The Woodlands, TX - January 5, 2006 - Remember those beautiful tapestry style camera straps that were so popular in the 70's? Well they are back. The epic software group just released five retro designs for both film and digital photographers. Vic Cherubini, President of epic said: "In the early 70's I made my living as a photographer. Whenever I purchased a new camera, I immediately got rid of the useless, narrow strap that came in the box, and replaced it with a more practical and expressive tapestry style camera strap. While my eyes loved the colors, at the end of the day my neck appreciated how the strap distributed the camera's weight."

"While today's digital cameras may be lighter than those in the past, the need for stylish comfort remains. When I bought a new digital camera last year, I searched everywhere for a tapestry strap. My favorite camera store no longer carried them. Those I found on eBay were dried out, fragile straps from the 70's, or poor quality knock offs with low thread counts."

"I talked to some of my photographer friends and they agreed that they too would buy a quality tapestry strap. For the last six months I have been trying to find a manufacturer who could produce a strap to meet my specifications at the price I paid for the last one I bought in 1974 - $8.95. Well I finally found them. We are now offering a new line of retro camera straps and we're selling them to photographers under the "Express Yourself" brand."

"The "Express Yourself" straps are available in a variety of popular patterns inspired by Native American art (see examples below), and are made with the best hardware available. Each strap has 3 traditional "film loops" for 35 mm film canisters. The "Express Yourself" straps represent the ultimate in camera carrying comfort due to the thick wide design that evenly distributes the weight of your camera, and allows you to carry it for longer periods of time. The straps measure 2" wide by 46" long, when fully extended. One thing I never liked about the straps of the 70's was the metal buckle, so I have replaced it with a plastic one that will not scratch your camera."

So whether you are a traditional film photographer, or have moved to digital, you'll appreciate the style, comfort, and price of an "Express Yourself" strap.

The photos below show the five patterns in the "Express Yourself" line. Each strap comes with a 100% money back guarantee. The straps are available on the epic web site  or by calling 281-363-3742.  The company is now contacting camera stores around the country to begin carrying the line.