Review: Epiphan!e Camera Bag - Belle

I'm a growing photographer. As my skill and clientele grows, so does my equipment. When I started a little over a year ago, my little cheap canvas bag that came with my Canon Rebel Kit was good enough for my camera body and 2 lenses, which rubbed up next to each other - not the most ideal situation for expensive equipment. Now I carry at least 3 or 4 lenses, an external flash, batteries, memory cards, etc. with me on a 2 hour engagement session; more when I shoot a wedding. I had been researching camera bags off and on, all the while wearing my kit bag out. 
Like most women, I wanted my next bag to be stylish yet extremely functional and comfortable. I read many reviews for bags from Kelly Moore, ShootSac, Jo Totes, and Epiphanie, yet I hesitated making the jump because buying online without seeing them in person made me nervous. After narrowing it down based on size and style, I couldn't decide between the Epiphanie Belle in teal and the Kelly Moore Classic in fuchsia. Even though the Kelly Moore in fuchsia is chic and many of my photographer friends recommend it, I ultimately let price be the deciding point and went with the Epiphanie Belle.
Here she is:

Isn't she lovely?! I shot with her for the first time last Saturday, and I made her model for me yesterday :) I figured that I'd use my blog as a review in case there are other lady photographers that are trying to figure out if the Epiphanie Belle is right for them.

Appearance
Have you ever bought something online based on the color and then it gets shipped home, only to find the color is a little off (or a lot) from the color you saw on the computer screen? Not here. The teal is exactly what I expected from the Epiphanie website. I love the silver accents: zippers, clasps, tag, and beading (I don't know what else to call it). They are all quality made and firmly attached - no cheap, plastic-y pieces on it. The leather is thick but very soft. You would think being waterproof that the leather would be shiny and pleathery-like - not at all. I haven't had it long enough to come into contact with a bunch of water or drink spills, but I do feel comfortable that it'll do the job of keeping my equipment dry if those situations arose. There are two pockets - one on the front and one on the back. I wish they were a tad bigger, or there were side pockets for more personal items like my keys or cell phone. No biggie - I can still fit my essentials. In the front pocket, there's enough room for my SD Card wallet, my lens pen and writing pens, and extra batteries for my flash and camera in the back pocket. 

Inside and Space 

I am very happy with the space that's available inside the bag for equipment. The whole inside is made of bright green felt material, so the sky is your limit when deciding where to put what and none of your equipment will blend in which makes it easy for you to locate things in your bag. The dividers have really good velcro on the bottom so they aren't the easiest to remove, but that's good. They are thick and sturdy - definitely aren't moving once you put them in place. There's even a little flap over the top that serves a shield for whatever you put in that spot. In the picture below, you can see how I have my bag set up. There was an extra small divider, but I took it out. On the left side, I have my Tamron 10-24mm, Canon 100mm 2.8, and Canon 50mm 1.4; in the middle, I'll have my Canon 60D body on its back with a Tamron 28-75mm attached pointing up; and on the right, I have my Canon Speedlite 580EX II and a bounce card. Even with packing it with all of this, the zipper closes easily and it stands up when I have it on the ground. No worrying that something is going to fall out!

On the Body

The thing I was most worried about was how comfortable it is to wear and how it lays against my body. The longer padded strap is a dream - VERY comfortable and is adjustable depending on where you prefer your bag to fall. The bag width is thick based on how much is packed in it. For me, wearing it without the messenger strap is kinda uncomfortable because my arm has to wrap around the entire bag - very difficult to shoot like this. I prefer to wear it messenger style on my left shoulder and across my body so it falls on my right hip. Leaving the zipper open makes it easily accessible to switch out lenses and grab whatever you need in one fell swoop.

Overall, I give the Epiphanie Bell Bag 4.5 out of 5 stars. It's adorable and makes carrying my equipment effortless - I just wish there were more pockets on the outside for personal items. On its debut shoot, I never got annoyed with the strap or weight, and didn't need to adjust it at all. 

 I highly recommend this bag for anyone who can't decide between Kelly Moore and Epiphanie. Kelly Moore may be THE bag to buy right now, but being $30 cheaper and not being on backorder, the Epiphanie Belle definitely meets my expectations.

I'm Back!

I have great intentions when start a new routine. I'm all about it at first - following through on a consistent basis, then WHAM! I fall of the wagon a month or two later. Unfortunately, I've let this happen to my blogging. But I'm back! :)

Many things have happened since the last time I've blogged. I've given my website and logo a whole new look, dyed my hair blonde (excited to get new professional pics by Tina Wrona in January to show it) and I've redirected my focus to wedding services and event photography, which has made me A LOT busier than I had been. Before I opted to do all of this, I hit a wall. I burned myself out - more quickly than I had anticipated - and it wasn't fun for me anymore. It became what I hoped it wouldn't: a job. After a quick trip to San Francisco in August where I got to shoot landscapes and abstracts for me and no one else, and attending a Business of Photography class with the Portrait Photography Group - Columbia, I decided I would limit myself to shoot what I enjoyed most: engagements, bridals, and weddings. Yes, it may seem that I'm shrinking my clientele. Yes, some of my audience may move on. But I'm okay with it. I rather limit myself focusing on what I love, rather than opening myself to many opportunities doing something I'm not crazy about. I'm being fair to myself, as well as to potential clients. Think about it: would you want me to shoot your kid when I'm not 100% invested? Nope.

After I experienced my first unsatisfied client (who was a friend and oddly never told me she was unsatisfied - just defriended me on Facebook), I realized tiny humans didn't tickle my fancy. Babies straight up scare me. I think newborn baby photography is the most beautiful form of photography and would love to do it - I'm just not built for it. So I decided to stick with shooting what I'm good at and thoroughly enjoy: Love between a man and woman who want to spend the rest of their lives together.

So I'm back - for reals this time - and I'm looking forward to showing you awesome images of the clients that I'm 100% crazy about.

All you need is love.

I love love.

I love being loved and giving love, no matter the relationship - family, friends, significant others or strangers. And unlike a lot of people, I love being around people who are in love with each other, and show it. PDA doesn't bother me - kiss on! A little more love in the world won't hurt nobody.

And I love how love can come in different forms. It took me being in the relationship that I'm currently in to realize that love isn't a cookie cutter shape, and that everyone has their own way of loving - their own "love language" - that they tweak to accomodate each relationship in their life.

On Easter Sunday, I shot Ashley & Del's engagement session in Aiken, SC. Engagement sessions are starting to become my favorite type of shoot, not only because (duh) I get to interact with couples and hear their love story, but it's when I can be my artsy-est. It took them a little bit to warm up to being over-the-top affectionate for the camera, but the best images I captured were the ones when they were just being themselves. They had me laughing so hard at their little bickering back and forth, just to get a rise out of eachother. I captured many geniune & loving smiles at each other, and you just can't fake that. Ashley & Del: I wish you nothing but the best in creating your future together. You two don't need a over-the-top display to show that you love each other - y'all just know, and that's freakin' awesome :) 

I also had a photoshoot recently of Madison, the 3 year old daughter of my childhood best friend Katie. She is the cutest little girl that I've hung out with in a while. I couldn't believe how mature and she is for her age, and her vocabulary - wow. I know Katie is so proud. Obviously the pictures below show how gorgeous and fun she is, but I wish I would have captured more behind the scenes moments when Madison would interact with her mommy. Though I'm not a mother and haven't developed that type of love for something I created out of love, I know Katie feels that Madison is the best thing that has happened to her and that she would give her life to Madison, unconditionally, for the rest of her life. And that's powerful. Katie, I know you know you're going to have your hands full when she gets older, but I also know with the amount of love you have for Madison, you're looking forward to every minute of it.

Love is all you need.

the quick and dirty truth about national chain portrait studios

We've all seen them - the fake smiles and awkwardly posed studio portraits from the likes of Olan Mills, Picture People, Sears, etc. Hell, there's even  a website that's dedicated to the awesomely bad photography at AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com. But yet these studios are still in business. Why, I don't know, but I do know there's more to photography than a white background and a couple of props.

After looking at national chain websites who gave me NO valuable information whatsoever, I decided to do a little undercover research. Insert "Mission: Impossible" theme here.

Alias: April, a mother of 3
Story: Interested in getting shots of my 2 beautiful daughters and 1 son, and some family portraits as well
Companies Targeted: Picture People, Portrait Innovations, Olan Mills, JC Penney, Sears, Kiddie Kandids
Interested in knowing about: Sitting fees, time of session, amount of pictures taken, print fees, cost of CD with copyright release to print your own

Picture People
- No sitting fees
- 15 minutes
- Up to 40 pictures total
- Prints are by page - $18 for color, $23 for black and white; 5 4x6s can fit on one 8x10 page.
- Collection packages start at $148
- $250 for CD - up to 20 images, no artistic effects and personal touches

Portrait Innovations
- No sitting fees
- 15 minutes
- As many as they can in alotted time frame
- No discussion of print prices until after your session
- Portrait special of $9.95 that includes 1 - 10 x 13, 4 - 5x7s, 4 - 3 x 5s, 2 - 8 x 10s, and 32 Wallets - BUT using the image that's the very FIRST click of the camera.
- $250 for CD - 5 poses only

Olan Mills
- No sitting fees
- Up to 15 minutes
- 15 images/poses
- $150 for CD

JC Penney
- $9.99 per person sitting fee
- 15 minutes
- Up to 30 images
- $100 for CD

Sears
- No sitting fees
- 15 minutes
- 9 poses
- Portait special of $7.99 that includes 1 - 8x10, 1 - 5x7, 4 - 3.5x5s, 4 wallets, and 16 minis - one pose only
- $119 for CD

Kiddie Kandids (Babies-R-Us)
- No sitting fees
- 15 minutes
- 9 poses
- No discussion of print prices until after your session
- $199 for CD

All of these include one background in one outfit.

When you actually lay all of these details out on the table, hiring an individual photographer could be a little less expensive and more customized to your wants than a studio chain. I guarantee you that a studio photographer puts every child in the same pose about 10 times a day.

So what's my problem with studio chains?

- They hire anybody, regardless of their knowledge and skill of photography, and train them to shoot in the Auto or Program modes on the camera. Anyone can do this. It's an equivilent of taking pictures with a point and shoot pocket camera.

- Time of session - 15 minutes, really? It takes 15 minutes alone for the child to get comfortable and warm up to strangers.

- Photos lack personality. They are supposed to tell a story. What story can be told on a white background and with props that aren't yours? True personality comes out when one is comfortable and in their own element, like children being at home with their own toys. Furthermore, backgrounds are boring. On location shoots with natural light are much more appealing - plus you get more outfit changes to show your style!

- At the end of the day, they don't care about the finished result. Regardless of the quality of the photos, that's what you get. They don't continuously look at the pictures after they take them to make sure eyes weren't shut or the exposure is correct. Out of the 40 clicks, the photographer could have only capture 10 useable ones. Also, they don't go through each photo and retouch anything. What you see is what you get.

Yep folks, this photo could be yours.

Your family/child/pet mean the world to you and you want to document the memories you share with them. We, as individual photographers, understand this. You aren't defined as a 15 minute time slot. Get in & get out is definitely NOT my motto. Yeah, it may be a larger investment, but isn't your child and the memories you want to capture worth it?

photography-ing everywhere i go

Looking back, I should have taken photography more seriously a long time ago. Carrying my point and shoot everywhere, I was coined the nickname Paparazzi Paige by my best friends. I was always prepared to capture the best moments between us four or something that just looked cool. It started off just being images of me and my friends with our arms around each other or landscapes from tropical locations while on vacation, but then I started to pay attention to finer details and different angles. I believe I officially became a photographer the moment when my brain started automatically alerting me that what I was looking at would make a good image. Below is what I consider my first decent photographic image - taken with a point and shoot after a Catholic wedding in 2005. I remember standing in front of the church across the street waiting on friends to join us outside, when I randomly got the thought that what I was looking at would look awesome in black & white.

Other artists could sympathize - I'm sure musicians and painters get their inspiration from anything that they come in contact with in daily life, even when they aren't consciously looking for it. I just don't know how to explain it, but I will tell you...


IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME NOW.


I can not go anywhere without looking at an object and working out composition, lighting and even post-processing in my head. I can be deep in thought or conversation about something not even related and literally, I'll stop when I see something that tickles my brain's fancy, and either reach for my camera or make mental notes - sometimes verbal - on how I'd photograph that. It's definitely a blessing - this way, I know I'm not pretending to be a photographer - my brain works like one, yay, but it also can be a burden.


Perfect example: I ran the 33rd Annual Cooper River Bridge 10k Race this past weekend in Charleston, SC. I try my best not to think about anything when I run, because usually, it leads me to thinking about walking, and then my body jumps on the bandwagon. I simply just sing along to the songs on my iPod - that's it. Some people concentrate on their breathing, others make to-do lists for when they're done. I just sing. So I'm about 2 miles into the race without stopping to rest, which is pretty good for me and my kidney who hates to run, and I'm singing Miley Cyrus, when I reach the onramp of the Ravenel Bridge. I take one look at the bridge ahead of me and the thousands of people running underneath it's towering suspension and cables, still singing "Party in the USA" in my head, when it hits me: I rather be photographing this than running.
For a moment, I wished I had my DSLR. I started looking at the people around me and how the pain and motivation to push up this bridge would make a great action shot. A father and daughter are walking hand in hand as she points up to the cables of the bridge - that would have been cute to capture. Before I even realized it, I'm walking. And lemme tell ya: it felt so good to walk, but I promised myself that I'd walk to the top, then start running again. Luckily for me, I use my iPhone as my iPod, so I took it out of my pocket and snapped this picture. Of course, it's nothing fancy, but it satisfied my urge to capture this moment.

I make it to the top and Britney comes on. Score, no one motivates me like Britney. I start off in a steady trot, passing the little girl and her daddy, becoming one of the runners showing the determination to finish across my face. About half a mile, I see them. There's 3 of them. They are lined up along the concrete barrier that divides the bridge into traffic lanes. Photographers clicking away, taking pictures of the crowds of people, with their huge and impressive lenses. Must.... not.... stop.... must..... keep.....going.....
It was already too late. I slowed down to chat with one photographer about the lens he was using. Thanks, right brain, not only did you make me depressed because I will never be able to afford that lens, you have now added about 30 seconds onto my time.


Around the 4th mile, two familiar faces started to pass me - it was Heba and Ed from season 6 of The Biggest Loser. Quickly, I took out my phone again and clicked a picture of me following them while in mid run. Not only did following and finishing the race with them motivate me to keep going, but yes, you guessed it, getting a picture with them afterwards with them did too.

 I followed them the rest of the way and finished in 1:23:27 and they finished in 1:23:35. So what did I do? Didn't grab a water or bagel, or bend over to catch my breath - I ran over and asked them for the picture I had been thinking about since 2 miles back, because that's what photographers do.