Ryan Russell

Please join us in welcoming our newest Friend of Naneu, Ryan Russell!

Ryan is an internationally-renowned rock music photographer from the United States. Ryan grew up in the Deep South. We’re not talking about the vacation havens of Florida or the Atlanta you saw in a hip hop music video. We’re talking about Birmingham, Alabama – the gritty South that has long been known for steel mills, attack dogs, fire hoses and little else. Growing up in the infamous “Magic City” left a lot to Ryan’s imagination, what with hanging around downtown and soaking up the turn-of-the-century architecture and decades of urban blight, which further developed his talent of bringing energy and color out of ordinary scenes. With his unique style, Ryan embraces predecessors of southern culture like William Eggleston and Ernest Withers as well as personal influences like Glen E. Friedman and Charles Peterson to create a new, bold take on classic southern-gothic photography. Ryan captures the grit and energy of today’s American music scene much like Lee Friedlander’s Atlantic Records work during the 50’s and 60’s or Anton Corbijn’s work with U2 and Joy Division.

Although you wouldn’t guess it from meeting this southern gentleman, Ryan has photographed some of the most critically-acclaimed artists of our generation. From shooting the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Paramore, Blink-182, Green Day, Tegan and Sara, My Chemical Romance, Josh Homme/Queens of the Stone Age, Underoath, Sonic Youth, Patton Oswalt and David Cross, to being printed in magazines like Alternative Press, Rolling Stone, Spin and Playboy or periodicals like The New York Times, The New York Post, The Chicago Reader and The Chicago Sun-Times, Ryan has also toured with the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Paramore, Taking Back Sunday, Against Me!, and Mastodon, allowing him the opportunity for up close and personal access to these musicians and a chance to showcase their truly unique personalities through photography in a way that words alone cannot.

We are truly pleased to have Mr. Russell as a Friend of Naneu! To find out more information about Ryan, please visit his website at http://www.ryanrussell.net/.

Jim DeLillo

Please join us in welcoming our newest Friend of Naneu, Jim DeLillo!

Jim is an internationally-published photographer who specializes in travel, local color and editorial. Avidly working since 1972, Jim’s many years of experience have provided such esteemed international publications like Woman’s World Magazine with a refreshing break from stiffly-posed shots often found within them. His photojournalist, reality based, eclectic style spans travel, both domestic and abroad,  the wilderness, and ultimately outer space.  Did we mention that Jim is also an accomplished astro-photographer?

Anyways, you probably get the idea. Jim and his work is simply put, astounding. Jim won a Nikon.net Award for his series, “Children of Belize.” Other accomplishments include reaching the Gold Level (10,000 downloads) with iStock, Getty’s microstock offering.

When he is not making beautiful things happen with his camera, Jim is a Senior Project Manager at a major biotech company in New Jersey.

Please visit the following websites to get a better idea of Jim, his portfolio, and accomplishments:

http://jimdelillo.viewbook.com (Travel Portfolio)

http://www.demotix.com/users/jimdeli/profile (International Newswire)

http://www.istockphoto.com/jimd_stock (Gold Level Status >10,000 downloads)

Some speculated it is too big, or too wide, or it just can’t be done Period.

Well luckily for us we have a Visionary & Sometimes Adventurous CEO Yaniv

As we came to him on a short notice before his trip to our nation’s capital Washington DC

We have a mission for you; (He stares at us with a puzzled look)

It’s called Mission Impossible U220 (again he stares at us with a puzzled look)

We need you to successfully bring on The Urban Gear U220 Naneu Bag On Board your flight as a “carry on” luggage.

He thinks about the Daring mission and the risks he would be taking

Well Yaniv, decided to take on the daring “challenge” of successfully bringing his gear on board using his very own Naneu Urban Gear U220 Camera Bag.  Needless to say we were very excited.

The Very next Day he is getting ready to Leave on his flight and tell us right before he leaves wish me luck guys.

Countless hours pass by as we waited for news about the daring attempt, as the flight from Orlando to DC was delayed due to foul weather.

Growing impatient we sent several emails and placed calls with no answer, we thought oh no Yaniv has been compromised, until this compelling email with just the words

“Mission Accomplished”

Nanue u220 Bags on a Plane

Well Ladies & gentlemen, Photographers & bloggers around the world there you have it.

The Naneu Urban Gear U220 on an airbus 320 in an overhead compartment.

OMG Naneu Bags on a Plane !!!!!!!!!!!

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We are most excited to work with Lara as she has accomplished so much for herself in such a short period of time. It is truly an honor to have such amazing young photographer working with Naneu to help develop future products and sport the latest Naneu gear.

Here is just a quick peek of some of Lara Jades work – by the way did I mention she is only 20? Simply incredible.

Lara Jade Biography

http://www.larajade.co.uk/

Lara Jade, born 1989, currently resides in Central London.

Her career began early at the age of fifteen, when she picked up a camera and started experimenting with self-portraiture, romanticism, and fantasy photography – themes which are still present in her work today.

At only seventeen she started her own business, Lara Jade Photography. Originally taking on small clients, she soon picked up a strong understanding of the business qualities needed to deal with her high demand for work. To this day she hasn’t looked back, moving from strength to strength, becoming the youngest photographer to shoot at the world famous Spring Studios to date.

Her exploration with themes, coupled with a love for the works of Tim Walker, Ellen Von Unwerth and Mary Ellen Mark have inspired the unique creations seen in her daily work.

Lara’s much sought after romantic and conceptual feel with a hint of darkness with maturity beyond her years makes her one of the most promising photographers around. She also continues to be a source of inspiration for millions of other photographers and artists. A reflection of this is the 11 million hits on just one site showcasing her work (DeviantArt).

Lara is currently working worldwide alongside leading agencies in both London and Milan. She is signed with Milan-based agency Sudest57, who spotted Lara’s talents and signed her early on. A number of sponsorships followed, including Bowens Lighting, Samsung, and DataColor. Lara was also winner of the Public Choice Award at the 2009 AOP Open Awards.

A strong pursuit of perfection means Lara spends all her spare time working relentlessly on her ever-improving portfolio, as well as teaching workshops across the UK and worldwide.

AWARDS

AOP Open Awards 2009, Public Choice Award.

CLIENTS

Lavazza
Sony Music
BBC
Millers
Simon & Schuster / Touchstone
Random House Publishing
Headline Publishing
Modernista Publishing
Amphora Publishing
Blanvalet Publishing
British Hairdressing Awards
Leo Burnett Advertising Agency
Kokkino Jewellery
Tallulah Love Lingerie
Graphite Records

MAGAZINES / PRESS

LUSH Magazine
What? Magazine
Wound Magazine
Cliche Magazine
IDOL Magazine
Aesthetica Magazine
Digital SLR Magazine
Photo Pro Magazine
Photography Monthly
Brown’s Fashion Blog
Temptd Fashion Blog
Lifescape Magazine
ePHOTOzine Website
Repubblica (Italy)
F-TAPE.COM Listing

Erica is an accomplished and outstanding New York based photographer with work like no other!

View her full website here.

Erica Shires Bio:

New York photographer Erica Shires is originally from Detroit and lived many years in Texas.  She loves road-trips to empty places and getting lost anywhere with her husband and her camera. She was named one of PDNʼs 30 and her work has been featured in Foto8 and Communication Arts. She has exhibited in New York, London, France and Belgium as well as many festivals worldwide. Commercially, she has photographed for major advertising agencies and clients such as Ad Council, Kodak, Nike and New York Magazine.

AWARDS:

PDN 30
American Photography
Communication Arts
PX3.02

EXHIBITIONS:

2009
HOST Gallery, London, UK
Palazzo Mesiani-Mazzacuva, Bova, RC, Italy

2007
Jason McCoy Gallery, New York City, NY

2006
Gallery Sakiko, New York, NY
Photographic Center Northwest, Seattle, WA
Women in Perspective, Bredene, Belgium
Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York, NY

2005
Foto2005 Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Ravenstein Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
Recontres d’Arles, Hype Gallery, Arles, France
Fotofestiwal, LDK, Lodz, Poland
Brooklyn Underground Film Festival, Brooklyn Lyceum, Brooklyn, NY

2004
Soho Photo, New York, NY
Projection at Walker Street, New York, NY
Stepping Stone Gallery, Huntington, NY

2002
The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA

2001
Manhattan Center, New York, NY
Katy Brown Workshop, New York, NY
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
Steuben Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

Make sure you check the Naneu website soon for Erica’s complete Friend of Naneu profile.

Also, make sure you join the Naneu mailing list to receive our latest news, product alerts, special promotions and discount coupons!

Well balanced, comfortable, feels light and holds all of my standard gear:
Laptop, extra hard drive, 2 card readers, cables, epson card media storage device. 2-canon bodies including the Mark III 1-DS , 5D Mark 2, as well as  50mm 1.2. , 35mm 1.2,  85mm 1.2 lenses and my G10 pocket camera. Cards, meter, fill card, various chargers and, there is still room for my personal items:  notebook, pens, reading glasses, sun glasses, book, sun block, and iPhone.

This backpack fits my travel perfect!  It holds all of my standard  photographic tools and most importantly  fits in overhead airline  bins as a carry on. It does not scream “I am a photographer” and it looks great.  One  bonus is the way the cameras are stored.  When crossing borders, the custom folks never even found the cameras!  I thought that was  a bonus as it’s always good to save the time and not chance them dropping my gear.

This backpack is so comfortable and balanced.  I can also drive a motorcycle with the bag fully loaded and not hardly notice it!

What an excellent piece of equipment the Naneu U120 bag is !  I have several Naneu bags and the U120 has become my favorite.  With a minor change to the configuration of the dividers, I am able to get two Nikons, 5 lenses and a couple of flashes loaded into it.  Plus, there is plenty of room for the other accessories, like flash cards, reflector/diffuser discs, a cable release, an extra jacket, a laptop, and more.  Everything is easily accessible and that can be important when you need a camera and/or a lens NOW !

Here is another very important part… the U120 is so comfortable.  I am a big guy and this back-pack style bag feels great.  The straps don’t cut into my shoulders even when it is fully loaded.  The straps are padded very generously in the correct place so you hardly know you have it on.  I also like the fact that the waist strap can be removed.  There are times I use the strap and other times I don’t – it’s easy to remove and replace.

The construction is phenomenal.  The material is super-strong and water resistant and yet good looking.  They also place a sturdy grip on top which really comes in handy when you need to load the bag into the back seat or the trunk (even MORE handy when you get the bag out).  I like the rubber “feet” on the bottom – that lets you set the thing upright and it stays put.  There is a good amount of padding throughout that protects what you have stowed inside.

The U120 is my fourth Naneu.  I have loved every one I have had… the TS25, U120, U220, and an older Naneu bag that I can’t even remember what series it is.  I still have them all (and use them)… hell, I can’t wear the damn things out !

Dick Pratt has been involved with the art of photography for most of his life.  He has won numerous awards, had his work published several times, has judged photo contests, and has had his work exhibited around Northeast Ohio.  A number of his photographs have showed up in publications and on the covers of a few national magazines… Cycle Age, Specialty and Custom Dealer, and Photophile Magazine.  His cameras have recorded images of a very diverse range of subject matter.  He has photographed nature, architecture, still lifes, motorcycle racing, automobile racing, custom built cars and trucks, weddings, portraits, pets and much more.  Up until 2000, he used all film based cameras, photographing primarily in 35mm, but also in 645, 2¼ square, and 4X5 film sizes.  Today, Dick works with the digital medium exclusively.    Since he converted to digital in 2000, Dick has received training and gained valuable experience in Nikon Capture and Photoshop’s CS3, CS4.
Dick also enjoys teaching others and is currently instructing students on a one-to-one basis.

Dick also has a published book called “My Digital Photo Book”  Published by Xlibris (Found at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Expect to see his profile on www.naneubags.com shortly.

Make sure you check out his website at www.dickprattphotos.com

The Correspondent C-9 is the perfect camera bag for my wilderness assignments. The Sony 900 with the lens fits perfectly, even with a Really Right Stuff L bracket attached. Though the bag would be too small if I used a vertical grip on my Sony.  This bag also includes enough room for all my accessories which include: 2 extra batteries, 2 extra cards, remote release, cleaning cloth, polarizer filter and two Singh Ray split grad filters with holder. This compact bag fits easily into my large expedition backpack.

How does Naneu get this much room out of such a small bag? First, the camera is offset when inserted in the bag. Most “holster” style bags I have used have the camera centered in the middle of the bag. But having the camera offset allows for a moderate amount of space on the right side of the camera under the grip. There is a zipper that accesses this compartment from the side. Naneu describes this area as an extra lens space, but only the most compact lens could fit there. Instead, I find it to be a perfect place for all my filters.

The Correspondent also has a zippered pocket on the front of the bag, where I put my batteries. Under the lid is another pocket that is padded so items inside can’t damage the Camera’s LCD screen. This lid pocket is where I put my cable release and cleaning cloth, a tight fit but it works. There is a hidden media pocket underneath the lid pocket that has a movable media holder, a gimmick? Yes, but I have been using it and well, it works fine.

I have been using Naneu bags for a few years now. The funny thing about Naneu is what they get excited about and what I get excited about. They have been promoting the fact that the Correspondent has a buckle on the lid that allows it to stay open for easy in and out access of the camera. I am usually working in pretty ugly conditions: ice, snow, wind and rain, so the last thing I want to do is leave my bag open!

What I have always enjoyed about Naneu bags has been their durability and the Correspondent continues to impress. So far the Correspondent has survived two winter storms and temperatures down to –15F. And of course Naneu’s signature orange interior, if only my lens caps we’re this color, I wouldn’t keep losing them.

Follow the Correspondent for the next year as it travels with me on my latest book project.

http://chugachstateparkproject.wordpress.com/

1) Materials used
2) workmanship
3) fit
4) function
5) areas of product strength
6) areas of product need

In September 2009 I spent 10 days in Utah, scouting/hiking and prepping for 2 of my photography workshops. I spent the majority of time at close to 6000’ elevations around south-central Utah. 

Findings/Observations:

1. Top quality ballistic nylon – this material will easily give you years of hard use although I am not unusually rough with my gear.
2. No concerns on the tripod holder and the heavy zippers used.  Excellent stitching can be found throughout the construction of the K4L.
3. Being taller and wider in the shoulders, it’s an excellent fit. Even someone smaller will not have an issue. Extremely comfortable straps even with a full complement of gear (see below).
4. This backpack can carry a surprisingly healthy amount of gear! I weigh all of my luggage/gear for airline travel so there are no surprises using an Ultimate Scale. It’s capable of readout weights within 10 grams and a zero/tare function.  In the upper compartment I packed the following: my 200/4 macro in a padded pouch, flash, extension cable, diffuser, 5 ND Grad filters (two 4×5 and three 4×6) in the zippered pouch + adapter ring, Cokin Z filter holder plus multiple smaller items. I added the Wimberley Plamps and diffuser discs into the side zippered compartments. There is still enough room to anticipate inclement weather – it will handle my raingear plus a polar fleece and still have room left over. In the lower compartment I packed one DSLR w/grip + 28-75/2.8 attached, 12-24, 50-200, Slik AF2100 head and spare batteries. Turns out where I was headed presented a great deal of landscape opportunities and very few macro opportunities, so for the second trip I left the heavier 200/4 macro at home.
5. Shoulder straps and waist straps are very comfortable on the K4L – even with heavier loads.
6. The camera compartment is large and can be an issue for carry on dimensions on a CRJ or Embraer RJ (regional jet) or turboprop aircraft. The shoulder straps could use some materials or inserts where they attach to the backpack itself to prevent twisting when putting on the backpack. However, this is minor and perhaps a future model of the K4L will address this.

The backpack with all of the above (and a fair bit more) plus a 15.4” Dell E6400 laptop weighed in at 33lbs. For reference the K4L weighs in at approximately 5.5lbs. The loaded K4L was surprisingly well balanced yet light, considering the total weight.  As surmised in my first impressions, the heaviest part of the load is at or near your waist. That weight distribution translates into little or no back strain, even with a tripod attached.  The tripod slopes in towards the top of the pack so the heaviest part (base plate + tripod head) rests just below the top of the pack.  This also ensures your head doesn’t get a hard knock if you jump up onto another surface. That was a common complaint with tripod carrying packs that center mount in a vertical position on the back surface of the pack.

Without a doubt, this travel backpack was much more comfortable carrying a full complement of landscape gear than anything previously used.

Caveats for the airline traveler:

Canadair Regional Jets (CRJ) and Embraer Regional Jets is the mainstay of smaller airports and lower traffic routes.  All of those smaller jets/turboprops have smaller overhead luggage compartments. Therefore you must store the K4L under the seat. With your laptop stowed in the K4L, it works reasonably well due to the wedge shape of the backpack, although a min. of 2-3 inches sticks out beyond the back of the seat. That’s a close call – just once in 4 trips I was asked about plane side checking of the backpack. After a quiet conversation with the attendant and informing him of it holding camera gear, he agreed to stow it in the attendant’s locked closet just aft of the cockpit/cabin/galley area. It will not fit in the frames used for dimension checks, so be advised. I’ve never been asked nor challenged about this, but if the attendant or luggage handler at plane side ever put down their foot that could be a problem.

Of note, when I gave a presentation on my Utah trip to the photo society in early November, there was a significant amount of interest in the K4L and the newly arrived K5 that Naneu was so kind to ship to me on short notice. I believe it’s important to have packs that are compliant with the overhead luggage dimensions of the RJ series aircraft. I also let the audience know that I’m working with Bombardier Aerospace to confirm all dimensions and hopefully come up with the under seat storage capacity and hopefully come to a solution on this matter in the future. There was a high level of interest amongst the attendees for a future pack with this compatibility on regional jets.

Using the K4L in Utah:

Without a doubt, I have no regrets using this backpack for hiking at altitude. I was carrying close to 38lbs at altitude (6,000 feet) and I was comfortable with this setup. Since then I have lightened my selection a bit by being very strict on the lenses, etc. and upgrading to a new Gitzo GT3541XLS carbon fiber tripod (thank you NatureScapes!). The only caveat is that a tripod with a rapid rise column is generally much easier to attach, due to a smaller top plate and resultant diameter.

Giottos MT9360 tripods fold to 22” and packs very well on the K4L. By comparison, my Gitzo GT3541XLS folds to 27” and the size of the base plate plus legs at the top is 5.5” across, which means it barely fits within the top tripod strap if you try to secure all 3 legs. The solution is to only wrap the strap through 2 legs. Bare carbon fiber is quite slippery, so LegCoats or the Giottos’ factory installed sponge rubber sleeves (AKA leg pads) is quite useful to better secure the tripod straps so they have purchase on the tripod legs.  Therefore in my mind the K4L is best suited to handle a tripod with upper leg section pads, a smaller base plate, rapid rise column and folds to 22” – 24”.

The shoulder, back and waist padding is very comfortable – it has a reasonably good amount of airflow (even with no breeze) across the back when the pack is loaded up. The K4L is quite comfortable to walk/hike with a full with and very well balanced once you have correctly cinched and adjusted the shoulder/waist straps.

The access method for the K4L to the camera compartment is relatively straightforward: it is a zippered section with a heavy duty buckle to reduce strain on the heavy duty zippers. That is a very nice touch if you are traveling in a vehicle: the buckle can be quickly attached without having to close the zippers immediately, yet you can secure the camera compartment quickly this way. I would not recommend using only the buckle and not closing the zippers when carrying the K4L though. There is another zippered compartment outside the width of the camera compartment, which can be used to hold smaller items such as batteries, memory cards, business cards or any similar sized item. That includes mesh pouches to simplify organizing this compartment. This is specific to transport in the vehicle, nothing more.  The laptop compartment is very well padded and can hold a 17” widescreen laptop quite nicely. My 15.4” laptop had plenty of room to spare.

The D-rings on the shoulder straps are very useful for attaching keys, compass and smaller items yet keeping them readily accessible. Nicely done and well thought out. The upper compartment is also readily accessed, as are the side pockets. I liked the zippered pouch inside the upper compartment in which I put my GND filters – very secure and against the padded back. The water bottle holder is the default location for storing the rain cover for the pack when it was received. I never ended up needing the cover but the holder is only suitable for the smaller bottles. I had a mesh bottle holder that I attached and it proved to be used regularly, especially is the drier climate at altitude in Utah.

At both the Utah trip presentations to the local photo society and the workshop attendees, several of the participants at both events were very interested in the K4L. I gave them the opportunity to try it on with the normal gear load and they were pleasantly surprised at the level of comfort. My understanding is that two of them will be giving up their current packs for the Naneu K4L when pursuing landscape photography. The K4L is now firmly entrenched as my pack of choice when I’m headed out for landscape/hiking photography.

Regards,
Marc