In your bag No: 1344, Alex
There is nothing I like more than poking through an artists bag. They are often a glimpse into the mind of the artist themselves and what inspires them. and this bag is no different. Come and check out this stunning bag.

Hello fellow photographers, and thanks to JCH to let me show my bag. My name is Alex, I am an italian photographer and struggling artist, and I live and work in Beijing, China. 

My main camera is the Rolleiflex SL66, that was passed on to me by an italian Photographer/Architect that is now retired. It is a heavy beast, but I do not mind carrying it around and I can shoot hand held with it. I love the enormous versatility of this camera that allows me to shoot architecture, portraits, close-ups thanks to its bellows and tilt movements. I am smitten by its design and I love the way it feels in my hands. I use a Sekonic incident lightmeter with it. It is deadly accurate and I am very pleased with the facility of use. In very low light this lightmeter will not be accurate or record at all, but in very low light you are much better off with your feeling about exposure, stabilising the camera somehow, and expose for 30 seconds. 

The bag I use is the Fjallraven Kanken. It has a moderate price, is almost waterproof, it has the right size for all my needs. I also have foam inserts that fit it perfectly to make it just a camera bag. The other items I commonly carry in it are the Ilford HP5 (I mostly shoot HP5 and FP4), a sketchbook, a pencil case with a selection of pencils and pens (I love drawing with pen and nibs or fountain pens), some ink, a small black notebook (which is indeed an exercise book from the 50s) and some book to read. I love having with me Science and the Modern World by A.N. Whitehead, because this has been such an influential book for my life and work. 

Last, I have put a skull model in the picture. This is because this collection of daily usage tools or objects in a still life was a common theme in the history of the Art and it was called Vanitas, a latin word that reminds of the vacuity of the material existence. In these paintings, there was always also a Skull, as a symbol of the ephemerality of human experience. 

Some of my photos can be seen at http://pereunthorae.tumblr.com/ , though this is a very minimalistic blog of mine. However, I hope you find my notes about film development useful. They represent the result of more than twenty years of practice and study. 

Thanks for sharing your bag with us, Alex. I love the skull, a very nice touch.
Check out the links and make sure you come and comment.
Keep them coming folks, we need more submissions, so get your bag on Japancamerahunter.com

Send me a high resolution image of the bag. Optimum size is 1500 across. Please ensure there is a bag in the shot, unless you don’t use one. The more you can write about yourself the better, make it appealing and tell us a story. Snapshots of your gear with a camera phone and no words will not be featured.

Oh and don’t forget your contact details (twitter, flickr, tumbler et al). Send the bag shots here. Please understand that there is a long wait now as there is a backlog of submissions. Not all make the cut, so make sure yours is funny/interesting/quirky. And please make sure the shot is of good quality, as the ones that are not do not go up.

Cheers
Japancamerahunter