Wrist Wrapping Cameras

I'm moving along with new images for my Flickr photostream. I would rather be out shooting images, but there aren't a lot of little bugs flying around this time of the year. Besides, the weather hasn't been great to for walking around with an expensive digital camera wrapped around my wrist.

Yes...I wrap my camera strap around my wrist and hold the rig in my right hand. I like holding my camera that way because it allows me to just lift and shoot. Plus, it keeps my muscles in my right arm from atrophying. 8v) When I was in the Air Force, I carried my camera around my neck, but I found I didn't like it bouncing off my chest as I walked around. I would move it to over one or the other shoulder, but still didn't like that way of carrying it around.

One day in Rome, I was walking along the Roman Forum when someone attempted to "remove" my camera from my being. There were six of them and they came out of the bushes with the definite intent of getting my Canon EF camera. I wasn't about ready to give it up, so I slipped it off my neck, held my hand inside the loop of the strap while holding the outer side of the strap and let the camera fall through until I had a good grip on the strap.

I then began swinging the camera around like a wild cowboy with a lariat, all the while motioning for the scum wanting my gear to "come and get it." Well, the body of my camera smacked the hand of the first person to try and after that, they lost interest and headed off to find another victim. Relieved, I walked over a bench that Julius Caesar, or even Brutus, might have sat on, sat down, lit a cigarette and took a deep breath.

While sitting there thinking, I realized things could have been worse. The original attack on my camera was with a knife of some type where the person attempted to cut the strap and make off with the camera. I figured that out after seeing my strap cut halfway through. I knew then I either needed a stronger strap, or a new way to carry my camera. I opted for a stronger strap (a leather one with reinforced wires inside) and always kept one hand on the strap or the camera.

A couple of years later, I got an Olympus OM-2 system with a motor drive...and I found a new way of carrying my camera. Loop the strap around my wrist, hold the body of the camera by the grip allowed with the motor drive and bingo...I was happy. I know I am not the first person to do that, but for me, it is the best way to carrying an imaging rig.

This evening, I did get out and did a little shooting. I shot Comet McNaught. Even in the twilight of dusk, the comet stood out...when I finally looked in the right direction. I was looking more to the southwest when in reality, the comet was almost due west of me. Check the photo of it here.