canon lens. It was sitting in the cup holder. The car was broken into and that was the only thing taken. So some thieves know what to look for.
 
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