This is it! The final gift of our “12 Days of Giving” is the versatile Photo Hatchback 16L AW.

To participate in the giveaway, just post a comment below stating your favorite holiday memory. We’ll randomly choose one of those memories on Wednesday, Dec. 26, then send that person the Photo Hatchback. (Void where prohibited.)

And thanks to you for being a part of the Lowepro community in 2012. We’re looking forward to a great 2013!

Today is the winter solstice – at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. We thought it might be nice to welcome in the new season and take a moment to wish you happy holidays.

Thank you for checking in on our blog over the past year. We have more interesting stories, innovative products and fascinating photographers to share with you in 2013. So please stay tuned!

Have a peaceful holiday season that’s filled with lots of memories to capture.

Adorama has joined the Lowepro 12 Days of Giving by adding an Olympus Tough TG-320 camera to Day 9. Combined with the Dashpoint 30, you have a great outdoor package for any weather condition, even in the water!

To participate in the giveaway, just post a comment below stating the destination where you’d like to take the TG-320 and Dashpoint for photography. We’ll randomly choose one of those comments on Saturday, Dec. 22, then send that person the camera and bag.

A hearty thanks to Adorama for their wonderful contribution to the 12 Days of Giving.

Giveaway void where prohibited.

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.

Spirited photographer, fearless adventurer and incredibly nice guy Ian Spanier has a new book out – one that tells a story of people who don’t always get recognition for their service to communities across the United States. Local Heroes: Portraits of America’s Volunteer Firefighters is a tribute to the everyday citizens who help protect homes and lives.

Ian and collaborators Marek Fuchs, Florian Bachleda and Grace Martinez compiled moving portraits along with the timely issues that face many volunteer fire houses, such as underfunding and lack of appreciation for the time firefighters put in and sacrifices they make.

Parade Magazine calls the book “riveting”. Newsday notes that it’s “especially relevant”. And from NetGalley, “amazing…particularly moving…a must have”.

For more details and reviews of this publication and to see Ian’s unique take on intimate portraiture, visit the tumblr page for the book. You can read an interview about the project with writer Marek Fuchs. And order the book here – it would make a very meaningful holiday gift for a volunteer firefighter or photography fan on your list.

Ian Spanier is an award-winning photographer based in New York. His work has appeared in Conde’ Nast Traveler, Men’s Journal, Marie Claire, Muscle and Fitness,  Field & Stream, Time Out NY, Psychology Today, Los Angeles Magazine and Private Air. His first book, Playboy, A Guide to Cigars documents his travels to nearly every country that manufactures cigars. His newest book, Local Heroes: Portraits of America’s Volunteer Firefighters is published by Schiffer Books.

How photographers use Lowepro Pro Messenger AW Series bags are as unique as the shooters themselves. Here are three different artists who trust the Pro Messenger AW to protect their gear, with highlights about their favorite aspects of the bag.

Brian Smith

“Nothing beats updating a classic, so I love how Lowepro’s new Pro Messenger AW bags were able to create old school classic canvas feel from the latest space age spun polyester slate gray fabric – which is total 007 stuff like a great grey flannel suit that’s also bullet-proof…” from his post, Cool Gear: Lowepro Pro Messenger Camera Bags.

Ashley Forrette

“You can fit a ton of gear in this tiny little bag. I can pack in a 35mm, 50mm, 45mm tilt shift, flash, and a Canon Mark III body with a 85mm lens on it. Amazing. It looks great. It’s clean and simple, and there are no huge visible logos screaming out that it’s a camera bag.” from her post, A review of the Lowepro Pro Messenger AW Series Bag.

Gary Coronado

“The bag is small enough for it to be inconspicuous when you do your street photography, but, make no mistake, this bag has a huge capacity! Even my longest lens, the Canon EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 lens is no match!” from his post, Lowepro Pro Messenger 180 Review.

Your Pro Messenger

So, what’s your favorite feature on the Pro Messenger AW?

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.

As a tour videographer the average work week can find me in any corner of the country. I create web content for music acts as they tour and perform. They release this content through their social media outlets as a vital way of connecting with their fans. Every day is another flight, another city and another show. Fitting as much gear into as small a space as possible is essential to making sure I have everything I need to do the job, haul everything on my own, and have it accessible at a moment’s notice.

Although my road rig consists of two Lowepro bags, the DSLR Video Fastpack 350 AW has become my go-to backpack. It is indispensable in providing the portability, comfort and versatility that I desire from a good backpack. Not to mention, it was one of the only suitable camera bags with enough space to accommodate my behemoth 17″ MacBook.

For me, filming does not just take place at the shows where my artists perform – it takes place everywhere: at the airport, in the car, at the hotel, during dinner, backstage, the after-party…you name it. Wherever the artists go, I go…ready and able to capture the moment. That’s why the DSLR Video Fastpack is perfect. The layout is specifically designed to house the essentials of the DSLR filmmaker while making them very easily accessible. I can easily swing the bag around on my shoulder to change lenses, swap memory cards or grab a fresh battery without even setting it down. It is literally swing, zip, swap, zip, swing and you are back filming again.

Inside my DSLR Video Fastpack I carry a Canon 5D MKiii, Canon 24mm f/1.4, Canon 50mm f/1.4, Canon 85mm f/1.8 and a Canon 24-105 f/4. I also carry: a MacBook Pro, MacBook Pro charger, external hard drive with cords, Rode Videomic Pro, large over-ear headphone, card reader, lens cleaning kit including solution, rag and blower, 10 camera batteries, camera battery charger, a four slot memory card case,  LED panel charger, lavaliere mic, ear buds, ear plugs, Go Pro cord, extra 9 volt and AAA batteries, business cards, extra lens caps, two intervalometers, and of course, my Konova slider strapped to the side.

I also keep a couple of Lowepro S&F Lens Exchange Case 200 AW bags strapped on either side of the DSLR Video Fastpack. Once I am at a show, I usually find a safe place to set my bags down at the back of the stage, at which point I strap the Lens Exchanges on to my belt to have more mobility while still keeping my glass or mic close at hand. They are also handy for squeezing in just a little extra stuff that won’t quite fit comfortably inside the pack.

My most recent video is a great example of what the tour life is like. Working with Krewella (an EDM/pop act based out of Chicago), one of my main clients, we kicked off their tour with a grueling weekend of three different shows in two days. It began in San Diego with a 6pm performance at the San Diego Music Festival; then an all-night flight to New York for a 2pm performance at the Electric Zoo Festival the next day; and then another flight – just two hours after they got off stage – down to Miami for a 1:30am performance at Grand Central. No sleep, no shower and no time to charge a single battery. We even flew back to New York just a few hours later at 4am. Weekends like these are what make having the right bags absolutely critical. Thankfully, Lowepro and the DSLR Video Fastpack make it easy.

Editor’s note: You could say that Northern California-based videographer Miles Evert truly represents ‘going the distance’ for his clients. His documentaries and music videos are all about capturing the moment. From pre-production to camera work to editing, Miles takes it all on and delivers amazing content. Check out his work on his web site and take a few minutes to watch his latest tour video here.

© Elizabeth Carmel

As we get deeper into the fall season and closer to winter (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere), some of us tend to venture out less and keep our cameras tucked in their bags. But cold weather is no reason to retreat from taking pictures. For lots of pros and enthusiasts, now is the perfect time to capture snowy landscapes with no footprints, view wildlife with fewer crowds and compose beautiful shots of ice-covered branches.

We asked three of our pro photographer friends to share their cold-weather photography tips. One makes the High Sierras her home. One lives under the coastal fog of Sonoma County, California. And one lives in the subarctic climate of Anchorage, Alaska.

Tip 1
Award-winning landscape photographer Elizabeth Carmel shares a simple and practical tip to help prevent battery drain. “Cold weather can quickly drain batteries, so I always keep extra batteries in a pocket underneath an overcoat so body heat keeps them warm and at the best temperature. Sometimes a dead battery will come back to life after it has warmed up a bit.”

Tip 2
Lowepro evangelist and founder of The Digital Story, Derrick Story trusts a Ziploc® bag to keep his gear protected and dry. “During cold weather, make sure you have at least one Ziploc bag in your camera case. Not only are they useful for protecting your equipment in the rain, but they help with condensation too.

Bringing a camera in from the cold weather to a warm house promotes condensation forming on the outside of its body, possibly migrating to the inside of the camera where it can confound electrical components. To prevent this mishap, place your camera in a Ziploc bag before coming inside. Leave the camera in the sealed bag until it reaches room temperature. The condensation will collect on the bag, not your camera, thereby protecting your investment.”

© Dan Bailey

Tip 3
Adventure, travel and location photographer Dan Bailey gives good advice on keeping extremities covered and planning ahead – with a very fun self-portrait to make his point! “Cold weather makes everything more difficult. You just feel more clumsy in your bulky jackets, hats, mittens and gloves, and even the smallest tasks, like manipulating camera controls, become frustrating awkward. Your choices are often either bulky gloves and mittens or bare frozen fingers that have gone numb. Having spent many occasions painfully warming up my hands, I usually go with thin to medium thickness gloves and hand warmer packs. To get around the awkwardness, try to preset the camera controls and exposure so that you’ll spend minimal time trying to fiddle with buttons and menus.

Also, watch bare noses and cheeks on ice cold metal and plastic camera bodies when it’s really cold. We’re talking around zero and below. Believe me, it’s possible to nip the end of your nose when you press your face up to the back of the camera. Wear a face mask if you can, or hold your face slightly away from the back of the camerawhen you shoot photos, and you might even save some skin!”