It belongs to the category of too-ridiculous-I-I’m-not-sure-it-real-but-real-idea or a video documenting the life of a “fanny pack photographer”.
I heard about fanny packs, as a kid in the 80s. I know what a photographer is (I think). I don’t know what a fanny pack photographer is. Is it a camera that also acts as a fanny pack? Can a fanny pack act as a camera? The answer is none of these.
Being a Youtuber and photographer Omar Gonzalez define it, a fanny pack photographer is a photographer who chooses to use a fanny pack to store their photography gear and related items instead of a backpack or shoulder bag as is more common . And then, I really think about it. I actually started my life as a fanny pack photographer. My first digital camera was the Sony Mavica MVC-FD83 running on floppy disk. It can hold about six pictures on a 3.5″ floppy disk, which my students recently called a “VHS tape” when I broke the camera in my photography summer camp and asked them what it was. Because of this, I often travel around with a fanny pack full of floppy disks so I can keep shooting, so I’m actually a fanny pack photographer.
While I haven’t rocked the fanny pack in quite some time, there is some modern anachronism about this. I recently reviewed the HEX Ranger DSLR sling, and I’d say this is the spiritual successor to fanny pack. It’s far more practical, though, with dedicated pockets cut out for lenses and accessories, and some degree of weather resistance. Although you can find a weatherproof fanny pack.
I also thought about some vintage digital cameras that would make perfect cameras. I think of a lot of super-small four-thirds cameras, such as my evergreen Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1. A more modern way of this would be Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV with the added bonus of that on-camera viewfinder.
What are your thoughts on fanny pack photography? Is there any camera that can make a fanny pack better than others? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
