As you all might know by now, I recently bought a new DSLR. Unfortunately, it wouldn't fit in my old camera bag. Which I didn't use often anyways, because I don't like to carry two bags. Most women probably agree that the average camera bag is not very... stylish? Or let's say it doesn't look very feminine. Although there are some cute camera bags out there (like Epiphanie or Jo Totes), they don't fit my student budget.
Soo here's what I came up with:
Take a bag you really like. Honestly, this is a lot of work and I wouldn't recommend doing it for a bag you might not like anymore in 2-3 months. I took the Fossil Weekender I normally use for school or for grocery shopping etc. since a lot of stuff fits in it. For protection and stability I used an old camping mat as lining. The only thing that I had to buy was a velcro fabric that enables me to restyle the bag quickly (I paid 3,15euros about 2 yards. A pretty cheap camera bag, huh?).
This is what the finished insert looks like. I didn't care what the outside would look like since I plan to have it in my bag permanently. I used a dotted fabric my mom had on hand to make it somewhat more colorful. Unfortunately, the velcro fabric was only available in a blueish-grey tone. I'm not particularly fond of the color, but at least it's light so I find all the stuff quickly :)
My dad has a fancy crumpler camera bag where I saw inlets that were round-shaped. I liked the idea. It's perfect for lenses or just storing a water bottle to make sure it stays in place and you don't risk having your drink spilled in your bag.
And this is what the camera bag looks like when it's empty. For school, I just take out all the inlets and I have a sturdy bah. The padded inlet is also great for carrying around a laptop and other stuff that shouldn't b handled too roughly.
If you have any questions on how to make a camera bag insert, go ahead and ask me. I'm not an expert, but think I could give you some useful advice :) You don't need a lot of sewing experience, either.
Much love,
Marie
