Review ~ Jo Totes Camera Bag

I've been researching camera bags for the past few months, and found tons of reviews for Jo Totes. Obviously I'd heard of them before... they sponsor a lot of the blogs that I read, and are generally a respected brand.

The problem is, just because a bunch of people are talking about a product like it's the best thing since sliced bread, doesn't mean it lives up to the hype. I can imagine that it's easy to overlook flaws sometimes when you're getting sponsored by a company. Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to sponsored reviews at all! I've definitely done them on this blog (and always for products that I love!) But for this purchase, I was in hyper-critical mode and reeeally wanted to make certain it would be worth it. I'm very stingy and hate getting ripped off!!

And well, I needed a camera bag bad. So I went forward in my pursuit of the Betsy. Rest assured, this is not a sponsored review... However, I am so completely and deeply in love with this bag, that I wanted to write something in order to help people who might be in the market for one.




I was really lucky to get this as an early Christmas gift :) As soon as I saw it, I knew was ready to toss aside my actual purse and start using this for my everyday needs.

First of all, the bag itself is very lightweight. Not only that, but it manages to distribute the weight of the contents evenly. Long walks with a bag loaded down with stuff are totally manageable. And dare I say... easy! This is especially important to this New Yorker, who lugs everything everywhere, and for long periods of time.

To see if I could do it: I fit a 13" Macbook pro + cable, a book, two journals, Canon T2i (prime lens attached), my makeup bag, plus a few other little things. It all fit, and the 20-minute walk was easy! Without my Macbook, it's positively a breeze.


Second thing- I am so much more motivated to take photos again. This should be a no-brainer. It is a camera bag, right? But I didn't realize just how unmotivated I was to bring my camera anywhere before, since it was just one more thing to carry. I'm already noticing how having my camera everywhere I go allows me to frequently pull it out and snap whenever I feel the whim. Making me feel more creative and productive. Which makes me feel a lot happier in general :)


Now for the design. It's made of faux leather, but doesn't look fake at all, and I can tell it's a material that will hold up well. My bag needs to be able to take some abuse, so this is ideal for me. Oh and also... this bag is big. Usually, that would be a hassle (the bigger the bag, the more stuff you carry, the more back pain...) But see #1 for the explanation of why that's not a problem :)

The mustard color is lovely- suitable for all seasons, in my opinion. Great color for fall, but also cheery enough for summer and spring!

There are also customized dividers, which are amazing. I only ended up using one of them, seeing as I just need one section to divide my camera. The rest of the space, I use for my other various things.


The only complaint is that it's a little difficult to maneuver right now. I got into a good system with my last purse, where I could just reach into the pockets and immediately grab my metro card, keys, anything I needed. The Betsy is pretty deep. I fit so much stuff in there, and everything is all packed in- it's especially hard to grab my camera with ease. But keep in mind that I'm using it as a purse- not just a camera bag. I'm thinking with some practice, I'll get into a better grove with it.


All in all, I'm really happy with the bag. I'm in the honeymoon phase where every time I see it, I smile. Matt got mine from the Jo Totes site, but if you're extra broke, there's always ebay... a way I frequently get stuff I can't afford on the cheap :P

Hope this helped!







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Makeup review- MAC Twig and Mehr

I don't know why I'm embarrassed about this, but I indulged in a slight tryst with MAC makeup in my college years. I was working hard, juggling classes and doing 12-hour shifts at Applebees on the weekends. While everyone else was out socializing and making those much-needed "connections", I was slinging steaks in order to buy groceries.

let your heart be light

 

I know this is a summer dress and I'm wearing it in the winter, but I don't care. That's what happens with 90% of my winter outfits, anyway :) I got it last week from the big Tulle Black Friday sale. This dress was on my radar for probably a year, so I was psyched when it went on sale for $18. The cardi is also from that sale.




Don't you just love Christmas lights? They're so gorgeous. Too bad the actual glow of the light didn't show up much this shoot. But that's a lighting issue... It would have to be darker to see the glow. But if it were dark, you wouldn't be able to see the pretty dress or the pretty girl in it :)




Yes, I know. Women in our culture aren't supposed to acknowledge anything positive about ourselves, especially having to do with looks. We're supposed to play dumb and play ourselves down, and be unaware of the power of our goodness and valuable traits. Otherwise we're vain and narcissistic.

Well I'm sorry. I just can't with that today. I can't be bothered. Eff that. I'm too tired to fake it with the same faux modesty that we're all used to. I go through enough negativity in my own brain every day. Tearing myself apart for everything imaginable. I think we can all relate to that.

Today, I'll just come out and say it. I like the way these photos came out. I like the way I look in them.




Not that a woman's looks should be put on a pedestal above all else that she is.

And not that I think everything should be all about inflated positivity.

There obviously should be balance. But a lot of people are pretty okay with tearing themselves down, or minimizing themselves. I could've written something like "I think these came out okay, but I'm not sure!" Even though that's not what I really think.

Honestly, we put up with enough negativity. And so the opportunity came along for me, where I actually think something positive about myself. I'm not going to keep it to myself. At least today.


dress- tulle/ cardigan- tulle/ headband- anthro/ necklace- f21/ tights- c/o we love colors/ shoes- thrifted
photos by matt panton





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DIY Indoor Photography Lighting

Most photography tutorials I've come across online proselytize that you should always have a natural light source when you shoot photos, even indoors. But what if you don't have a natural light source?

It's been annoying. Winter = less light = less time. Plus we live in a major metropolitan city. So I can't just waltz outside with a tripod and take my own photos. For me, the solution has been relying on Matt once per week to get my shots for me. We began shooting style posts indoors with a little lighting system that he put together.

In the past few weeks, I've gotten a lot of questions about how to do this, so I thought it would be interesting to show you guys just what goes on behind those shoots!

This...




Is achieved by this. Our rig is actually pretty simple! (If not a little annoying to set up.)



As you can see, the very first step is hanging some white fabric against the wall. You can use any kind or color fabric- even a cute vintage fabric like this girl! But we found that the white really helps the light that we do get bounce back and make the photos brighter.

Note- dark backgrounds absorb light and produce a different effect on photos. See here.




Next, you will notice the lights themselves. Matt picked up these incandescent lights at Home Depot. I think these were the exact ones. He manually pried off those thin pieces of metal crossed over the lights.

The clamps come already attached, and we clamp them onto the backs of chairs. They were insanely cheap... the link says that they're $13, but he swears he paid $5 to $10 each. You do need to buy the bulbs separately though.



Now for the bulbs- We like the incandescent ones. We briefly tried out some fluorescents, for less of a yellow tint in the photos. But they weren't bright enough, so we switched back to the originals. It means having to edit out lots of yellow tones, but it's worth it.

Speaking of brightness- in case you couldn't guess, the lights will be very, very bright. It's hard to get used to at first. But basically, if they are shining directly at your face and you are going blind, it's a good thing :P

Also- they are hot. I was originally wearing a cashmere sweater in our freezing apartment for this, and I had to take it off. Keep this in mind for your skiing/ snowboarding/ xxtreeeem winter vacation clothing shoots :)

Oh, and lastly we use a flash with a light diffuser :) If you're like me, the mention of the word "flash" in conjunction with the word "photography" sends you into fits. But here's the thing- it's very effective when done right. First of all, you can't just go around using the flash that's built into your camera. It's almost always better to use a separate flash, ensuring some (much needed) distance from your lens. Secondly, the diffuser makes a HUGE difference. It softens harsh shadows, and evens out where the light is bounced from.





To be honest, our lighting system isn't completely perfect. There are still weird shadows in some places, we do still get the dreaded yellow tinge, and it can be tough to position everything just right. We're still just learning, and hope to get even better! But it's a great, cost-effective alternative to getting a complete studio light set- even a cheap one can be hundreds of dollars.



I hope this helped some people!! xoxo





♥ watch my new video for "just the way you are" on youtube!! ♥