Why a Better Strap Can Make You a Better Photographer

Jan 08 2012

When you are serious about what you do, even the smallest things can make a big difference. It can be your clothes, low batters, too slow memory cards or even a strap. Today I want to help you with at least one of those things and present you a better strap – the R-strap.

Not thinking about your gear

Walking around with a 2kg brick doesn’t belong to the most subtle experiences. That’s why the less you need to think about that Brick, the better.

We all know possible ways of wearing a camera:

over a neck – the tourist style,
on an arm – the reporter style,
in a hand – the sports style,
on a tripod – the landscape style,
in a bag – the hobbyist style.

For a long time, while using an ordinary strap, I used a combination of hand and arm styles. The later usually while waling a longer distance. I have to admit it was rather depressing. I was either thinking about that slowly slipping strap or the weigh of a camera. And I’m not using the heaviest one…

I searched the interwebs for some better solution and , while there were a few I liked, when I saw Black Rapid, I knew that’s the one for me. After finally getting one, it completely changed my experience. It’s sturdy, secure and easily adjustable.

No more thinking about the a strap, now I just put it on and can wear it whole day with no hassle.

The speed is important

My street photography days taught me a lot about using a camera fast. That is why I often walked around with it in my hand – ready to take that photo. If I had a camera on my arm, it was usually too late.

Nowadays, my camera hangs freely near my hip, and whenever I feel like taking a picture, I just do. Like if the camera was in my hand all the time. That’s how easy and smooth it is. It just doesn’t get in the way.

Let’s be honest, there are others

I’m not implying that Black Rapid is the only company that made it right. Although they definitely were one of the first. There are a few interesting alternatives like this one from Think Tank that many reporters rely on.

But if you ever feel that the strap you are currently using gets in your way, I can easily recommend you the RS-7 from Black rapid that I’m using. Plus I really like their instructional videos, they were what sold me. Check the RS-7 one below.