Every once in awhile someone will contact me about how I invented the
Domke Bag. The secret is that a lot of photographers had the same need and I was lucky. Right place and the right time.
I had been looking for a better bag since I was in college, going to army surplus stores and sports shops looking for bags that might work for camera gear rather than fish. I was satisfied with the
Orvis fishing bag, but it wasn't perfect. Nothing would have happened until the Philadelphia Inquirer director of photographer, Gary Haynes, hadn't gotten tired of replacing camera bags and was willing to buy enough for the entire staff.
Instead of trying to find someone who knew how to sew to make just one bag, I was looking for someone to make 20 bags and a local awning shop could make money filling the order. Nobody wanted to make just one bag.
As far as the awning shop was concerned, it was a chance to use up some scraps they had lying around. But we wanted the camera bag had to be stronger than the Army surplus bags that the paper was replacing every few months, when the strap or seam ripped. #8 canvas duck, heavy industrial sewing machine and sew the strap all the way around the bag.
I never thought about making it a business, but with the large order from the paper, I'd converted my fishing bag to be a real camera bag. Dimensions had to be changed to better fit cameras and lenses, rather than fish. Also, why not put pockets on all the sides (including the top flap)! Leather was too expensive, so keep it in canvas. It just needs to be strong, rugged bag. Nylon was too light, adding padding takes up room and reduces flexibility.
The timing was right, there was a real need, and my boss was cheap. Competing with the Philadelphia Bullitin the accountants were trying to hold down costs.
He also wrote a weekly photo column for the Inquirer and got the idea that he could sell the bag to readers, like the paper sold photos, it would help cut photo expenses. He had to buy film, chemicals, paper and cameras. By selling the camera bag to readers it would help reduce expenses.
Over a 100 readers sent money for a "Inquirer Bag," and the camera stores used it as an excuse for not advertising in the paper. The advertising department was furious, Haynes had to stop ASAP. But more people wanted the bag, I wanted to take photos.
I had one photographer tell me that if I wasn't going to do anything, they would. They hadn't done anything to help so far, so I'd do it. Then the paper went on strike. I was out of work, but the bag could be a part-time business!
J.G.
Domke Enterprises, Inc started with a post office address a block away from the newspaper and working out of the house. Ordering 20-50 bags, it was good business for the awning business.
No
planning, it just happened, the timing was right as new
SLR's and accessories came onto the market, beating out Kodak's launch of the compact Disc camera. Picture quality won out and photo dealers liked selling
extra lens, flash and a camera bag.
For the serious photographer he needed to carry lots of film, and lots of lenses to get the picture. The magazine photographers had to shoot one camera with color and then another camera with b/w film. A lot of gear and we exchanged ideas about how to get the most gear into the bag, taping film cans together helped, and gluing lens caps back to back helped.
I always worked with a bag, it wasn't a storage container, but something I needed to have so I could get the filter, flash, film, etc. ASAP and get the picture. For the
newsphotographer seconds matter, and you can't come back the next day, you need to get the best picture and make the deadline. A professional camera bag is a tool.
More about
cameras bags and inventing to some . . .
