Though I have given up on the idea of the "perfect" camera bag, I am nevertheless always on the hunt for a better bag for my different needs. I have large roller bags and backpacks to accommodate both my photographic and audio gear, but I have been in need of a smaller bag since the one I have been using for over 10 years was in desperate need of last rights. My research led me to the Think Tank Storyteller 10 bag.
My need for a smaller bag included the ability to carry either a small mirrorless or DSLR body and one or two lenses, as well as my iPad mini. This bag would serve me for both a day of street photography or when on assignment. Using a backpack or roller bag was fine when traveling to and from my destinations, but when I was actively shooting I needed a bag that I could carry on me and provide me quick and easy access.
In the past month of using the Storyteller 10, I have found that this bag has helped meet my needs whether I am using my DSLR or mirrorless kit. Not only does it easily store either body-type, I can also include one or two lenses. With my DSLR kit, the bag easily accepts the body with a moderate zoom attached to its lens hood as well as a fast 85mm lens. With my mirrorless system, I am able to pack 2-3 lenses along with the body.
Weighing in at just 1.5 pounds, the bag helped keep weight to a minimum, which was a concern for me. I have long-avoided the use of shoulder bags because of the strain they produce on my neck and shoulders. However, I found that the bag with a modest bit of kit did not produce the usual discomfort. This was helped greatly with the adjustable padding on the shoulder strap.
The bag is designed with a flip-top lid that bends away from the body providing easy access to the bag's contents. The flip-top itself features a small compartment for batteries as well as two pockets for memory cards. The bag includes a front-facing compartment that includes both a mesh and a zippered pocket when stowing away my phone, notepad. This is also the compartment where the rain guard is stowed, which further protects the bag whose brushed and ballistic polyester includes a water-resistant coating. The bag also includes a rear-slip pocket and an expandable side-pocket for a water bottle or flash.
The interior of the bag which measures 11"x9.8"x4.9" is easily divided using removable closed-cell foam dividers, which allowed me to customize the bag for any combination of kit that I was using. Having a built-in pocket for my tablet has been an essential feature for me as I am downloading images to it while in the field as well as sharing my portfolio with people that I meet during my shooting sessions.
Having used a variety of ThinkTank bags over the years, I found the Storyteller 10 build quality to be as good as all their bags that I have used and continue to use. I use ThinkTank bags that I purchased over a decade ago and they are still holding up beautifully.
On days when I do not need to tow my laptop, the Storyteller 10 has quickly become my go-to bag when I want to carry more than just a single camera body and lens. This bag will be especially important to me when traveling as I will be able to easily compress the bag and stow it in my check-in luggage and later use it for my day-shooting when traveling around the country and abroad.
The Storyteller 10 is a solid bag that provides great versatility for anyone looking for a modest-sized bag that doesn't compromise on design and construction.
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Rachelle Steele is a Master Photographer based out of Northern California. She is most known for dynamic black and white environmental portraiture and her ability to fill a single frame with design elements of intense storytelling and passionate compositions. Her unique background brings depth and power to her images, communicating something from the eye, heart, and mind.
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James Payne is a social documentary photographer based in Los Angeles, California.
He is fascinated by how people interact with the places they inhabit, particularly in their homes and on the streets. He has been capturing images of both for decades. American Portraits (in 3D) are a unique series of environmental portraits that are rendered in three dimension using his own approach for showcasing these images.
Jorge Delgado-Ureña is a photographer and the co-founder of The Raw Society. Originally a commercial and fashion photographer, an assignment in Nepal opened up a whole new world of photography and inspired him to create The Raw Society.
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Sandy Sugawara and Catiana Garcia Kilroy collaborate on a book project titled Show Me the Way Home. It is an immersive, visual journey through the incarceration camps that held 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War 2. Sugawara and Kilroy tell the story of each camp through original and archival photographs, personal stories, and government documents. It’s a frightening tale of a society that failed to protect its vulnerable.
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Elinor Carucci (born 1971) is an Israeli American photographer and educator living in New York City. She is noted for her intimate portraits of her family's lives.[2][3][4] She has published four monographs: Closer (2002), Diary of a Dancer (2005), Mother (2013), and Midlife (2019). She teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York.
Shortly after RBG’s passing in September 2020, Time magazine commissioned Carucci to write a commemorative piece on the late justice, focused on the stories behind her legendary collars.