Oh snap! Locally made camera straps with style

Printed scarf camera straps, $25 each

For an industry as colorful and creative as photography, camera accessories have traditionally been dull by comparison. Open the box to a new Nikon or Canon SLR, and paired with your shiny new camera you’ll find a nylon neck strap in black or gray with the brand name loudly printed across the strap in bold, white letters.

Baton Rouge-based designer Chelsea Gawel, 23, wanted to change that. The daughter of a professional photographer, Gawel grew up around cameras. When she finally purchased one of her own, she longed for a stylish strap to wear with it. “My conventional camera strap worked well, but it was so boring,” she says. So she started making her own last fall, and today her Etsy shop, FaithLoveCraft, stocks camera straps in bright colors and prints.

Gawel hand-makes the straps out of stylish, comfortable scarves or duck cloth, a heavy-duty fabric often used for outdoor pillows or patio furniture. The duck cloth straps offer extra support and can be customized to add pockets on the sides to hold a phone, lens cap or memory card. Her shop also offers wristlet straps.

The straps come in floral, geometric and graphic prints, and Gawel has even offered LSU-themed straps that are the perfect accessory for game day outfits. While most of the designs cater to women, she can custom-make straps for men or gender-neutral straps for couples. Camera straps range in price from $20 to $30.

“The straps are extremely durable,” Gawel adds. “I tested each style with my own camera by aggressively shaking it in all directions. If my Canon EOS Rebel T3 is safe, I know everyone’s will be.”

Gawel is a full-time mental health therapist, so juggling a side business with her job was tough at first, but she’s found a happy medium. Now, she works on her orders in the morning before heading to work. The hard work has paid off—after less than a year in business, she is churning out 50 orders per month through Etsy, and that number is growing. And someday, shoppers may be able to find the straps in local boutiques. Gawel hopes to sell her camera straps in Baton Rouge stores some day.

For more info, visit etsy.com/shop/FaithLoveCraft.