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Christmas Gift Guide: camera bag by Golla

By 96 Comments

If you asked me to list off my hobbies, I’d include “taking pictures” as one of them.

I’m not a professional (at all), but I do like to be behind the lens – especially when my little girls are on the other side.

Someday I’d like to take a hands-on workshop with an artsy photographer. I’d also like to take a photo editing class.

For now, I’ll just practice on my own and take a lot of photos. Digital cameras are very forgiving.

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If someone on your Christmas list always has a camera in-hand, be sure to check out GOLLA’s Cam Bags. The Finnish company has an eye for good looks. These professional, well-padded bags are the opposite of boring. In fact, I would describe several of them as PRETTY – a refreshing change from most camera bags out there.

Have you ever taken a photography class? Also – what program do you currently use for photo editing?

WIN IT! One winner will receive a STORY Cam Bag in Brown [pictured above] by GOLLA of Finland. To enter, leave any topic-related comment on this post prior to Saturday, December 11th at 11:59 p.m. All generic comments like “Enter me!,” “Love it,” and “Cool stuff!” will be disqualified. Winner must provide a US mailing address.

* Golla sent me a sample for review purposes and is also providing 1 bag for the giveaway.

*UPDATE* The winner is #82 Melanie. Congratulations!

Comments

  1. I’ve never taken a photography course, but I’d love to. I have 2 little girls and a new baby boy that I love to take pictures of, but I know they aren’t as good as they could be. I also would love to have a real photo editing program. Right now I’m only using what came with Windows.

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  2. I took a Nikon photography class a few months ago. I use Adobe Photoshop. I have yet to find a fashionable yet useful bag for my camera. This looks awesome!

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  3. This would be a nice gift for my sister! I’ve take a B/W photography class in college before, we had to use a manual camera then process our own photos. It was a lot of fun!

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  6. I’ve been looking for a camera bag but the ones I’ve seen in the stores are so ugly,…..this one is so stylish I would love to carry my camera around in it! Wow what great lines and colors!

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  11. I’ve never taken a photography class, nor do I use anything to edit my photos — I’m just that good! Hehe. :-)

    glycinemax (at) gmail (dot) com

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  12. I’ve always wanted to take a photography class and just never “got around to it”. Now might just be a good time! Sadly, I ship my photos off to my granddaughters for editing . . .

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  13. No, I haven’t because my hubby has always done the photos and has even done wedding pictures for people. So I leave it to him!

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  15. I have not taken a photography class though I have wanted to. We have many photographers in our family, so I’ve picked up tips from them. I currently use Photoshop. Thank you for the lovely giveaway.
    sewmuchstuff at ymail dot com

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  16. my best friend just started her own photography buisness and would love a case like this! im going to direct her to their website to check them out!

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  18. I have been wanting a feminine, but sturdy, camera bag for years now. They’re all either super bulky & manly, or flimsy. Looks like Golla has fixed that!

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  19. I’m a photo bug but I’ve never taken a class or anything. I like that bag because it’s more stylish than most of the other ones I’ve seen.

    nancymeyer1 at gmail dot com

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  20. i havent taken a photography class. but i do so love to photograph. we got a big dslr before my daughter was born. i knew it would be great in taking pretty photos. and it’s been wonderful. we could use a great cam bag to house it. :)

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  21. Yes I have taken a photo class. I do lots of photography. I use Corel Paint Shop Pro to edit. :-)

    I would love to win this bag. WAY cuter then my plain old black camera bag.

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  22. I would love to win this bag…it would be a wonderful x-mas gift for my daughter who is taking a photography class in school. Thank you for the chance.

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  23. Cute bag! I have been thinking about taking a photography class at my community college but haven’t had a chance yet. Soon, i hope!

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  24. I sometimes opt out of bringing the camera along due to its size. I dont want to just shove it in my purse, with all the crumbs and lint and the possibility of dropping or hitting it with no protection.
    Alas, my phone become the main camera, which doesn’t take pics in low light so I miss out on some amazing photo opportunities

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  26. I edit with Picasa. Yes I took a class once but most of the info went over my head. :( I need to do some of the online tutorials that are available.

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  28. I have been saving up to purchase a nice camera and I’m only about $40 away from my dream camera! This would be so wonderful for it. Thanks so much for the chance! :)

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  29. I’ve never taken a photography class but so want to. Why? Not really because it is a passion or even a hobby, but I do have a passion for looking at our family albums. They tell such an amazing story that all my journal writing in the world can’t quite describe. Because I am not the pro with our photos, my husband handles the editing and uses Photoshop.

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  30. ” I love taking pictures and have learned much more recently because my husband has actually taking classes for his job. This bag is absolutely adorable! I’m so use to regular black camera bags, but this one is so stylish. I will definitely be looking into one of these, unless I win one of course.” *Smile*

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  31. Wow! That is one nice looking camera bag . . . I wonder if it could double as a diaper bag?! :) Expecting our first girl in Feb and color are brown and pink. Hmmm . . .

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  32. I took a few photography classes in college and loved them. I have always wanted to do it professionally but life happened and I pursued other things. But I do find the time to do for fun. I have photographs all over my house!
    This prize would be great to have to hold my huge camera.

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  34. I’ve never taken a class, but I’d love to – especially if I found one geared towards taking pics of active kids!

    I only edit with Kodak Gallery – but I’d love to change that too. I just don’t know where to start!

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  35. I have never taken a class, although I would love too! Like you, I love taking pictures of my little one. I usually hope my photos will look good straight out of the camera, since I don’t know much about tweaking them, but do a little editing with online programs.

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  36. Wow! I didn’t even know they had PRETTY camera bags. :) Mine is a plain ol’ black….

    I would love to learn photoshop. Right now i don’t use any photo editing software. I just need to find the time to try and learn photoshop!!

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  37. Never taken a class other than from my dad… he taught me how to use his old manual camera. It made the transition to a digital SLR really easy once I learned where all the buttons were! Would love to go to Nikon school though!
    And I use photoshop. I’m still learning a lot about how to use it, but it’s fabulous!

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  39. that bag is so cute.
    I have never taken any classes, but should i am not very good at taking pics. they are always blurry. even with a good camera.

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  41. my hubby and i have decided to forego Christmas gifts for each other this year – instead we purchased a joint gift – a swanky SLR camera to prepare for our new baby. I think a camera bag would be a FUN BONUS for him to open under the tree!!!

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  42. I don’t currently edit photos at all. But…I have an SLR stashed in my office for purchasing as soon as I save up for it, and we’re getting a new computer next week, which has photoshop! Yay! So excited to start taking (hopefully) awesome pics.

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  43. I wish I had taken a photography class in college, but I never could fit one into my schedule. Oh. well. Maybe after my kiddos are a little older. As far as editing, I use picnik the most.

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  44. We have never taken photography classes, but we do have a very good camera. I really think it has more to do with natural instinct rather than what you can learn in a class.

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  45. I would like a class. BUT… It probably won’t happen anytime soon. My sister’s boyfriend is a professional photographer, so I need him to teach me some cool tricks. Unfortunately, he’ll have to teach me on our point and shoot. Someday we hope to have enough for an SLR!

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  47. What a beautiful bag! My camera bag is falling apart, and is quite frankly really embarassing when I go to shoot portraits or weddings! Would love to have something in good shape, and way prettier!

    vschilke at gmail dot com

    Reply

  48. I haven’t taken any photo classes yet, I would love to. The only editing software I use right now is photoshop and my iphoto. The bag would be awesome to carry my canon in.

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  49. I love these and I’ve never heard of them! I love learning about new finds! I’ve been drooling over The Kelley Moore bag but can’t come to spending the money. The bags are beautiful though!

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  50. I’ve never had a photography class. Everything I know is self taught, but it’s taken quite a lot of work. I am a photographer, but I’ve been cutting back on my shoots lately since I’ve been pregnant and just had a baby. I want to get back into it, but I’m just enjoying taking pictures of my family for fun. As far as an editing program, I use Photoshop CS4 and I LOVE IT!

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  51. editing software what’s that? No I don’t use any, and I haven’t taken any classes. But I do love to photograph sunsets. I would really love to photograph the sunset every night over a year and then put it into a slide show just to see the differences. And then paint the ones I loved the most.

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  54. so far, i only use iphoto for editing but i’d love to get something more advanced. i really only take pictures of my daughter at the moment but i’ve always loved photography so maybe i’ll get more into it one of these days. i love this bag… so cute and a big improvement over the bag i have currently!
    heatheranya(at)hotmail(dot)com

    Reply

  56. I have never taken a class but did order the Me Ra Koh DVD’s based on your recommendation. They were great and my husband and I both have a better understanding of our camera now. (I did think the husbands role was a bit hokey too though). Did you know she is big on the Nate Berkus show now? I haven’t seen the show but she talks about it on her blog. Anyway…I use photoshop elements to edit but am not good at it, really not. I need to take a class but alas, no time with two tinies around. Some day… for now I am like you just shoot away and capture the moment! I could use this really cool bag though, I tend to throw mine in the diaper bag and am worried it will get nocked around too much.

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  57. I have never taken a photography class, but my hubby’s father is a photographer by trade (and also taught photography at the local Jr College), so I have learned a little along the way.

    What a cute Camera Bag. I love it.

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  59. Never taken a photo class- we are total amateurs. BUT we invested in a Canon T2i. so we are trying to get better! :)

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  60. I have never taken a photo class but I would love to. I think my pics could probably use some help. I don’t know much about photo editing. I have played with Picasa and Microsoft photo editor. I am just an amateur.

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  62. That is way more bag then I need for my point and shoot but it is so pretty. I’d love to have a DSLR but we choose to buy a really really good PnS instead because of the size of DSLRs.

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  63. I took a class at pima cc, but it was not taught well and terribly boring. I use photoshop, but have friends who say lightroom rocks.
    I could really use a cool bag, we have the generic black bag.

    Reply

    • Tim & I have both considered taking a class at Pima, but we’re always worried that the classes will be mediocre/boring/simplistic. I think we’d prefer to take a hands-on weekend workshop with a reputable photographer.

      Reply

  64. I have never regretted that we upgraded from a point and shoot to a Canon EOS a couple of years ago. But I do get a little annoyed with how much room it takes up in my diaper bag. I’d love for it to have a bag all its own. I’ve never taken a photography class in my life, but my husband both read and learned a lot from a book published by National Geographic called “Photographing Your Family.”

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  65. I’ve never taken a photography class, but have been pretty into photography since high school. At some point I would like to be inspired to get my photography business up and running again.

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  67. I worked for a community college a few years back and could take classes for free, so I took a different photography class every semester. It was great fun!

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  68. I have never taken a photography class – but I would like to. I currently use pixlr to edit photos, although I know there are better programs out there, I don’t do a lot of editing at this point and I love that it’s free! We recently bought a Canon Rebel T2i which takes beautiful pictures – and I don’t have a camera bag for it yet!

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  69. This bag is super cute! Perfect gift for my Mom. She got a big ol fancy camera last year but still carries it in the silver/black briefcase that it came in and it’s just not very pretty or easy to carry around.

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  70. I got a couple of great books from the library on my version of Photoshop and just sat down at my computer and went through them. It is amazing how much I learned for free! So that might be a good alternative to a class. Also, I love the photos you take of your girls!

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  72. What a lovely bag! My son’s girl friend is really interested in photography and she would love this bag! Great gift idea!

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    • Oops…… hit post before I was finished! I took an online class by Nicole Hill Gerulat this past summer. It was just what I was looking for. I usually just use Picasa for any minor edits- it’s so easy. I’d love to learn more about photoshop or lightroom in the future though.

      Reply

  74. I have a photography class on my Christmas list! Man I want to be better! I use Picasa but I know that I need to branch out!

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  75. I have only taken a Black & White Photography class, and it was SO much fun! We got to work in the dark room, which I loved. Right now I am using Picasa for small time editing and Photoshop for the bigger stuff. I like the look of Lightroom though, and would love to work with that a little more.

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  76. The only photography class I’ve taken was in high school a million years ago!

    I only use whatever crap program is already on my computer…I desperately need to learn Photoshop – but the learning curve seems so huge!!

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  77. That bag is so pretty! I am just now really learning the editing process. I always felt getting shots perfect from the camera was the key, but now I see a little editing can go a long way!

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  78. I have taken a photo class in high school. I love photography, but with time and the introduction of digital, I kind of got out of it. Now I’m working to get back into it. I just got a new camera and actually don’t have a camera bag yet (I’ve been researching for one). I also don’t really edit my pictures but it’s one of my goals in 2011 to learn how to do simple editing!

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  79. I love that picture of you! Nell said it well…you taking a picture of the mini-you! Love it! The camera bag is brilliant. I love taking pictures…we have a great camera…which I know can do SO much more than I know about or let it do. I actually don’t have an editing program. I take heaps of pictures and get *some* good ones. All of the pictures on my blog (that I have taken) are straight out of the camera.

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    • My pictures are typically “straight out of the camera” too. I do re-size them in an attempt to dissuade people from using them on other sites, but I know very little about editing so I usually publish them “as is.”

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  80. I love this bag also – there are so many different types of bags now.

    I really need a new camera and have been shopping around. Once I get a new camera I will also need accessories including SW, a camera bag, lenses, etc. :)

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  81. That bag is gorgeous! I’ve just signed up for a photography class and am learning to shoot on ::gulp:: manual mode. Editing my photos though – um, yeah, I haven’t made it that far – other than crop and red eye removal that windows lets you do. Some day.

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  82. I love that this bag doesn’t look like a camera bag! My husband signed me up for a photography class so I can learn how to use all the functions of my camera, I can’t wait to take it! And I currently use Photoshop for photo editing cuz that’s the program I already have.

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  83. Taking a photography class is something that I’ve always wanted to to do – one day I’ll get there. I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing when it comes to taking photos, and so far just use the basic editing program that goes with our HP printer. Some close friends of ours are smitten with Photoshop, but it’s just not in our budget right now. We recently got a Nikon D3000 and have noticed a HUGE difference in the photos from our little point-and-shoot camera.

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  84. So cute! I have to admit I have access to the photo editing classes on my website (www.digitalscrapbooku.com) although I should really brush up. I use Photoshop for all of my editing, sometimes Photoshop Elements if I’m in a hurry because it opens faster! :) I have a camera bag/purse that’s starting to fall apart from constant use. It seems to double as our hiking bag since I simply must take the big camera! :)

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  85. I really should invest in a class especially with little ones however I just have to find the time! We don’t really edit we just point and shoot and hope one or two comes out good. I know, not very smart. A nice camera bag may make you feel more like a professional and jump start some learning.

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  86. Tee. Love that photo of you taking a photo of your little you. So sweet. This is a much better option than the standard black, boring camera bag.

    Nell

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  87. Those bags are awesome! I’ve taken a few “private classes,” ie following around some of my friends whose styles I like & peppering them with questions! I use Photoshop & Lightroom to edit- Lightroom is my favorite! Its awesome for editing big batches of pics from a longer shoot & great for organization!

    Reply

  88. What a great Christmas gift idea… especially for that “person who has everything” :) I have several of those on my list.
    Plus – everything could use a pretty bag so why not your camera… :) Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply

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