photography | jo totes – A Loved Life

i’m a sucker for bags.
especially ones that are related to mary poppins and hold everything in the world.
i came to a realization with a few recent sessions – my current old camera bag just wasn’t footing the bill.
carrying my new camera along with my memory cards, batteries, old camera, wallet, keys, larabar, phone, etc proved to be too much. i would open the flap just to have random things fall out or be crushed.
i needed something that was not only functional but stylish – and also didn’t scream “HEY! i’ve got over $2,000 worth of equipment in here)”.
you know, low but still classy profile over here.
insert jo totes.
i’ve been drooling over their bags for a while, and i must admit i’m pretty dang in love with their new backpack styles – helloooo bellbrook backpack *swooonnn*
browsing their shop i kept writing down different styles i liked and by the end i realized i had written down every. single. bag. well that’s just ridiculous.

so i started listing off “must haves” in a bag.
1 – i wanted a bag that had duel strap usage – if i was by myself at a session i needed to be able to be mobile while still keeping an eye on my stuff.
2 – p.o.c.k.e.t.s. i’m a little hoarder. i can admit it. i always have my wallet, keys, phone, a snack, maybe a water bottle, a journal (you know, for that wild hair of inspiration) and sometimes my laptop.
3 – durability. if it started sprinkling i wanted to make sure my camera wouldn’t get trashed in the process.
4 – zipper. this kind of goes hand in hand with durability. my last bag only had magnetic clasps and i was always afraid if it fell over that my camera would come tumbling out.
5 – STURDY INSERTS. i do not want my camera and lenses sloshing around in my bag. keep it secure please.
6 – size. i wanted a size bag that i could put both cameras (and all of the other necessities) in without overflowing. so a one-camera bag wasn’t going to cut it. PLUS i can use this as a carry-on in flights while keeping one camera secure.

so the missy fit the bill – and i chose black because it’s the color of my soul.
hahaha just kidding – i just love black.
it has 5(!!!) adjustable pads for the inside, two big ol’ pouches on the front, a zipper on the back of hte bag, an inside sleeve for your laptop/ipad/notebook, AND a zipper inside for that stray tampon (we all have one).