When it comes to ergonomics, we put a lot of focus on posture, specifically sitting at a desk. But posture is important regardless of what you’re doing, including carrying a camera bag around. So, if you’re a keen photographer and wondering why you’re getting headaches and shoulder pain, it might be time to reconsider your choice of backpack.
It became an issue for Jay Perry, who in the video above talks about the toll his shoulder bag took on his health:
About five years ago, I was having the worst back pains and the worst headaches … it wasn’t until a friend recommended a pain specialist that she went to that I finally found out what was wrong with me — photography was killing me.
Yeah, that’s a bit extreme. The point is, Perry had been lugging a bag full of camera gear on his right shoulder, which eventually led to the pain he was experiencing. The clip also features a massage therapist who explains the why:
The weight of the bag ins’t essentially the problem. It can be a [light] bag, it can be a [heavy] bag, the [heavy] bag is just going to make you feel the pain much sooner … the truth still stands that if you do something with one side more than the other, you are going to create a muscular imbalance.
The fix for Perry was to go from a satchel to a backpack, evening up the load on the body. Obviously, this isn’t isolated to photographers — if your job or hobby requires you to cart stuff around and you’re having issues with back pain, seriously consider the switch.
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