I love Etsy for its infinite variety of lovely handmade and vintage items. The website (www.etsy.com) states the following goal: Our mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers. Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice: Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade.
Nearly all of my favorite jewelry and most of the best gifts I’ve ever given come from Etsy. I love the connection I make with artists around the world and I feel good about the money I spend on handmade gifts crafted with pride and passion. It comes as no surprise then that my search for camera bags for women took me to Etsy, where I discovered Robyn Porteen and her Etsy shop Porteen Gear. Before I review her bag, I want to take a moment to introduce you to Robyn and her inspiring story – told here in her own words:
I was a laid off Creative Director at the beginning of last year. I had traveled many places internationally as a photographer and always carried an ugly plain camera bag or even a duffel bag with my camera rolled in a towel. Since I had sewing experience, I decided to make my own camera bag. I wanted a designer look and feel. On a limited budget, I bought a leather skirt from a thrift store and tapestry and duck cloth from the fabric store and designed my own bag.
It turned out so well that I decided to offer them on Etsy, where I was already selling fine art prints. I made a couple of bags and created an Etsy store just for those in June. The first one sold within the week and then I had many inquiries. I went from selling 19 bags my my first month to 220 bags a month by October. I have never marketed or advertised; word of mouth and great reviews have done the work for me. I have definitely found a niche! It’s been a whirlwind first year trying to keep up with the custom orders now pouring in from all over the world.
My goal is to keep Porteen Gear running as a grass roots company with contract sewers working from home and delivering finished products to me on a weekly basis. Once that is self supporting, I can be an artist and photographer again! I have just moved into a studio that doubles as a production area and photo studio and my business is continuing to grow along with the exposure needed to get some really great photography and creative gigs. From my home basement to a studio in 10 months – it’s a huge accomplishment for me!
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So. What does a camera bag designed by an international award winning photographer look like? Read on for my review of Robyn’s DSLR Camera Bag:
Fit: Room for your DSLR with attached lens and (depending on lens sizes) one additional small lens or accessory; one zipper pouch in the front as well as three small pockets. There is also a separate section of the interior of the bag that is sectioned off by fabric and which seals with velcro. Robyn also includes a free, small zippered pouch for accessories such as compact flash cards, passports, twice-folded love letters, or the like.
Pictured above: Canon DSLR body with an attached lens, a 70-200mm lens, and a Canon Speedlight.
Review: [rating system = 1-5 with 5 being excellent and 1 being poor]
- Sex Appeal: Like a good piece of jewelry, this bag is a unique piece of art and therefore doesn’t need to match what your wearing to compliment what you’re wearing. [4.5]
- Sport Appeal: This bag is more artsy-badassery-with-a-touch-of-cow-girl than it is sporty. [2]
- Day-tripping: The soft fabrics fit themselves around my curves so that (even with all my gear inside) the bag was very comfortable to carry. [5]
- World-trekking: If you are spartan with your equipment, you could easily carry this bag as your primary camera bag/purse. If you feel you need an array of prime lenses, makeup, books, notebooks, etc. – then this bag will be too small for you to use on a long trip. I’m really working on carrying and traveling with less and so this bag is a good size for me. Because it is made of premium materials, I’m confident it would hold up well to serious travel. [4]
- Wearablility & Comfort: Superior on both counts! I carried it with me everywhere for a week and I was consistently happy with the fit and feel of the bag. It is constructed from waxed canvas and leather with fabric accents and also features considerable padding on all sides. The materials are truly luscious and well sewn – everyone I show the bag to feels the need to touch and “ohh-ahh” about it.
- Dimensions: 12”L —8.5”H—6”D
- Price: $125.00
- Price-to-coolness ratio: [4.5]
- Comments from women: 100% positive – it’s a conversation piece!
- Comments from men: 100% positive – even men who don’t notice the details of women’s clothing commented on the bag. One colleague mentioned that he liked the feminine saddle-bag look.
- Drawbacks: The interior fabric dividers are moveable but do not detach.
- Highlights: The look. The feel. The fit. The craftswomanship. Love. It.
- Porteen Gear Blog: http://porteengear.com (My favorite post: Souvenir of Choice)
- Porteen Gear Website: http://porteenphotography.com
- Porteen Gear Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PorteenGear
In joy,
Melinda
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