Think Tank Photo
Encyclopedia
Think Tank Photo is a U.S. based manufacturer that designs and sells camera
bags and accessories designed for use by professional and advanced amateur photographers and multimedia producers, specially those who use digital SLR
cameras. The company's products are designed with the working photographer in mind and many of Think Tank camera bags are designed for the needs of the frequent air traveler.
Think Tank Photo was founded in 2005 in Santa Rosa, California
by designers Doug Murdoch and Mike Sturm and by professional photographers Deanne Fitzmaurice and Kurt Rogers.
Co-founder Mike Strum worked with Murdoch at Lowepro and Fluxion starting in 1995 and through 2002. The two often collaborated on photographic bags and accessories, and Strum was the primary designer and sample maker for Lowepro's popular DryZone 200 backpack, the first completely waterproof soft-sided camera bag.
Murdoch and Strum realized that the serious amateur and the professional photographer have different equipment and transportation needs than the hobbyist. They felt that many companies were producing bags that failed to meet the needs of the professional photographer, so they collaborated with 2005 Pulitzer Prize
winning photographer Deanne Fitzmaurice and photojournalist Kurt Rogers.
Fitzmaurice and Rogers embodied the needs of the photographers that Murdoch and Strum wanted to reach. Fitzmaurice has traveled the world producing photographic stories for Time, Newsweek
, US News & World Report, Sports Illustrated
, People and ESPN
. She spent more than 18 years working as a photojournalist for the San Francisco Chronicle
. Rogers spent more than 27 years as a photojournalist with both the San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle.
The company chose the name Think Tank because they consider themselves primarily an "idea producing" company, focused on solving photographic needs by listening to the suggestions, feedback and complaints from photographers and creating tools to solve their problems.
The company's first product, the Airport Addicted® backpack was designed specifically to fit in the overhead compartments of all airplanes while still protecting a top-end SLR camera and lenses while providing features for the traveler. The Airport Addicted featured lockable zippers, a money and passport pouch and space for business cards.
Since the introduction of the Airport Addicted in 2005 the company's product line has expanded, often with products that are the first of their kind. The Think Tank line now includes rolling backpacks, modular harness systems, shoulder bags, laptop bags and more. In 2009 the company produced one of the first bags on the market aimed at the multimedia professional who utilizes digital SLR cameras for video capture.
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
bags and accessories designed for use by professional and advanced amateur photographers and multimedia producers, specially those who use digital SLR
SLR
The initialism SLR can refer to:* Satellite laser ranging* Scalable Linear Recording Tape Drive Backup* Self-Loading Rifle, see semi-automatic rifle.** The UK version of the Belgian FN FAL select fire battle rifle, the L1A1 SLR.* Semi-linear resolution...
cameras. The company's products are designed with the working photographer in mind and many of Think Tank camera bags are designed for the needs of the frequent air traveler.
Think Tank Photo was founded in 2005 in Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
by designers Doug Murdoch and Mike Sturm and by professional photographers Deanne Fitzmaurice and Kurt Rogers.
History
Before founding Think Tank Photo company founder Doug Murdoch was the vice president of design and production for Lowepro USA, the U.S. division of an international bag design company that produces products designed for photographic gear and other electronic accessories. Murdoch was also part owner of Fluxion, Inc., the company designed for Lowepro's designs from 1992 to 2001.Co-founder Mike Strum worked with Murdoch at Lowepro and Fluxion starting in 1995 and through 2002. The two often collaborated on photographic bags and accessories, and Strum was the primary designer and sample maker for Lowepro's popular DryZone 200 backpack, the first completely waterproof soft-sided camera bag.
Murdoch and Strum realized that the serious amateur and the professional photographer have different equipment and transportation needs than the hobbyist. They felt that many companies were producing bags that failed to meet the needs of the professional photographer, so they collaborated with 2005 Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning photographer Deanne Fitzmaurice and photojournalist Kurt Rogers.
Fitzmaurice and Rogers embodied the needs of the photographers that Murdoch and Strum wanted to reach. Fitzmaurice has traveled the world producing photographic stories for Time, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, US News & World Report, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, People and ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. She spent more than 18 years working as a photojournalist for the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
. Rogers spent more than 27 years as a photojournalist with both the San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle.
The company chose the name Think Tank because they consider themselves primarily an "idea producing" company, focused on solving photographic needs by listening to the suggestions, feedback and complaints from photographers and creating tools to solve their problems.
The company's first product, the Airport Addicted® backpack was designed specifically to fit in the overhead compartments of all airplanes while still protecting a top-end SLR camera and lenses while providing features for the traveler. The Airport Addicted featured lockable zippers, a money and passport pouch and space for business cards.
Since the introduction of the Airport Addicted in 2005 the company's product line has expanded, often with products that are the first of their kind. The Think Tank line now includes rolling backpacks, modular harness systems, shoulder bags, laptop bags and more. In 2009 the company produced one of the first bags on the market aimed at the multimedia professional who utilizes digital SLR cameras for video capture.