Category: Photography

I’ve got a couple of camera bags. They are the best bags I could find and came at rather a hefty price. It seems most of that money went on the manufacture of little rubber logo adornments positioned at every possible viewing angle. The same goes for my camera which has the manufacturer’s logo on the lens cap, on the body above the lens and in big yellow lettering on the strap. This is bad enough for someone wishing to avoid a violent mugging but to a hateful anti-corporate slob (such as I), this is just intolerable. I purchase stuff because it’s good for what I want, not because I need strangers to know I’ve got money to spend.

Cutting the logos off is not always a good answer. I can’t cut the metal embossed logos off my camera. I could cut the embossed rubber ones off my bags, but risk damaging the bag. The best solution I’ve found is simple and can be expressed in 3 steps.

Step 1

Purchase little tin of thick non-water-based paint. I bought some hammer-style paint. It needs to be thick enough to fill embossed logos. In my case, the paint is black, as my camera and bags are black.

Step 2

Apply paint over logos. More than one coat may be necessary if the embossing is deep. Wait a few hours in between coats.

Step 3

No more logos. You are now less of a twat.

It works fine on fabric logos too as you only need to apply a thin layer, so it doesn’t harden solid and crack. Dab it on like you’re a kid in art class with a sponge.

Of course, the best solution is not to buy things with logos on, but you’ll find this difficult. And some logo-obsessed companies make (comparatively) good products. Or just make your own camera bag. Or don’t buy a camera in the first place, just remember what stuff looks like. Or learn to draw.

UPDATE: It obviously also works well on trainers. Ask adbusters.