It can happen with any hobby... There comes a time when ones work and passion and expertise combine with a rhythm which pushes the hobbyist into a more serious understanding of their work. Their career might take off, their livelihood may evolve so they no longer need to work a day job to get by, or perhaps there's simply a tipping point that happens. If you're a photographer and have had it happen to you, you can appreciate the difference between entry-level and professional gear, and how it affects your everyday hobbying, or your career as you move forward. There comes a time when what you looked for in a camera, a bag, a tripod, changes, sometimes dramatically – a new world of advanced, technical and professional options open up. And a transition must happen, be it simply upgrading or something larger, something redefining... For me, my tipping point was when I transitioned from studio photographer to landscape/travel photographer.

The late afternoon storms moved east over the mountains, leaving a brilliant blue painted in the sky. I dried off my popup shelter, packed it away and made my way through the thick brush of the valley. My eyes were open. I intently watched for any sign of movement. I knew the wildlife to be particularly fruitful in this part of the Rockies.

As any passionate photographer will attest to, it is the calm before the storm, the stillness before the shot that drives us forward at a quiet, glacial pace. For it had not been a week since my run in with an adult moose in Medicine Bow, Wyoming. It was early morning then, however, and he was but a few feet from me as I held my breath.
​
Moose and elk can be fearsome creatures if put in the wrong situation, but it is the great bear that has me on edge. Sightings were reported days prior. My eye and my camera begged the mind for a chance to see one up close, even if only through a lens. But it is my heart that beat with a mounting fear.

Through my time as a portrait photographer in Ohio for the better part of a decade and my life as a travel writer and photographer, I've worked with my fair share of camera bags. There are all sorts, big and small, simplistic to the ridiculously complex and confusing. Each can useful for one photographer and cumbersome to others. I used to prefer all of the gadgets that come with the varying styles of photography, and the space to hold it all turned into a sort of game, because once you get into the larger, luggage type bags, you run the risk of overkill by weight, or by gadget overload. Then as I transitioned into a travel photographer, being able to carry everything I needed to live and survive, while remaining photo capable throughout a several month trip, the bags needed to be smaller, stronger and more versatile. It's taken me several years to find the perfect bag for me. And although, each professional's requirements and needs are different, it's always worth it to search until you find the right one for you.