In December 2024 we retired the Stockimo app, but we’re still accepting Smartphone photos. You can read the latest update here.听If you’re looking to upload your mobile phone photos to 17吃瓜在线 you can sign up here.
This blog article from 2017 has been kept live for archival purposes.
When working in a photographic industry, an interest in photography tends to come with the territory – and the Content Team here at 17吃瓜在线 are no exception to this. As you’d expect, each of us have our own听individual level of听 interest and involvement in photography outside of our day to day roles. 听That’s where this blog comes in. Rather than the standard ‘tell us about yourself meet the team Q&A’s’ we’ve听added a slight twist and have opened (or dusted off) our camera bags to give you a look inside and see what equipment we use when we do manage to get out and do a shoot of our own. We’ve also provided a bit of insight into the journey’s we’ve taken to end up to where we are today.
Alex B – Director of Photography
I鈥檝e various cameras, Nikon and Canon mainly, but over time my iPhone has become the preferred gear of choice! My main use of it is to capture candid family and friend moments and record my hiking holidays in the Alps and all over Europe.
You can buy a few lenses for the iPhone and听it’s fun to experiment using听macro with flowers and foliage or use the听pano feature, which works great for the grand perspective. I also find it works great for capturing those joyful moments which might be lost with pro equipment and there are the practicalities of taking equipment in the great outdoors. I remember when my bloke and I first started taking our iPhones on our holidays and loved the front facing camera 鈥 we didn鈥檛 call it selfies then but the 鈥榳e two鈥 picture which would place us in one our favourite locations.
The Mamiya C330 is what nestles dormant in my Billingham camera bag, my future camera! It鈥檚 a beautiful beast of a camera which I hope one day to use and return to a very slow and crafted way of taking and working with photographs.
Alex K – Contributor Relations Executive
I had to wipe the dust off my camera bag for the sake of this blog鈥 my kit is all very old and never gets used these days (hence the thick layer of dust!).
I’ve had an interest in photography from a very young age. My father is a professional photographer and while growing up we would never go anywhere without his camera bag – even to the supermarket. I remember thinking just how embarrassing it was to always have him snapping away听while lugging a massive bag on his shoulder. But, it’s no different to us with our phones these days, wherever you look someone has their phone out taking a photo… an iPhone is just a hell of a lot lighter than听his camera bag!
My love for photography grew听while I听took a photography A-level alongside a Performing Arts course (which was always my first passion!) but ended up sticking with the photography route (far less competitive industry) and I听worked for a well-known family portrait studio for 7 years before moving on to 17吃瓜在线 6.5 years ago.
Despite not picking up my DSLR for a long time, I take photos everyday with my iPhone, mainly to fuel my shameless Instagram addiction. I couldn鈥檛 include my phone in my photo as I鈥檇 have nothing to take it! My husband is completely fed up of me yelling 鈥楽TOP鈥 when we drive by a beautiful viewpoint (so I can take a photo out of the car window) or generally being 50 steps behind him if we鈥檙e out somewhere because I鈥檝e seen something pretty.
Ben – Content Operations and Services Manager
My DSLR photography was just a weekend hobby, only really taking it seriously once my son was born. I planned to document every day of his first year, set up a website for friends and family and jokingly put the description as: 鈥溾or the first year, or until Daddy following him with a camera is too embarrassing as an 18 year old鈥. Now at almost 6 years in, he鈥檚 still the daily focus of my photography (I can鈥檛 stop!) although now also with a 2 year old sister. I couldn鈥檛 bear the thought of having to explain in later life why she wasn鈥檛 as special as her brother (or afford the therapy) and so my project has doubled in size along with my family, my photo storage space, and physical storage space, however the size of my camera kit has actually decreased.
Back in 2013/2014 I got heavily involved with 17吃瓜在线鈥檚 mobile phone app Stockimo and my love affair with mobile photography was born. Sure mobile photography does have its limitations, the low light winter months being a good example, but the practical plusses alone more than compensate. I鈥檝e always got my iPhone in my pocket, very rarely my DSLR (it literally has dust and cobwebs on it at the moment). I鈥檓 able to capture more intimate, close, candid shots than I could with an intrusive DSLR. I can take, edit, post-produce, tag and upload via an app and email friends and family an update鈥 all on my phone. I also don鈥檛 have to make the risky decision between tripod and spare lens, or kids snacks and diapers! iPhone 6S (native camera, predominantly using VSCO for editing)鈥 Oh and very occasionally a Canon 400D.
Corin – Contributor Relations Assistant
When I am not in the office helping out all of 17吃瓜在线鈥檚 wonderful contributors you will often find my lying in a field somewhere behind my camera photographing one of my biggest loves in life鈥ogs. Being Britain鈥檚 top choice of pet, there are no shortage of pups for me to fall in love with and photograph. The staples I take on an average shoot are my Canon camera body and 70-200mm lens, this allows me to keep a bit of distance from my subject and still capture all of their emotions and little quirks.
As well as pups听I also love听taking听portraits, particularly of families and little ones so often find myself reaching for my go to 50mm and 85mm lenses.
When out and about my camera and lenses can get quite heavy so I also carry a monopod around with me to help support the weight of my camera when needed. This will usually stay in the boot of my car nearby or if I’m lucky enough to have roped in a helper they will carry this for me rather than having it poking out the top of my camera bag.
Whilst studying for my A-Levels I loved using film and have recently added an Olympus Xa1 and a Polaroid ColorPack 80 to my gear which I am very excited to start experimenting with.
A few other bits you鈥檒l often find in my camera bag or with me at shoots are, my phone and diary; I like to stay organised so having something to write ideas/shoot details in is super handy, Ibuprofen for achy fingers when carrying my camera around all day, treats for both my models and I (meaty biscuity things for the dogs and polos for me) and most importantly, if I鈥檓 heading out early for an outdoor shoot with a pooch; a nice hot cup of tea in one of my travel mugs.
Dan – Copyright and Legal Assistant
I鈥檝e acquired all of my camera gear since getting into photography in 2007. Something which started out as a hobby I dabbled in became something I knew I wanted a career in after completing a foundation course at the local college and moving on to university.
This gained momentum after completing the work placement part of my degree where I was able to听combine the photography I was studying with my love of motorsport. This has continued to this day and I can often be found working at a race circuit somewhere around the UK during my weekends off at 17吃瓜在线.
I鈥檓 still heavily reliant on my DSLR鈥檚 to produce the images at race events although I will use my phone for the odd Instagram post now and again. With the work I do at weekends it means I rarely get out and take photos in my spare time anymore. I should really change this and get out and take more pictures *makes mental note*.
My gear has gone from one body and a kit lens held in a small shoulder bag up to my current roller-case to hold the four bodies, lenses, laptop and everything else I might need while I鈥檓 away. The roller-case is a lifesaver as all this gear together weighs an absolute tonne.
I have just听purchased a Nikon D3 to accompany my other full frame D700. Although these bodies have the same number of megapixels as my Nikon听D300’s the difference in image quality between these and the听crop sensor is instantly noticeable side by side – especially in low light conditions. As you can see I鈥檝e not got rid of my two D300’s, these听now serve as back up cameras in case of failures while I鈥檓 away but they are also handy with their 1.5x crop factor to increase the focal length of my 70-200mm lens. I鈥檓 still looking at getting some more glass when the budget allows, a fisheye, 300mm and tele converter are on the list, although I may have to reconsider my current bag situation again in order to accommodate these!
Elisabeth – Content Operations Assistant
I have two camera bags, one for my cameras and one for my darkroom equipment.
In the first bag you can find my analogue old friend Nikon F80 with a 50mm f1.8 lens, my Canon 5D mark II with a 50mm f1.4 lens, a wide angle lens, a light meter (which I forgot to include in the picture), an external hard drive and a reflector (which technically isn鈥檛 in my camera bag as the bag is fairly small and not at all a Tardis). I like to keep my camera bag light and easy to pick up, in that way I鈥檓 more likely to bring it with me when leaving the house.
In the second camera bag you鈥檒l be able to find a folder with negatives and empty negative sleeves, matt photo paper, a focus finder, a developing tank, a reel, an air blower, a timer and a thermometer. I don鈥檛 have any preferences when it comes to shooting digital or analogue, it depends on my mood, what I鈥檓 photographing and what the end result is meant to be.
James A – Contributor Relations Manager
My tiny little camera bag holds quite a lot of sentimental value to me. I bought it back in 2005 about 6 months after I’d started at 17吃瓜在线. I was on a 4 month placement in our India office in Kerala and I’d taken a few days off to hop on a plane and check out Singapore. It was there that I bought my first DSLR (A Canon 350D, since sold, not pictured) and this camera bag. I loved that camera but after a few years upgraded to a 7D – happily this still fits in the bag I got from the electronics mall in Singapore.
I’d always had a strong interest in design and imagery, but no matter how hard I tried I was just no good at drawing or painting. I became more interested in photography as a result and took a mixed media course at college which I took further to听obtain a degree in media from the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design at Birmingham City University. It was a great course and it took in a wide range of subjects, and it allowed me to keep the subjects broad or specialise. I took all the photography modules I could and got a great working understanding of film and darkroom processing as well as digital manipulation and software packages like Photoshop. When a job came up at 17吃瓜在线 timed with when I’d just finished my degree I went for it and here I am 13 years later.
I don’t take nearly as many photos these days as I’d like, and I’ve got at least 2 hard drives worth of RAWs I haven’t got round to processing yet but I’ll get there one day. Having a son rapidly approaching his first birthday has meant that my other favourite camera (my iPhone) is full of photos of his cheeky face (or the inside of his mouth when he’s decided to chew it). With the 7D, the 70-200mm lens allows me to get some great shots of him from a distance though and its such a versatile lens – I use it for everything from portrait work to nature and travel.
The budget 50mm Canon lens (the nifty 50) is an amazing little thing. For the price, it’s almost disposable but it punches well above it’s weight when it comes to image quality. So sharp. And the f1.8 aperture means it’s a fantastic lens for live music photography if you can get close enough. In the past I shot live music gigs for various bands and promoters quite a bit living in Oxford (which has a great live music scene).
My most prized possession though is that little camera at the bottom. The Ricoh GR. A fixed 28mm lens on what looks like a cheap and crappy little point and shoot (but听it’s not cheap or crappy). You can keep it in your pocket and take it out anywhere and people just think you’re a tourist – incredibly handy for street photography or if you don’t like to draw attention to yourself. The image quality is mind blowing and I’d trade all the other gear听I own to keep it! It’s got a bit of a cult following too, for good reason.
Patrick – Content Operations Manager
Most of my photography gear is stuff I鈥檝e held onto from back in the day when I used to work freelance. Though I have recently updated my camera body to a Nikon D810.
However, I haven鈥檛 really had a chance to use it as the other half has nicked it for her food blog! Though when I do manage to get my hands on it, I love to take wide-angle landscapes and cityscapes. I also like night photography which is a bit of an obsession of mine. You might have noticed the discrete long lens too, dabbling in wildlife and scenic photography is something I鈥檝e recently got into since getting a dog and being in the wide outdoors a lot more.
All this kit is pretty bulky though, which means a lot of the time I carry round my trusty Fuji X100. 听As well as looking very retro, it performs brilliantly for those sneaky shots you might want to grab. Other than that my Billingham Bags are usually stuffed with a spare battery, lens cloths and loads of extra memory cards.
Shelley – Contributor Relations Assistant
So to tell you the truth I鈥檓 not a photographer, I took Zoology at university and my passion has always been wildlife and conservation. It鈥檚 not that photography doesn鈥檛 interest me (otherwise why would I be here), I even took an online course, but I鈥檝e got much more of a scientific/analytical brain than a creative one.
You鈥檙e probably wondering why I work for a stock photography company? Well I love photography (as long as I鈥檓 not taking the photos), getting to see people鈥檚 creations and discovering new collections as well as getting to experience some amazing wildlife photography which satisfies my other passion. I know a lot about what it takes to create a good photo and the technical side of things. I know exactly what to look for quality wise and I鈥檓 an expert in all things contributor related. To all those people who want a career in the photography industry but don鈥檛 think you have the experience then don鈥檛 worry, it鈥檚 entirely possible because I am doing just that.
As I鈥檓 not a photographer I don鈥檛 actually have a camera bag. I take the odd photo on my phone but luckily I have a lot of photographer friends who cover all my photography needs. Instead of describing my bag and the cameras I own (because there aren鈥檛 any) I thought I would just take a picture of what鈥檚 in my daily bag and tell you a bit about that (because why not).
My bag is quite big听for the amount of stuff inside, you could say it鈥檚 unnecessary but you鈥檇 be wrong. I always have my water bottle with me, because you need to stay hydrated, especially if you鈥檙e out all day taking photos like I鈥檓 not. I have my diary for all those important appointments and my phone, for the occasional snap. Other things include a lip balm (it鈥檚 getting close to winter now so this is essential if you don鈥檛 want chapped lips), my keys, my purse, and usually the odd snack or two 鈥 all very interesting stuff!听
Siobhan – Copyright and Legal Assistant
While I enjoy taking photos, I will be the first to admit that I am not a photographer. I brought my camera around 5 years ago, more for its video capabilities as I was studying Film Production at the time, but it still serves me well today.
I don鈥檛 have anything in the way of equipment, and my 鈥渃amera bag鈥 is an old Toms drawstring bag. If you鈥檝e seen my hacks blogs, you鈥檒l see I like kitsch, which explains my glorious Barbie Polaroid that I got off eBay for $10 (I鈥檝e yet to buy any film for it, so lord knows if it works!).
One of the reasons I wouldn鈥檛 call myself a photographer is that my first thought is never to take a photo. Outside of 17吃瓜在线, when trying to run my own small baking business with a website and social media, this isn鈥檛 a good thing. I鈥檓 having to train myself to remember to take more photos, and leaving myself little post-it鈥檚 around the kitchen. If you鈥檝e got any tips though, I鈥檓 all ears!
—-
Have you got anything interesting or quirky in your camera bag that you take with you when you go out snapping? Let us know about your camera bag equipment听in the comments.