Well dress photographer: Dump the photo vest!

Recently at a photo gathering noticed the rather large number of Kaki, old style photo vests and understand that often you need to compromise because of the need to carry a lot of unnecessary stuff. I said compromise because to be totally honest to me nothing screams photography dork than old style vests. This time and day, nothing worse than attracting too much attention to you, specially while carrying a lot of expensive hardware.

Furthermore, especially if shooting well dress people, do yourself a favor, be well dressed. Nothing screams professional more than a well dressed man (or woman). Hence go to a Men's Warehouse and get yourself a suit. Now for everything else and I know you still need to carry a lot of stuff there are some modern photo vests to consider. One brand that really stands out for their extremely good looks, high build quality and an insane amount of pockets is Scottevest:

http://www.scottevest.com/

I first became aware of the brand while looking for alternatives for travel clothing. In these days of barely one carry on a simple way to beat carry on limits is to carry all key hardware on you. You see what you wear doesn't count for weight or carry on restrictions (very important for international travel), hence a discrete photo vest or jacket could allow you to either off load hardware from your photo bag (in case you go above weight restrictions) or simply to keep it handy. Enter Scottevest; their travel line of clothing is superb when it comes to been discrete, stylish and practical. Just take a look in Figure 1 at their basic photo/travel vest compared to their traditional "kakis":

Figure1: Nothing screams geek more than a traditional photo vest like the one shown to the left. In contrast notice the modern stylish look of a Scottevest to the right.

Style is a relative thing; no piece of cloth will change your "coolness" factor, but if not for looks at least do yourself a favor and get a Scottevest. You'll immediately notice the difference in the clothes quality and practicality. To the old photo vest, R.I.P.

PD: Concealed Carry

This is a different use for this type of vest, but indeed it makes for an awesome concealed carry tool. Rather than using typical holsters, the pockets of any Scottevest have enough compartments and even locks to hold any concealed items. Best of all in a discrete way, not drawing attention to yourself.