You may not be suprised to know: Lowepro employees love taking pictures and love taking our Lowepro bags to all kinds of places. Our new Lowepro Exposed image gallery contains glimpses of how we spend our time when we’re out of the office. We hope it inspires you to bring your camera everywhere you go. Oh, and carry it in a Lowepro bag. We have lots of choices for all kinds of adventures. Take a look and please visit often. Carry on!

Here’s a challenge for you: describe your favorite Lowepro bag with just one word. By doing so, you have a chance to win any Lowepro bag currently in stock.

To participate, add a comment below with your two-word phrase. For example: “Fastpack, affordable.” “Pro Trekker, rugged.” “Slingshot, versatile.”

This isn’t an exercise in creativity. What we really want to know is how you feel about your favorite bag. So, using just one word, be as accurate as possible.

We will choose a winner from the comments on this post on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011 and publish the results here. You have until midnight, Sept. 7, 2011 PST to enter. As I mentioned earlier, the winner gets to choose one Lowepro bag of his or her preference that is currently in stock.

I’m looking forward to your responses!

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.

If you’ve hiked and photographed in the beautiful state of Washington, or plan to soon, think about entering the Washington Trails Association’s (WTA) 2011 Northwest Exposure photo contest. Lowepro is proud to be a sponsor of this ninth annual contest—so proud, we’re offering up outdoor/adventure Lowepro bags as prizes, including Fastpack 100, SlingShot 300 AW and SlingShot 200 AW. The grand prize winning photo will appear on the cover of the January/February 2012 issue of Washington Trails magazine. For more information about WTA and the contest rules and regulations, visit the web site. Entries are accepted through October 10, 2011. Good luck!

Photojournalist Ami Vitale travels to all points of the planet to capture her meaningful and evocative images of people and places. She likes to travel lightly as she tells her digital stories. Her favorite Lowepro bags help make it a bit easier to get from subarctic regions to the high-altitude Himalayas: the Pro Roller x200 for airline carry-on ease and the Pro Runner 300 AW for traversing challenging terrain.

Editor’s note: We’re pleased to share great news for the Lowepro team and our colleagues at Acme Made. Joby has joined the DayMen Group family of companies. Here’s the press release:

August 26, 2011

Petaluma, CA – DayMen Group, manufacturer and leading distributor of high-quality imaging, laptop and other electronic protective accessory brands, is pleased to announce it has reached an agreement to acquire Joby.

Joby is the San Francisco-based manufacturer of iconic photo, mobile and lighting products that inspire the creative and active lifestyle, including the award-winning GorillaPod line of flexible tripods.

“DayMen will bring its extensive distribution network and our history of building great brands to the Joby line of products,” said Gil Roberts, DayMen CEO. “DayMen and Joby are built on a shared passion for creativity, superior functionality and constant innovation. Together, we can accelerate the growth of our business and build the global presence of our Lowepro, Acme Made and Joby brands, as well as the many outstanding third-party brands we distribute around the world.”

DayMen has been distributing Joby in Canada since 2007 and Australia since 2008. Since it was founded over six years ago, Joby has grown from a start-up to a company with distribution in over 65 countries.

Forrest Baringer-Jones, Joby CEO said, “When we introduced our best-selling GorillaPod for sale in 2006 we were able to redefine the way photographers capture images. Since then, we’ve developed a number of great products to thrill our customers including new lines related to lighting and mobile accessories. The acquisition by DayMen gives Joby a great opportunity to expand both our distribution network and our product line.”

“I am incredibly proud of the team we have built, the products we have developed, and the customer and distributor relationships we have forged,” said JoeBen Bevirt, Joby’s founder. “I am excited for the tremendous opportunity DayMen has provided for Joby to continue to grow.”

Read more at the Joby blog.

Congratulations to Whitney Stewart for winning a Lowepro Fastpack 100. Whitney commented, “This would be great for combing photography with another of my favorite activities- geocaching!” That is one adventurous hobby, and the slender design of the Fastpack 100 will help Whitney stay nimble while searching for those hidden treasures.

For everyone else, stay tuned… there will be more Free Bag Fridays.

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.

Adventure photographer and filmmaker Corey Rich enjoys combining his passions: documenting adventure sports and being a participant in them.

He took our new Photo Sport 200 AW backpack and Photo Sport Sling 100 AW to the Sierras in Northern California to work with these bags in a variety of landscapes and conditions.

Follow him as he hits the slopes, goes vertical and rides backcountry trails with both packs in a video we’re excited to share with you. Going fast and light with your camera equipment and personal gear is what our Photo Sport AW is all about. Watch now.