U Koala Bag Promo Shoot

This week I shot a promo for U Koala Bag. Mayan, the designer, is based out of Charlotte, NC, and she’s quite the character. Very bubbly, friendly, and always welcoming. We met at the AWA Convention in Atlanta this past September. Not only did Mandy and I have a blast at the convention, but I scored a gig from it too. Some times it pays to let your geek flag fly. For more info on her bags click here.

WHAT IS THE U KOALA BAG?

Mayan designs versitile utility bags. You might remember this style of drop waist bag from the ’80s. As they say, everything old is new again. There are multiple pouches of  different sizes. The bags come in different types of materials. Some, like mine, are water resistant. So for those outdoorsy types, you might just like that. When I saw these bags, I immediately could see how handy they could be for someone in the entertainment industry. Or rather, someone working behind the scenes. Both Mandy and I ended up getting a couple bags after we returned home.

The bags can be worn in a number of different ways. You can wear it as a sling, over the shoulder, or, my personal favorite, a drop waist bag. Pretty much all of the bags come with adjustable straps that will allow you to further secure the bag to your body.

MY THOUGHTS ON U KOALA BAG…

What I found was that they are actually pretty handy for daily use. Not totally sure I would use them every day, but I could see and have used my bag pretty often. I like having a small book in which I jot down ideas, but hated carrying it in one of my pockets. These U Koala Bags gave me the opportunity to carry a book, pens, my wallet, a charger for my phone and tablet, and anything else I might need. Pretty nifty. This really paid off on a recent shoot.

I helped a friend on a recent shoot by doing some BTS images for his short film. I saw this as an opportunity to try out the bag in a work atmostphere. I had my sling camera bag with the usual items in it, but then threw batteries, a speedlight, a Leatherman, notebook, pens, Sharpie, and a few other items into it. This proved to be a great option while running around outdoors at night snapping photos. Aside from that, I could see this bag being great for travel too.

THE SHOOT

We met a couple times on returning to Charlotte to discuss the plans for the shoot. We knew she needed some lifestyle images, product shots, and a portrait or two. Seems like all in a day’s work, right? We planned on doing a whole slew of different kinds of lifestyle images, but eventually decided on the biker/motorcycle theme.

I wrangled a friend and his custom motorcyle for the shoot and Mandy did some modeling as well. This was her first time on a motorcyle and you can tell from one of the images that she’s crazy excited.

Cheers!

U Koala Bag Promo Shoot