Do you know what the worst piece of equipment you have in your camera bag is? I’m fairly convinced it’s the strap that comes with your camera.
Have you ever noticed how incredibly uncomfortable it is to walk around with a camera hanging from your neck? Not only does it rub against the back of your neck but it flops against your chest and swings precariously close to the nearest object when you bend over.
I cringe just remembering the time my camera strap had come loose on one side and I watched helplessly as my camera plummeted towards the concrete. Suffice it to say I was not happy with traditional camera straps and had altogether given up on using them until I found Black Rapid.
The line of Black Rapid camera straps was born out of the same frustrations of Seattle photographer Ron Henry who wanted to find a better way to carry a camera.
The idea behind the Black Rapid Strap is simple; your camera hangs upside down at your hip, ready to slide up to shoot at a moment’s notice. Yes upside-down.
Here’s how it works: the strap goes over your shoulder and crosses the body messenger style. You adjust the length to your body and clip the “stops” into place to control where the camera sits when it’s on the strap so that it’s always right where you need it.
A unique feature is the way the strap attaches to your camera. Unlike traditional camera straps which are looped in at each side the Black Rapid Straps are attached by a locking carabiner which screws into the tripod socket at the bottom of the camera or your lens. I was a little nervous at first to be dangling my camera equipment upside-down but it proved to be strong and very secure.
I tested both the classic RS-4 and the RS-W1 which is designed for women. The RS-W1 for women is a little longer than the classic strap and has a strategically placed curve at the front to fit a woman’s chest. It’s also narrower and has a discrete floral pattern on the fabric. Both of these camera straps are comfortable and practical and I really enjoyed using them.
Since I loved these straps so much, I am very excited that Black Rapid has offered to send two lucky Gourmande in the Kitchen readers their very own Black Rapid Camera straps! I have one RS-4 "Classic" (ARV $53.95 ) and one RS-W1 "Women's" (ARV $58.95) to giveaway.
And guess what?.......... This giveaway is open internationally!!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED
The Winners are Dara from Cookin Canuck and Kulsum from Journey Kitchen. Enjoy your new camera straps ladies!
HOW TO ENTER:
Required Entry: For a chance to win leave a comment here, whatever you’d like. For example, tell me which Black Rapid strap you would want? Or what your favorite camera gear is.
The required entry must be done otherwise any extra entries will not count.
WANT MORE CHANCES TO WIN?
Extra Entries:
1. Follow @gourmandeinthek on Twitter.*
2. Tweet the following : Enter to #win two @BlackRapid camera straps (ARV$113) from @gourmandeinthek http://bit.ly/wP3ugd #giveaway #cameragear #photography
3. “Like” Gourmande in the Kitchen on Facebook.*
4. Follow @BlackRapid on Twitter.
5. “Like” Black Rapid on Facebook.
6. Subscribe to Gourmande in the Kitchen updates by email, or subscribe to my RSS feed.*
PLEASE REMEMBER: Leave a separate comment for EACH of your entries or only one entry will be counted.
*If you already follow me on Twitter and Facebook and/or already subscribe to Gourmande in the Kitchen let me know as well, since this counts as an entry.
Giveaway starts on 1/5/2012 and will run until 1/13/2012 at 11:59 pm PST.
Official Rules:
To enter leave a comment.
Two winners with a valid entry will be selected at random. I will email the winners and they will have up to 3 days to claim their prize or another winner will be selected.
One winner will be selected at random to receive a RS-W1 (women's camera strap) and one winner will be selected at random to winner a RS-4 (classic camera strap).
The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
Sponsors are as follows: Black Rapid, http://www.blackrapid.com/
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY, VOID WHERE PROHIBITED
Disclaimer: I was provided with the camera straps for the purpose of doing a review and giveaway. All opinions are my own.
*All images above are courtesy of Black Rapid.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Cookin' Canuck says
Sylvie, I was so excited to win this giveaway and my Black Rapid strap just arrived. I can't wait to try it! Thanks so much.
Sylvie says
Yay, enjoy!