Do you have that favorite scuffed-up Lowepro bag that you just couldn’t live without? I do. Two of them. The Pro Runner x350 and x450 rolling backpacks. I use them for storage at the studio, then toss them in the trunk of the car for location shoots. They hold a tremendous amount of gear. I can roll them along the pavement, or pull out the hidden backpack straps and wear on my back across rough terrain.

Let me take you on a short, visual tour of why I like these bags so much. I’ll show you the smaller of the two, the x350 AW.

Inside the x350 I have a Canon 5D Mark II, 24-70mm f/4, 700-200mm f/2.8, 16-35mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4, Speedlite 580EX, Off-Camera Shoe Cord, Gary Fong Lightsphere, Canon Remote Switch, Olympus OM-D E-M5 with 14-42mm zoom, strobe bracket, filters, memory cards, batteries, and cleaning cloth.

In the front compartment I store my Orbis Ring Flash and Rogue Flash Benders.

Most of the time, I have the backpack straps tucked away in their hidden compartments and I use the x350 as a professional rolling bag.

But if I encounter rough terrain, I can pull out the straps and belly band, and wear the x350 like a backpack. And it is incredibly comfortable.

Yes, my Pro Runner x350 has a few scuffs. But they are well earned. Because this bag has served me well on more location shoots than I can count. Both the x350 and x450 AW are my versatile workhorses.

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.

The distinction of having the first images of Barack Obama to be acquired by the Smithsonian belongs to professional photographer Jesse Kalisher. In this upcoming webinar, he’ll share the tools that have served him well on his quest to create images that have both impact and meaning.

Jessie Kalisher

He will cover what to look for through the lens—be it composition or light—and how to use the space you’re working in to the best advantage. And he’ll also share tips for landscapes and for photographing people.

Jesse Kalisher was a successful advertising executive who had an epiphany, walked away from his career and began traveling and taking pictures. Today his imagery may be found in places as diverse as the world’s luxury hotels and in the permanent collections of museums like the Louvre and the Smithsonian.

We hope you join us for this informative webinar on A Photographer’s View: Composition & Design. It takes place Thursday, August 2 at 11am Pacific and 2pm Eastern time. Sign up here.

Congratulations to our six Lowepro Photographer Dream Bag Sweepstakes winners. Here are the results from the June event.

Grand Prizes

Stacy Horner – Pro Roller Lite 250 AW

Donald Highley – Pro Trekker 300 AW

First Prize

Todd Jackowski – Pro Messenger 180 AW

Second Prize

Kirsten Hunter – Photo Sport 200 AW

Third Prize

Tseuk Sun Chung – DSLR Video Fastpack 250 AW

Fourth Prize

Paul Roth – Flipside Sport 15L AW

Thanks to everyone who participated to make this an exciting give-away.

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.

Fully waterproof DryZone 200 © Lowepro

The DryZone 200 is the world’s first waterproof camera backpack of its kind. Built to protect gear in some of the most challenging situations, it provides a watertight and feature-filled carrying solution.

A patented and fully watertight TIZIP™ EasySeal zipper and sealed seams serve to protect camera gear—even during complete immersion. That means no worries for your equipment investment as you canoe, kayak or take a paddleboard out into deep water.

The fully adjustable and ergonomic harness is made for comfort with lumbar support, adjustable CollarCut™ straps and DryFlo™ mesh-covered padding. This helps when you’re adventuring with a full load—this pack fits a Pro DSLR, plus 4-5 extra lenses or accessories. Or you can kit it out with a video gear.

Craig Pulsifer with Lowepro DryZone 200 © Craig Pulsifer

For pro shooter Craig Pulsifer, traversing a waterfall trail in the Phillipines was reason enough to carry his gear in a DryZone 200. He found out that “…this bag is really waterproof – even after backflips into the pool and an hour under the falls.”

Really protective and really waterproof, the DryZone 200 is just one of many designs built by Lowepro for professionals who capture images in every kind of environment.

© Fred Vuich

When Tiger Woods won his fourth straight major at the 2001 Masters Tournament, Fred Vuich was there. In fact, Fred’s shot of the mid-backswing on the 18th hole of the final round made the cover of Sports Illustrated with the word “Masterpiece” describing the event—and the image. The shot was so well received that the magazine received more than a dozen letters to the editor giving high praise to Fred’s work.

A World Press Photo Gold Medalist and super-dedicated shooter, Fred’s body of work spans sports, commercial and fine arts photography. He regularly contributes to Sports Illustrated where his images have graced numerous covers, and he’s been a Golf Magazine photographer for more than 17 years. And his panoramic GigaPan imagery is taking sports photography to a whole new dimension.

See his work and read about Fred in our exclusive profile.

Last week I had the fortunate opportunity to attend the 2012 U.S. Open and meet up with renowned Sports Illustrated photographers Robert Beck, Fred Vuich and Kohjiro Kinno. Lowepro was on hand to help support our pros out in the field during this prestigious event. The insight and working knowledge these pros provide helps us make sure we are delivering the products that professional photographers need to do their job. Kohjiro is shown here shooting a golfer on hole 17 using his Lowepro S&F Lens Exchange 200 AW.

Here at Lowepro, we not only work with professional photographers, we are photographers. Being able to shoot at such a high profile event was exciting on a personal level as well.  Shooting golf has its own set of unique challenges and rules. Silence is king as well as making sure you have the right glass. Having at least a 70-200mm lens is a must. Getting inside knowledge from seasoned pros on the best locations to get “the shot” was priceless.

These photos were taken with a Canon 5D Mark III, 70-200mm  f/2.8 and the 16-35mm f/2.8.

-F2

Frank Filice is the Sr. Brand Manager for Lowepro and is an avid photographer.

Editor’s note: Just back in the office and truly inspired by what he learned, our colleague and design director Rick offers this first-hand report from the Summit Series of Photography Workshops in Boulder, Colorado. This most-recent program was organized and managed by Rich Clarkson & Associates, LLC of Denver in conjunction with our friends at Aurora Photos. The topic is one we’re excited about: “DSLR Filmmaking for Photographers”.

“As a photographer and design director at Lowepro, I find myself looking for workshops that will help take my photography to the next level. I just got back from a Summit Series of Photography Workshops in Boulder and I have to say—I am completely impressed.

I attended the Aurora Multimedia workshop. The content was extremely valuable and the instructors and presenters were excellent. Multimedia is a fast-growing segment and many photographers are evaluating how to learn about it, get comfortable with it, and add it to their photographic tool belt.

The workshop covered the entire aspect of multimedia–from the medium’s pace of change to how to capture audio for your project. Bob Dotson of NBC’s American Story provided invaluable tips on interviewing and how to dig deep to get the “real” story. Rob Finch taught us more than we wanted to know about editing. Corey Rich gave us demonstrations on equipment set-up for a two-camera interview.

And other professionals such as  Kevin Moloney (New York Times contract photographer and photojournalism professor at the University of Colorado) and Hans Weise (video director at National Geographic) walked us through how to capture sound and tell better stories.

Another great benefit was meeting and interacting with the other attendees, many of whom are award-wining photographers in their own right.

If you want to learn more and grow as a photographer this is a terrific resource. I am ready for another.”

Rick