As a wedding photographer, I bring lots of STUFF with me to every wedding. I pack everything from the obvious (like cameras, lenses, etc) to the really random, but still helpful (read here for more on that). Having a good bag is a REALLY important part of making my job easier. I take two bags to every wedding…my Pelican 1510 case, which holds backup equipment, lenses I don’t use very often, emergency supplies, my computer, etc. We usually sit it in a corner while we’re shooting and run back over to it if we need something from it.

The main workhorse bag I use the majority of the day (and at every engagement session) is my shooting bag. This bag is really key for me because I will be carrying it on my person for most of the day (especially during portraits and ceremonies) and since I’m an all prime lens shooter, I need to be able to grab a lens really quickly for a swap when needed. I also keep gum, water, and other random necessities in my shooting bag since it’s easy for me to access.

I had the Kelly Moore B Hobo for several years until the pleather exterior started to rip apart on the side AND the piece that clips the strap onto the bag broke…at a wedding. I was sad to see it go because it really fit all of my needs super well. It had several pockets and lots of space for my stuff. It finally bit the dust though, so I decided it was time to try something new!

Enter the Ona Brooklyn bag! I already own one ONA bag that I use for traveling and other adventures, but I wanted to purchase a separate, slightly larger bag for my shooting needs. This one seemed to fit my criteria (cross body, holds camera body and 2 lenses, pockets for random things, etc) best.

One of the things that I discovered about ONA bags is, they are a lot stiffer than I imagined when the leather is brand new. I think this is actually a good thing for me though because you can very easily set the bag on the ground and not worry about things falling out. I set my bag on the ground quite a bit (it can get really heavy otherwise) and don’t want to have to worry about breaking expensive equipment. Also, in comparison to my Kelly Moore bag, this bag is SUPER easy to get in and out of. So nice! There is a pocket on the front and a longer pocket on the back that I keep random things in (extra batteries, tissues, gum, etc). I consider extra pockets a must have in a camera bag!

This bag was a big investment for me, but I felt that it was important to have a quality bag that would hold up to a lot of abuse and would also look really nice and fit in with my brand. This bag fits that perfectly!