In your bag – The first 1000…
Well, it is coming. The next bag shot will be bag no: 1000! And who knows what is in store? Well, me, I know. But I am not telling yet. So whilst I prepare the awesomeness of the 1000th post, let me leave you with some walks down memory lane…
When I started this site back in 2011 I found it hard to find new and interesting this on the site. I was posting about what I was doing and the cameras I found, but there was something missing.
One day whilst running through Flickr I found somebodies bag shot and thought to myself “I have flipping loads of bags, I should do that”. So I did, and it turned out to be the first bag shot on the site. I never thought it would snowball into this. 1000 bag shots and more backlogged submissions than I care to think about.
It is really awesome to see how the site has grown and become a kind of community. And I have to thank you all for it. By being part of the site you have all helped it to grow and become the community it now is.
I post a bag every day (as long as I have finders and access to the internet) and my friends and family think I am very odd as I will make sure the shot is done even if I am on holiday. But I love seeing them and I love sharing them, so I will not stop until there are no more to be shown, or I get serious carpal tunnel.
Since we are coming up to a huge milestone I thought it might be fun to share some of the bag shots that I have enjoyed over the years. I love each and every one, but some of them really stick in my memory for different reasons. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
JCH
The very very first bag shot featured on the site was actually mine. This is the one that started it all. The first bag shot on the site. I never thought it would go this far.
It is kind of cool to see how my gear has changed too.
After I featured this bag on the sit e a couple of people mailed me with their bags and asked if they could be on the site. Of course I said yes…
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2011/08/bag-shot-whats-in-your-bag/
Ryan Cabal

Ryan was the very first proper bag shot, all the way back in September 2011, when the site was pretty new and not much was going on. I guess you can call Ryan the OG. https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2011/09/in-your-bag-1-ryan-cabal/
Colin Corneau

I think Colin’s bag sticks in my memory because it is the sort of bag I could see myself using. Almost to a T in fact.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/01/in-your-bag-71/
Erik Gunnerud

I love Erik’s bag. Not only because the Olive Domke looks so good, but the cameras, my god the cameras. This is probably one of my all time favourite bags.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/02/in-your-bag-81-erik-gunnerud/
Jason Scott

I like Jason’s bag because of the range of gear inside. That and the Konica Press is plain sexy.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/04/in-your-bag-113-jason-scott/
Jussi Hellsten

In your bag number 117, Jussi Hellsten
Jussi’s bag stick in my mind as it was the first bag to feature someones feet. I think sometimes we forget that someone uses this bag when out and about and Jussi shows that with his rather nice boots.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/04/in-your-bag-117-jussi-hellsten/
JCH
Yes, it is my bag. But I like looking bag at some of my old bags and remembering the cameras I had and used. All of those cameras are long gone. The Ricoh I was foolish enough to give as a gift to someone whom I doubt very much appreciated it.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/05/in-my-bag/
Jon Ellis
Jon’s bag really stood out for me as it was the first bag to do something a little bit different. Through the finder.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/05/in-your-bag-141-jon-ellis/
Christian Herzog
Christian was the first person to drop the bag entirely and just share his clothing with us. Simple and clever.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/05/in-your-bag-157-christian-herzog/
Jesse Freeman
Seeing inside Jesse’s bag was cool. I love his work and his photobook reviews are a joy, so to see his gear was great for me.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/05/in-your-bag-160-jesse-freeman/
Steve Richmond
Possibly one of my favourites. Steve showed us that you don’t need a fancy bag at all. And he had some fun whilst doing it too.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/06/in-your-bag-190-steve-richmond/
Dan K
Dan K has been an invaluable asset to the site. And his bag shots have always been a welcome addition too. Except, there is rarely a bag in the shot.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/08/in-your-bag-226-dan-k/
Juan Bosco
Juan’s bag is a great one for me as it combines photography with fine art. Two skills that require different kinds of seeing and a great deal of patience.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/08/in-your-bag-239-juan-bosco/
Christian Hafer
Another Christian. This one stands out for me as it is just so stylish. The shot is really well put together and you can see that Christian has made some effort on this instead of just bunging it on a table and using his cellphone.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/08/in-your-bag-248-christian-hafer/
Joe Aguirre
I love this bag because I love Joe’s work and his passion for photography. Seriously, I have never met anyone that intense about taking pictures. He is massively productive. And he looks like a bear cub.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/09/in-your-bag-no-270-joe-aguirre/
Jason Howe
It was really cool to have Jason’s bag on the site. His images of gear are always beautifully produced.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/10/in-your-bag-no-300-jason-howe/
Ming Thein
What can you say? Ming’s bag is still one of the most viewed and most popular posts on the site. And you can see why. Drool.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2013/01/in-your-bag-no-400-ming-thein/
Sean Lotman and Ariko Inaoka
Sean and Ariko are great friends, and great photographers. They have so much synergy and creativity. It was a real pleasure to be able to do their bag shot (I actually shot this one).
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2013/03/in-your-bag-no-444-sean-and-ariko/
Daido Moriyama No.1 By Atelier Ying
David Lo shared with us all kinds of cool drawings, and this was one of my favourites. A very cool imaginary bag for Daido Moriyama.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2013/04/in-your-bag-no-469-daido-moriyama-no-1-by-atelier-ying/
Doublewhirler
I don’t get many couples bag shots, so when I do get something couples related it tends to stick in my mind. No bag in sight, but a pair of jackets and some cameras.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2013/05/in-your-bag-no-500-doublewhirler/
Carson Lancaster
The first 420 bag on the site (there have been a few since), Carson is also a very cool guy who is passionate about photography. So much so he has a gallery in SF.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2013/05/in-your-bag-no-511-carson-lancaster/
Brian Scott Peterson
Brian is a top guy, and his chaotic bag is fantastic. The sheer amount of photographic debris is stunning.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2013/05/in-your-bag-no-529-brian-scott-peterson/
Mark Kirchner
This one sticks out for me as I have never seen anything quite like it. A cool camera workstation.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2013/10/bag-661-mark-kirchner/
Thorsten von Overgaard Pt: 1
Love him or hate him, Thorsten’s bag certainly got tongues wagging. So big in fact that it had to be broken into two sections.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2013/10/bag-675-thorsten-von-overgaard-pt-1/
Carlos Cabalu
Carlos had one of the coolest bag shots ever. Because it was a paper bag for a stealth camera. Cool.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2013/11/bag-695-carlos-cabalou/
Suraj Bhamra
I like Suraj’s shot because of the lack of bag. Just a jacket and the essential gear for shooting with these two beasts.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2013/12/bag-734-suraj-bhamra/
Andrea La Rosa
Quite often if there is not a bag in the shot it will get rejected. But this one I had to let it. It is simple and very art house.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2014/01/bag-744-andrea-la-rosa/
James Bennett
I don’t get all that many large format bags on the site (not many are crazy enough to carry one), but James shared his, and I am very glad he did.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2014/01/bag-758-james-bennet/
Guna Dwi
I love this one as it is pretty much the perfect Rollei bag. Check out that viewing hood.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2014/02/bag-775-guna-dwi/
Summer
Summer is the youngest photographer that has been on the site at only 3 years old. Brilliant stuff.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2014/04/bag-834-summer/
Ben Beech
It was great to finally get Ben’s bag on the site. He is such a nice bloke and a talented photographer to boot.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2014/05/bag-862-ben-beech/
Arato Ogura
Arato is a great friend whom I used to work with. He is really passionate about all kinds of photography, but it was his video bag that really blew me away. Wow.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2014/05/bag-873-arato-ogura/
Kai Man Wong
Potty mouth DigitalRev presenter, Kai Man Wong was cool enough to share his bag with us. Shame we couldn’t get the Bloody Producer in on the action.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2014/05/bag-888-kai-man-wong/
Molawin Evangelista
Molawin’s setup stands out for me in its purity. This is the sort of thing I would grab before leaving the house.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2014/06/in-your-bag-899-molawin-evangelista/
Aislinn Chuahiok
Aislinn’s spy bag will always stand out for me as is is simply gorgeous. And she uses the cameras too.
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2014/07/bag-924-aislinn-chuahiock/
So there are some for my favourite bags from the last few years. But I love all the bags that are on the site. There are so many bags that I couldn’t possibly go through them all.
It has been a real blast sharing these with all of you and I look forward to see what the next 1000 bags brings. I try to feature all of the bags that are sent, but not all of them are able to be featured. Sometimes the image doesn’t fit, or there is no text. I really like it when you can see that people have made an effort to put the shot together.
Thank you all and keep them coming.
JCH
Who’s the first image of this post belong to?
Me. It was my first bag.
Nice. Can i ask you what is the bag? The first image I’m talkg about.
Congratulations on 1000th bag too :)
I actually remember most of those bags from their first appearances on this site.
Hi Hunt, it is a really awesom result.
I found your site while looking for information about camera shops in Japan back in 2011 and then I found it so interesting to click at it every day.
I’m glad to partecipate to it and to be one of the fisrt ten bags featured in it (#7 and #778).
The site has grown a lot with the books review, feature photographer, zines reviews and other interesting contents from passionate people.
I know it will keep going further!
Cheers! ;)
What a cracking idea this has been, I have followed it for ages. After BBC Sport, it’s the very next thing I go to check out in internet-land each day. The little camera geek in me is fed by this! All those lovely cameras, God help you if you are a recovering GAS-aholic!
Following these for the past year has been one of the only things I have done everyday regarding the internet. Of course when I discovered it I went backwards to view all of the previous ones too! I am looking forward to what the next 1000 bring and may even send in my own. Keep up the amazing work Bellamy and all submitters!
Cool to see it evolve over time. My wish list revisions always start from JCH. And Ming’s bag! Wow.
Hi Bellamy!
It has been a pleasure to have been featured on your website.
Every day that community is getting bigger and bigger and I can see a golden future for the next 1000 bags.
Waiting for new incomes,
Best wishes!
Actually, it was only my first IYB shot that lacked the bag; it was before bags were mandatory and the point of the post (#226) was to say that bags full of gear weren’t de rigueur for street photography; simplicity and speed of reaction being critical.
My subsequent three posts all prominently featured a bag, but more importantly, all my posts had a theme and sought to teach:
#600 was about sensible travel gear and went into great detail about the various methods of doing on-camera flash exposure (Guide Number, TTL, Thyristor).
#833 was a time capsule of a camera bag from the early 1960s, complete with manuals, product system lists crossed off, filters, flash bulbs and film cannisters.
#1,000 was a street shot (literally me lying on the street with my head on the bag), illustrating my SLR and lens and my rationale for selecting them, plus a hint that people should think out of the box and consider alternate ways of presenting images and new camera angles.
Please check them out.
Links:
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/08/in-your-bag-226-dan-k/
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2013/08/in-your-bag-no-600-dan-k/
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2014/04/bag-833-mr-iovinelli-us-naval-officer-ca-1964/
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2014/09/bag-1000-various/
Bellamy’s original was classic because it defined the genre, but the bag shots from Jussi, Aislinn, Jason, Jon, Brian and Andrea stood out as having the most interesting visual impact. You can almost imagine how a person’s character, artistic style and photographic portfolio must be from the way they present a simple bag shot.