10 29 June 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS COLUMN ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER MAGA ZINE OR TI MEDIA LIMITED
Y
our fi rst photographic
purchase after the camera
itself is often a case to carry it
in. There was a time when this
was easy, with most manufacturers offering
what was laughingly called an Ever-Ready
Case (ERC) for most of their models.
They weren’t, of course, ever-ready.
Thousands of snatched images from
pre-SLR cameras, many of them mine, were
marred by the dark intrusion of a tongue
of leather into the bottom of the frame –
where the front of the case hadn’t fallen
far enough for the clasp to clear the lens.
I could thread several fi lters, plus a light
meter, onto the strap of an ERC but there
came a critical point where the whole
assembly resembled antique military
webbing and I resorted to a gadget bag
to hold my treasured kit. Naturally, having
a larger bag gave me all the incentive I
needed to work on fi lling it – and once I’d
graduated to an SLR things got wild. A
telephoto lens, a wideangle, a fl ashgun
plus an extra body to shoot both colour
and monochrome all found their way into
my collection. Perhaps inevitably, the
strain on the cheap bag became too great
and I needed to fi nd a replacement.
Affordable to me only because of a
clearance sale, the pro-spec backpack
turned out to be a perfect choice. It is the
right size for airline hand luggage, has afl exible layout for my Nikon bodies and
a range of lenses, pockets for cards,
batteries and leads and just enough room
for a small laptop. It was my companion
of choice for a long sortie across the
American West one summer.
An old guy outside a bar in Laramie,
Wyoming, looked at the bag with
suspicion and asked pointedly ‘You law
enforcement? That pack looks kinda
tactical...’ Now, rural Wyoming – home of
the rugged individualist and the drive-
through liquor store – is not perhaps the
right place to be viewed as a potential
Federal employee. I reviewed my position:
I was wearing black trail trousers, a black
T-shirt bearing a cryptic acronym and
logo – plus shades. In short, I’d wholly
failed to blend in with the background of
denim, plaid shirts and beer breakfast.
Thankfully, my English accent was
suffi cient to reassure him about my origin
and intentions. It turned out he was a great
fan of British TV – his unique perspective
on my country being informed by a curious
mixture of Downton Abbey and Doc Martin.
Since then I’ve taken great care to remain
inconspicuous when travelling in an area
I don’t know well. These days, I’m just as
likely to wander around with my camera
wrapped in a shirt and tucked into an
old rucksack as to use a recognisably
photographic case. I have only one regret
about the experience – I couldn’t gather
enough courage to ask my new friend for
his permission to get a portrait.John Gilbey is a writer and photographer based in west
Wales. He tweets as @John_Gilbey and will be back in
the American West at the fi rst opportunity.A potentially scary encounter has
persuaded John to make his ‘case’ for blending
in when travelling on photographic adventuresView point
John Gilbey
ALL PICTURES © JOHN GILBEYDo you have something you’d like to get off your chest?Send us your thoughts in around
500 words to the address on page 12 and win a year’s digital subscription to AP, worth £79.The American West – where John spent
some time on a photographic sortie© MICHAEL TOPHAMCONTENT FOR NEXT WEEK’S ISSUE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGEThe spectacular S
Edmond Terakopian explains why the
Panasonic Lumix S1R is his go-to cameraNikon’s fabulous FA
John Wade takes us through the marvel
that wooed the world in the 1980sOff the wall
We talk to three photographers who
have opened their own galleriesMake sure you always shoot
sharp and avoid AF pitfalls.
Angela Nicholson tells you all
The art of
stay ing
focused
In next week’s issue
On sale Tuesday 2 July
Downtown Laramie in Wyoming