A few months ago I was talking to my niece about photography. I told her stories about how people didn't used to take pictures on digital cameras. Back then, I dramatically told her, we had things called SLR cameras, and we put things called film into them, and we had to get them developed, 24 photos at a time! And there were thing called "dark rooms" where you exposed your film. I felt like Abraham Lincoln talking about how he used to do his homework on the back of a coal shovel.
After several minutes of pontificating my niece smiled at me and said, "I know what film is..."
But I realize that the next generation probably will have no clue. They'll look at our 35mm rolls of film like we look at daguerreotypes and the rotogravure.
One trend I'm very happy to see coming back is that digital SLR cameras are coming back. For a while it seemed that digital photographers were going to be relegated to using little boxy point-and-shoot cameras. But companies like Canon and Nikon are making professional cameras that are on par with the quality of our old traditional SLR cameras.
My mother-in-law took up photography later in her life, and she is bar none one of the best natural talents at photography I know. Here's an amazing photo she took last year at a local park.
She's had a high-end Canon SLR camera for several years now, but as nice as the camera was, I noticed how the strap didn't really match the quality of the camera, it was just a typical thin, black one with low-quality plastic that comes with any camera.
Which is why I was very happy to hear about Fotostrap. Fotostrap is an amazingly high quality camera strap which is the perfect gift for the photographer in your life who has a nice camera but just an average camera strap. You can purchase a Fotostrap from their Web site, or if you prefer, you can also purchase a Fotostrap on Amazon
The first thing you notice about Fotostrap is that it looks great. The strap itself is 1.5″ wide, which increases the sturdiness, avoids tangling, and looks very fashionable. It comes in a variety of colors to choose from.
The camera strap was designed for a comfortable fit. There's an ergonomic leather shoulder pad that feels comfortable no matter how heavy your camera and lens are (and the straps holds up to 40 pounds!) This is something especially helpful for my mother-in-law who suffers from back pain. The shoulder pad is lined with soft rubber to prevent it from slipping, and the end strap has 5 adjustable holes so you can adjust the height
Something else I love about the strap is that it's made of durable canvas fabric, the hardware is made of brass, and the end straps, accents, and shoulder pad are made from genuine vegetable-tanned leather (vegetable-tanned basically means that the leather was tanned using tannins and ingredients found in plant matter, such as bark, wood, leaves, fruits, and roots). The result is a beautiful chestnut brown color which they say will only improve over time with more use.
Finally, I love how the strap is monogrammable with your initials, a short phrase, a name, or even a logo. It just adds that personal special touch.
Here's what it looks like.
I got to try her camera-and the Fotostrap-out for myself on a recent trip to take pictures of the fall foliage in New York State. Here's me taking pictures of baby Maddie.
The strap felt amazingly comfortable, and I liked how I could hang the camera lower on my body in a way that kept it secure (I don't think my mother-in-law would love it if I destroyed her expensive camera!) while still giving me mobility and easy access.
And here's the foliage itself (which was amazing this year!)
Aside from being the perfect gift for the professional photographer (or aspiring professional photographer) in your life, the FotoStrap does something else. 10% of each FotoStrap purchased goes to help Fotolanthropy, a non-profit organization that that's unique in itself.
Fotolanthrophy is an amazing organization that was started in 2011 by professional photographer Katie Norris. Katie wanted to "give back" to others through photography.
We live in a world where photojournalists fall into one of two categories-see who can take the photos of the most tragic and devastating images of wars and natural disasters, or see who can take the most embarrassing or revealing photos of celebrities. Those photographers are successful only because their work sells papers and gets clicks. It's a sad reflection of how empty we've become as humans.
Fotolanthrophy goes to the other extreme. It seeks out those in the country who have the most inspiring stories of courage and triumph over tragedy, and offers the chance to share their stories through professional photography. The recipient receives a portrait session, album, images, and slides to share their story with the world. In addition, Fotolanthopy will choose about 5 stoies a year to make into short documentary films.
Here's a video that describes them more:
A great product for a great cause and one that'll make the photographer in your life very happy, especially if he or she has just plunked down a lot of $$ for a nice camera!
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