Photographers Doug Pensinger and Ezra Shaw, both of Getty Images, made a stop at the Lowepro offices on their way to shoot Stage 1 of the Tour of California. It was a great for all of us to meet these photographers and better understand their needs as they shoot some of the most challenging images in bike racing.

Doug got his start with his first camera at age 15 and has shot every Tour of California race, plus seven Tour de France races. Knowing he was going to be riding on a motorbike to capture images for the event, I asked him how he was going to prep for this California race. “Preparing for this event isn’t easy. You have to think about weather, the elements, the athletes and the course. My camera gear is the least of my worries,” he said.

Similarly, Ezra (Doug’s partner covering the race) echoed his sentiment and added, “I try to see the course and understand where the best photos can be made. Stage 1 is rigorous—one of the toughest I’ve seen for day one—and I can’t wait to see these athletes perform.”

Keep up with Doug and Ezra as they photograph the Tour of California!

The Lowepro Urban Photo Sling 250 is your companion as you move from home, to office, to street shooting. This stylish bag can accommodate a pro DSLR with 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom attached, plus spare lenses, flashes, personal gear, and an iPad.

And it might be yours.

For your chance to win the Urban Photo Sling 250, post a comment below answering the question: “What’s your favorite city?” We’ll randomly select a comment next week, and notify everyone on our Facebook Fan Page and here.

Deadline to comment is midnight PDT, Sunday May 13, 2012. Contest is void where prohibited. One winner will be selected and receive a Urban Photo Sling 250.

Good luck!

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro

Cinematographer Howard Hall describes the book Under Antarctic Ice as “…about as close as you can come to visiting Antarctica without actually going there”. This acclaimed publication from Norbert Wu, as well as thousands of stunning images and footage captured with his unique sensibility, showcases the underwater world in locations as varied as the tropics and polar regions.

His work has appeared in thousands of books, in TV specials, films and museums. He holds engineering degrees from Stanford University, and did doctoral work at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. You’ll want to read more about this award-winning photographer and distinguished Pew Fellow of Marine Conservation—Norbert gives insightful and in-depth answers to our questions in this exclusive Loweprofessional profile.

The Flipside Sport technical backpack can be deceptively simple in appearance. Even though it’s light and compact, the smaller of the two models can hold enough gear for a day’s work in the field. When I watched this video by adventure photographer Trevor Clark, I decided to experiment with packing my 10 liter Flipside Sport, then seeing how much it weighed. But before we get to my “alternative rig,” let’s take a look at how Trevor packed his 15 liter model.

As you’ll notice in the video, Trevor used the hydration system and tripod sleeve. Both of those features seemed essential for how he was shooting that day.

In this alternative packing, I put my hiking essentials in the hydration pocket (first aid kit, knife, snacks, lip balm, etc.), and a REI jacket in the tripod holder. Inside the backpack there’s a Pentax K-5 (great all weather DSLR) and two lenses. Plus I have stowed around the camera box: bandanas, stocking cap, and ground cloth. I carry a separate water bottle, and I use a Leki Photo Trekking Pole for a monopod as needed. The entire 10 liter kit, without water, weighed in at 8 pounds.

Two different approaches. And I’m sure there are a dozen more. So then the question is: how will you pack your Flipside Sport?

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.

The Lowepro Pro Runner 300 AW backpack is lean, mean, and comfortable. This beauty can accommodate a standard DSLR with 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom attached, plus spare lenses, flashes, and even personal gear in its roomy front pocket. It includes: side compression straps with quick-release buckles; a Hideaway Tripod Mount system; rainflap lids; SlipLock™ attachment loops; mesh side pockets; discreet front pocket accommodates a light jacket, cell phone or MP3 player; memory card pockets on inside lid; padded mesh backpad; adjustable and padded shoulder straps; webbing grab handle.

And it might be yours.

For your chance to win the Pro Runner 300 AW, post a comment below answering the question: “Are your urban or outdoors?” Since this backpack works great in both environments, either is appropriate. We’ll randomly select a comment next week, and notify everyone on our Facebook Fan Page and here.

Deadline to comment is midnight PDT, Sunday May 6, 2012. Contest is void where prohibited. One winner will be selected and receive a Pro Runner 300 AW.

Good luck!

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro

Editor’s note: She’s an ultra-engaged, frequently booked photographer who also writes, blogs, explores and approaches each new project with her creative POV. Sustainability and urban food systems are of particular interest to Berkeley-based Simone Anne. She recently field tested our new Urban Photo Sling (and is the featured photographer in our campaign!) and has these impressions to share on her work, her gear and how she finds inspiration.

Q&A
How did you decide to pair your interest in urban food systems with blogging and photography?

I’ve always just shot what inspires me and frankly, for this girl, food is where it’s at. I love to eat, of course, but even more than that I love learning about the social and civil aspects of food production and consumption. Food plays such a huge role in our communities, our health, and our daily lives and I know that for me what I eat in a day makes such a difference in how I feel.
I started blogging back in 2009 because it felt silly to shoot but never share my images. I even had a mini crisis where I thought that if I wasn’t shooting for somebody to see the images, it wasn’t worth shooting! Yikes. Luckily I’ve grown past that and now I shoot for fun all the time; my favorite way to end the day is a simple sunset photo walk on the streets where I live.
As my life and academic interests have become more and more entrenched in our food system, it has been only natural for my blog to grow to reflect that. As an added bonus, blogging about subjects I love means that readers and people I work with often share my inspirations. I could have never anticipated how far blogging would take me and how many fabulous people I would be able to reach, but I am so thankful for all of the opportunities it has brought me.

What type of gear helps you gather the content you need?

I keep it simple and shoot with a 5dMarkII and 50mm for most of my work. I’m also a fan of the 35mm, but for most assignments I don’t carry around more than that. Sometimes I think that as photographers we get caught up in our gear and forget that you can take fab photos with just about anything; I know I’m certainly a culprit! A simple set-up helps remind me to get back to the basics and remember that it’s color, composition and, above all, light that really make a photo great.

Most unusual item you keep in your camera bag?

I’m partial to my Golden Half Camera, which is a small 35mm toy camera that shoots half of a frame at a time. I love having it on me for when I can’t be super engaged with shooting but still want to document the adventures I’m on and the people I love hanging out with. It’s always easy for me to get caught up in shooting and while I know this has helped a lot with my career as a photographer, it’s not always the perfect headset to be in when you’re just hanging out with friends. This camera strikes the happy medium—it keeps me happy with a camera that’s easy to handle and my friends love having me more engaged with the fun at hand.

What do you like about the Urban Photo Sling?
It really is the best of both worlds for me! I love that I can easily and safely store my gear when I’m on the go (even when I’m riding my bike or on crowded public transportation!), but I don’t miss shots fumbling for gear when I do need it. With the Urban Photo Sling, everything I use to shoot is always at my fingertips! It makes both a great transportation bag and a great shooting bag and for a photographer whose job always means shooting on the go, it feels like the bag designers at Lowepro were making just for me.

What current project is inspiring you?

Friends are always asking me for good spots to adventure in and around my hometown (I rep the Bay Area!), so I’m putting together a guide just for that. I’ve always been frustrated with the lack of real lifestyle photos in most guidebooks and have always wished that I could just have a local show me around instead. You can see a lot of my favorite spots on my blog, but when it’s finished this guide is going to be a really fab resource for expeditions in my hometown—I hope that instead of seeming like tourists, readers will feel just like locals who hang out in the hippest places in town.

You can view Simone’s web site, read about her culinary, travel, and musical adventures on her blog or by following her Facebook page. If you’re feeling hipster, she’s also on Instagram and can be found sharing little square images under the handle @simone_anne

We were truly inspired to collaborate with adventure photographer and all-round-great person Trevor Clark for the launch of our newest outdoor camera pack: the Flipside Sport AW.

Trevor is based out of South Lake Tahoe, California—but with his tricked out 4×4 Sportsmobile/traveling studio drives all over North America with “a camera in my hands, smile on my face and butterflies in my stomach.”

He loves the “elemental” moments in life and captures them with a very distinctive POV. He says the Flipside Sport AW fits his working style as he likes to carry his gear on his own two legs (or via kayak, bike…you get the idea). You can read more and view Trevor’s work on his web site.

We encourage you to stay tuned to our Facebook page for more Flipside Sport AW inspiration.

Now that summer is approaching (at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere), it’s a great time to get outside with your camera and get on-the-go access with an active adventure backpack!