The Almost Perfect Camera Bag

Professional bloggers...yeah, I'm not one of them.  I admire those who can get their posts up on a regular schedule with perfectly edited photos and table settings.  Colorado's been an inferno lately...figuratively and literally, and it's been too hot to find the motivation to cook much of anything.  The above Mango and Blueberry Quinoa Salad has been pinned on one of my Pinterest boards for ages and I finally found the little bit of motivation in this energy sucking heat to boil up some quinoa.  The fresh berries and mango are perfect with the lemon zest dressing.  I followed the recipe exactly...without any adaptation except throwing mint on top so I hardly feel justified in just reprinting someone else's recipe here.  I'll let you follow the above link...it's definitely worth it.

So with mostly bowls of takeout or cereal coming out of my kitchen, I've had little to blog about.  I did however find some motivation to organize my basement recently and happened upon a "few" camera bags.  Just to torture myself, I added up the cost of those "few" camera bags and was appalled to see that I'd spent a good chunk of change on these bags.  The pain of that realization is still a little fresh but finding that perfect camera bag is a bit of an adventure.  There are features that you don't know you want or don't know you hate when you buy that first bag.  There are features that you want after you buy new camera lenses or accessories.  Camera bags are tough.

And here's a secret about camera bags.  The perfect camera bag does not exist.  You read the forums or blogs and everyone always says their bag is "almost" perfect.  The perfect bag does not exist because what we all secretly want, but cannot admit, is a bag that holds all of our camera equipment and only weighs 1 lb.

Yes, a bag that weighed 1 lb fully loaded would be ideal.  The same bag made by Burberry would be perfect. A girl can dream.

My thoughts on some not so perfect bags for me, as well as my current favorite:

This Tamrac Velocity 7 bag is one my oldest.  It's a sling style bag that allows you to wear it right across your chest so that you can grab your camera at any point.  I found the lenses a bit hard to get out because you had to stack them on top of each other. I also didn't love how it screams "Hey, look, I'm a camera bag"

Also, it's not so cute.  I was still holding out hope for a cute bag.

So onto a cute bag. This one is the Snugglens from an Etsy seller.  I picked out the Amy Butler fabric and she made the bag to order.  Great quality, great padding, great layout inside and metal feet on the bottom.  I love this bag still. 

But ultimately I felt like I was carrying a diaper bag and I was sure a camera bag should be more purse like and not quite so cute.  Amy Butler fabric while super duper cute, is not my preferred handbag style.  This camera bag easily transitioned a knitting bag.  Not too shabby in my opinion.   

The Jo Totes Missy Bag.  It's discontinued but I am a sucker for a bag with pockets on the front. (Update: it's back!)  It's a bit of an obsession really.   This bag is really well made with tons of moveable dividers so that you can configure the inside to hold lenses, camera body, diapers, wallet, water bottles or whatever else you carry in your day bag.  They also use some fun contrasting fabrics for the interior of the bags. 

Jo Tote's (along with Epiphanie bags and Kelly Moore bags) are all entirely way too darling.  What they aren't however, are light or made of real leather--I've held and caressed many of them.  I know they are synthetic leather to be more weather resistant and protective, but I am just personally not a huge fan of synthetic leather. The bigger issue for me though is that they are meant to be handbags or shoulder bags and once you put one camera and one lens into the bag and throw it over a single shoulder, it's pretty heavy.   This Jo Totes then became a knitting bag as well.  Seeing a pattern here?

So with my need to have a sleeker, more everyday handbag type camera bag, I tried the insert in my own bag option.  I still use this one as a purse that holds a camera with one additional lens at most.   You can buy an insert on Amazon or Etsy and then buy an actual handbag that you like.  I purchased this buttah soft leather bag with a strap long enough to be worn messenger style.  The lack of weatherproofing is not a problem for me because hey, it's Colorado and it almost never rains here. 

 While I do love this setup, this only works when I want to carry minimal camera equipment along with a wallet and personal items,  not when I want to carry many lenses.

So, the dreaded backpack.  This Kata photography backpack is great because it doesn't scream "hey, I'm carrying tons of camera equipment" and has the well thought out functionality of a backpack specific to photographers.  I love the zip out monopod/tripod holder and rain jacket. The bottom half zips out and holds your camera equipment and the top half holds your jackets, snacks and accessories. I heart the yellow interior because the black lenses jump out against it and it's so much easier to find things in it. It also has a back zip compartment that holds a laptop--I can fit my 15 inch laptop in there with room to spare.  I like this backpack for shorter trips, but still have the issue of not being able to fit everything I want to carry.  The nylon webbed waistbelt wannabe also made me sad.  

The undfind bag.  Love these bags, especially the smaller hip shooter bag.  These are really more lens bags than they are full camera bags.  The hip shooter attaches to your belt (I really need to wear more belts) and the you have your lenses within easy reach.  The bigger bag has a lens divider that can be removed so the bag turns into a laptop bag.  There are tons of organizing compartments in the front pocket and the strap is super stretchy and comfortable.  The bags are made of neoprene similar to the Shootsac but with a more structure and the ability to fully cover the top of the bag so no lenses fall out.   I also met the undfined designers/owners once when I was in Vegas and I am a big fan of supporting new entrepreneurs again especially when they are so friendly and helpful.

And finally, my favorite camera bag.  After all this time, I've come full circle to a Lowepro Flipside 400  that does look suspiciously like, well, a camera bag.  The tripod holder does zip away when not in use and after I painted over the Lowepro logo(couldn't bring myself to actually cut it out of a new bag), I found that it looked a lot like any other backpack. It has an attached hidden rain cover that can be pulled out for those 5 minute passing storms that we get here. 

The front pocket has a padded pockets and a padded pouch perfect for an iPhone.  

This thing has a killer waistpack and sternum strap that distributes the weight very well.  If you can't have a pack that reduces the weight of your camera equipment, you can at least have one that distributes it well.  This backpack is the closest I've come to actually making my camera equipment feel lighter than it is. 

My favorite part of this backpack is that it opens from the back.  It's a little awkward to get the flap to stay open, but the tradeoff for that awkwardness is that the camera equipment feels much safer without an external zipper.  And of course it's called flipside for a reason...theoretically you can just slip the shoulder straps while leaving the waist belt on, swing it around and open from the back to quickly and easily grab your camera.  It's not as easy as the girls in videos always make things look, but it does work. 

I love how something the same size as my Kata backpack holds so much more camera equipment.  The dividers are configurable so you can adjust the size to carry jackets and snacks as well and there are many places on the outside of the bag to add additional pouches.

Flash card pockets.  Love that. 

And while I'm on the subject of almost perfect camera items, have to share my ultimate favorite camera accessory...the BlackRapid Strap.  I've had this strap for about a year and I can't imagine using a neck strap again...seriously has made carrying a camera around so much easier. When I'm feeling the need to be minimalistic, I just grab my camera with the BlackRapid strap and it really feels like I'm not carrying a camera at all. 

The BlackRapid allows you to wear your camera cross body, messenger style.  The camera sits at your hip and then can be brought right up to your eye without taking it off.  The women's version has a curved strap on the chest to umm, curve around a woman's curves.  If I had to do it again, I think I'd opt for the men's cargo version that has a phone, ID and memory card carrying pouches in the shoulder strap because I rarely find my curves getting in the way. Throw your keys into the cargo strap you'd be ultra minimalistic. 

The strap seems a bit scary at first because it mounts to the bottom of your camera and the camera does hang upside down.  But after an entire year of using it, I've never had an issue or close call--just make sure you lock the carabiner and check it periodically.  I use a Manfrotto RC2 quick plate on the bottom of my camera and BlackRapid even has a specific fastener for that.  It works perfectly for the RC2 though I've heard that others have tried unsuccessfully to use it with other quick release systems. 

Seriously love this strap.  Maybe more than any of the bags. 

Sweet and Savory Crepes

Sometimes the "clean the fridge" creations are some of the best surprises.  I have a business trip this week and needed to find a one-stop way to use up produce.  Since I had both veggies and fruit, I imagined crepes would be a perfect way to use both.  No worries...not together.  This time. 

For this filling I sautéed 2 larger cloves of garlic (yep, sure did) in a drizzle of olive oil with 1/2 a sliced red onion until the onions were soft.  Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 3-4 minutes. 

Do veggies make anyone else happy?

For topping sautee garlic in olive oil over med heat for 2-3 minutes. Add 4 small tomatoes diced, and 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil.  Turn heat to high and cook until excess water evaporates from tomatoes, about 5 minutes. 

Fill 1/4 crepe with spinach filling, fold crepe in quarters.  Top with tomatoes.  Seriously so good and so fresh tasting.  Unless you hate veggies and then all bets are off. 

The best thing about crepes is that they can go sweet or savory.  The below recipe makes about 16 crepes, enough for both dinner in dessert in many houses.

For dessert I mixed about 1/3 cup ricotta, 1/2 tsp lemon zest, and drizzle of honey and mixed well.  I didn't measure but you can increase and decrease any of the ingredients pretty easily to your preferred taste preference.  

Filled crepe with ricotta and fresh raspberries

For raspberry sauce topping add 2 6 oz containers of fresh raspberries to a pan and add 1/4 cup honey.  Turn heat to medium high and cook until raspberries and honey thicken, about 4-5 minutes.  Throw additional 6 oz container into raspberry sauce, mix and remove from heat.  Spoon over crepes.

Mission accomplished, fridge clean and two pretty fantastic eats with produce that would have probably otherwise just been another regular 'ole salad.

Crepes

Ingredients

Crepes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tsps stick melted butter

Directions
Add all crepe ingredients except butter to a blender and blend until smooth.

Add melted butter and blend again only until incorporated

Strain through fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps and then refrigerate batter for at least an hour
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/3 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

Greek Panzanella

Summer produce season is finally here.  Sigh of contentment here.  I know it's early in the season but I get so excited when I see those weekend farmers markets popping up.

"I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree tomato".

All those tomatoes made me think greek salad.   I love the saltiness of both the olives and the feta paired with the sweetness of tomatoes and roasted peppers with just that bite that comes from onion.  Greek salad is pretty perfect. 

Unfortunately when you a produce hoarder like me, you have more than enough ingredients after you have your basic salad.  I started thinking greek quinoa of some sort, and then spied with my little eye, a little french boule that I bought intending to make french toast but just never got around to.  Stale bread screams panzanella doesn't it?

I made it all the way through the chopped veggies when I started wondering if I should use a regular 'ole greek salad vinaigrette or if greek panzanella called for something a bit schmancier.  A quick flip through some cookbooks and wouldn't you know, Barefoot Contessa actually had a Greek Panzanella.  Maybe I'd stored it in my mind once upon a time as a "must make" recipe.  The veggies were slightly different and I really like roasted peppers in greek salad, but I opted to use her vinaigrette.  Glad I did--perfect amount of tang, salt and loved the dijon addition. 

Summer activities and festivals are in full swing here in the Mile High City.  One of my favorite annual events is the Chalk Art Festival in Larimer Square and I always seem to go with the same friend.  Funny how you get in a groove with events.   I was a little disappointed that there weren't more of those "wow" 3D perspective drawings, but still admired the vibrant colors and beauty and the amount of effort that goes into each one of these.   I can't begin to comprehend the amount of dedication it took to spend hours upon hours on the hot street coloring and shading and even using little vacuums to suck up the chalk dust to create these fun drawings.

Yes, I acclimated back to Denver very nicely and do think 85 degrees is a really hot day. 

Summertime on a plate.

Greek Panzanella

adapted from How Easy is That by Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 tbsp olive oil

2 large tomatoes diced
2 persian cucumbers (about 1 cup)
1 red bell pepper roasted, peeled and diced
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1/3 cup finely diced or crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup Kalamata olives pitted and cut into quarters

For the vinaigrette:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes taking care not to burn garlic.
3. Drizzle garlic oil over bread cubes and toss to coat.  Pour onto baking sheet in  a single layer and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Use a spatula to turn bread cubes at least once while baking. You can prepare up to this point a few days in advance.  Store croutons in airtight container until ready to use. 
4. Place tomatoes, cucumber, roasted red pepper and red onion in a large bowl.
5. For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. While still whisking, add the olive oil and make an emulsion. 
6. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. 
7. Add the feta, olives and bread cubes and mix together lightly. 
8. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

Camping Food ideas

How long can I string out the Memorial Day Weekend camping photos right?  Last post, pinky swear.   

Brooklyn did not love ATVs as much as her smile implies.  She just happens to like this nonmoving one.  I tried bringing her along with her kennel attached and she let it be known that it was not her favorite thing.  

Not a rugged ATV dog.

Actual rugged ATV dog. 

Look at that face. 

I've taken photos of the trails each time I've been on one with an ATV and I've never been able to capture the exhilaration of controlling that beast when you are going up or down steep rocky inclines.  Does this photo look extraordinary?  Not so much but with each rock you have to hold on tight and control those wheels from turning left or right.  You definitely feel like you've earned some guns at the end of a long ride.  Sadly, I look down and my arms look the same. 

This is a creature with horns.  

And this is monkey bread made in a cast iron pie iron.  I really love pie irons and have actually used them at home in a fire pit or even over the grill.  There's just something about individual sized foods.  The cast iron ones are CRAZY heavy--not sure how practical that makes them but they do a great job of evenly heating and cooking.  

Monkey bread is perfect camping food if you bring along some of those refrigerator biscuits.  I think the smaller cans work better because the larger Grands split into layers but if you like the layers, grab the big can.  It's camping where anything goes.  You could probably grab the cans of cinnamon rolls and make monkey bread from those.   

Camping Butterscotch Monkey Bread

In a ziploc  mix 1/2 c brown sugar, 1 box butterscotch cook & serve dry pudding mix (not instant), 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon

Bring 1 stick butter and 3 small cans of biscuits, can of Pam or any spray oil and the butterscotch pudding baggie

To prepare monkey bread, melt 3/4 of a stick of butter and allow to cool while you chop biscuits. Cut biscuits into quarters and drop into ziploc. Seal and shake to coat all biscuits. Pour melted butter over biscuits and shake again. Spray pie irons with oil covering well.  Divide biscuits into pie irons (makes 2 of the large double pie irons) and cook over hot coals for 10-15 minutes flipping periodically during the cooking.

Pizza bread is another easy camping recipe.  Or non-recipe really.  You may already make this at home and it carries over to camping really well.  Take one loaf of bread and cut crosswise about one inch apart taking care to stop about half an inch before you reach the bottom of the bread--you want the bread to stay together.  Turn bread and do the same cutting lengthwise.  Place two sheets of aluminum foil across each other to form a "t", spray with oil and place loaf in center. Pour pizza sauce into all the crevices you've cut (I found a pre made one that comes in baggies so travels to campsite well). Stuff pepperoni or other toppings into crevices.  Top with mozzarella, roll up foil to seal and place over coals for 10-15 minutes.  

And finally, spaghetti and garlic bread....in the pie iron.  I know this one sounds a bit weird but it's pretty good...if you like spaghetti and garlic bread that is.  It's easy to prepare at the campsite--you just pack up your pre-made spaghetti, garlic butter and a loaf of sandwich bread.

Before you leave home make a batch of spaghetti cooked al dente.  Add your favorite sauce and allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Add more sauce even if you think it's too much.  The garlic bread absorbs a bit of sauce an you really don't want dry spaghetti.  Pack in a Ziploc. 

Make garlic butter:  mix together 1 stick softened butter, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp salt.  Roll into a log in wax paper and then a small ziploc and refrigerate.  

To prepare allow butter to soften and then spread on sandwich bread.  

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Place bread garlic side out in pie iron.  I like to use bread that is bigger than the pie iron so it crimps and seals shut on the edges--it also helps keep the spaghetti inside when you are trying to hold  and eat it. 

Doesn't look so amazing yet right? Just wait.

Place the other slice of bread on top, garlic side out and close pie iron  Cut edges off and place in coals for about 3-5 minutes on each side. 

Remove and carefully open the pie iron and 'voila.'  It's like a hot pocket but with spaghetti and garlic bread. 

And of course there are about a zillion other ideas for pie iron "pockets"... PB and marshmallows to get a PB and fluff sandwich,  scrambled eggs and cheese for breakfast pockets and pizza toppings and sauce for pizza pockets. A pie iron adds a bit of cooking fun when you are camping. 

Camping Food: Chicken Fajitas

This is a post about chicken fajitas.  But it's also a post about a girl and her footwear needs.  Can you see the awesomeness in this photo?  Besides the awesomeness that is my friend Ash of course. 

Pink.  Pop.  Hunter. 

I've been drooling over Hunter boots for ages.  I live in a city that gets more annual hours of sunshine than San Diego or Miami.  You may not think immediately "sunny" when you think of Denver but we almost never get those awesome dreary cloudy days--this is definitely a "you'll go blind if you don't have sunglasses" kind of place.  When we do have a bit of rain, I turn on my fireplace, make some tea and do a little "it's dark and gloomy outside" dance.  A little bit dramatic.  

So in a state that is bursting into forest fires because of the dryness, you can see how a fun pair of Hunter boots are probably not the most practical...unless you think of camping.  Yes, I was mocked by my coworkers when I told them one of our reps were able to find these "pink camping boots" in one of our Connecticut stores.  I was mocked even more when I changed their name from "camping boots" to "snake repelling boots."   Then I was mocked yet again when I insisted I really was going camping.  That's what happens when you are not perceived as being so outdoorsy--people don't take you and your pink camping boots seriously.

But who had the last laugh?

Yep, ATV gets stuck in snow and mud and you step right off and sink immediately into deep thick mud.   Huh, mud?  No worries, I'm wearing my ultra rugged mud-deflecting pink boots.  Want to clean them? Walk right into a mountain stream. They are surprisingly super comfortable since they are bendy and hey if they are good enough for the queen (of England, not America), then they are good enough for me.   Hunter boots are ESSENTIAL camping gear says me.  If I could pull off wearing them like Angeline Jolie wore them in Mr & Mrs Smith, I'd wear them that way too. 

There's also a fantastic aqua color and a yummy looking tangerine color.  If I lived in Seattle, I might  have an entire Hunter centric wardrobe.  

BTW, these boots paired with a nice pair of toasty socks keep your feet pretty warm.  Nice perk for when you wake up in the high country and see icicles hanging and water bowls frozen over.  We even got a little snow.  Gotta love those mountains. 

Teeny tiny bit chilly. 

So the fajitas.  Not really a recipe because I have a confession.  I didn't have any fajita seasoning made so I used a packet of seasoning.  Mmmm-hmmmm. As fun as camping can be, it's a lot of work to get ready, especially when you don't get home until 7:00 to prep.  I tried the Simply Organic brand of seasoning mix and it was pretty darned tasty and super fast.  

To make it for camping start at least 2 nights before you are going camping so you have one night to let marinate, and one night to freeze.  Slice 1 lb chicken into strips (I bought Redbird Farms pre-sliced chicken-love that they sell it that way) and throw it into a ziploc with  the packet of seasoning  and required amount of water.  Let marinate overnight and then move to freezer.  The night before you leave, slice 1 large red bell pepper, 1 large green bell and one medium onion into slices and place in another ziploc.  When you leave for camping, pack items in cooler--frozen chicken helps keep the cooler cool and is perfectly defrosted for the second night. 

Throw chicken on grill.  Spray a large sheet of foil with oil, add veggies to half, fold foil in half and then fold edges to make a packet.   Cook in campfire until cooked but still a bit crisp.  If you don't have a grill, you can toss the chicken in with the veggies, halve the mixture and cook them each half in a foil packet. 

Top a tortilla with chicken, pepper and onions and serve with sour cream, salsa and hot sauce.