by Hope Cruz
For five years, photographer and contributing editor Paul Papanek and his co-writer / wife Joan kept pitching the same idea to the editors of Cabo Living Magazine. It was a story centered on Lucha Libre—Mexican free wrestling—one that sat well outside the kinds of features the publication typically approves.
Still, they returned to it again and again, even as it failed to gain traction. Each time, the answer was no. Then, in the summer of 2025, Paul came across a Facebook announcement for a large Lucha Libre event in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, scheduled for late summer. He decided to try once more. This time, the answer changed.
When the assignment got the greenlight, Paul and Joan still didn’t know what the story would become. They hadn’t met the wrestlers, didn’t know what kind of access they’d have, or where the most meaningful moments might surface. Paul and Joan only knew the story would need room to reveal itself. That understanding shaped how they approached the assignment from the start, beginning with how Paul packed his gear. He wanted to arrive ready, but not weighed down.
That idea lingered as Paul started thinking through what the assignment might demand. He knew he wanted to work out of a single bag, but committing to that meant making choices. Unfamiliar spaces, shifting conditions, and the pressure to return with something meaningful often prompt photographers to pack more gear than they need.
Around that same time, we reached out to Paul and sent him the new Shape Shifter 37L to use in the field.
As a long-time Think Tank ambassador and customer, he was already deeply familiar with the Shape Shifter lineage, having owned the original version introduced in 2009. That bag has traveled around the world with him for more than a decade and remains in great condition, a testament to the durability built into Think Tank gear.
While the original Shape Shifter earned its reputation through its unique and innovative approach of using pouches to secure camera gear, the new Shape Shifter 37L reflects a more refined approach to organization. The updated interior offers greater structure, additional pockets, and modular neoprene pouches that attach to the back panel using hook-and-loop fasteners. Paired with adjustable tie-down straps, the system allows photographers to configure the bag around their specific camera kit rather than working within a fixed layout. For Paul, that flexibility made it easier to commit to a single bag with confidence.
Rather than packing defensively, he treated the Shape Shifter 37L as a boundary and worked within it, laying out only what he knew he’d need before packing it. He fit two camera bodies, two lenses, adapters, and batteries, then, almost as a stress test, added an Elinchrom ONE Off Camera Flash, a piece of gear he’d never been able to carry in a backpack before. It fit easily, and that was the moment he realized one bag might actually be enough.
“I was just amazed,” Paul said. “One bag, and that was it. It opened my mind to a lot of possibilities. I didn’t have to travel so heavy anymore.”
The first proof came in transit. Airports have a way of revealing excess quickly. Long corridors, security lines, and the fatigue of managing too much gear tend to compound. With everything on his back, Paul moved through it all smoothly. The bag stayed balanced and comfortable, and once it was on, it rarely demanded attention.
He arrived early in Mexico, giving himself time to observe before the arena filled. By the time the Lucha Libre event got underway, it was clear it was as much about the crowd as the action in the ring. Families filled the arena, kids ran through the aisles, and parents and grandparents cheered loudly for their favorites. The space was tight, loud, and constantly in motion.
Once the matches began, the pace never slowed. Paul moved continuously, shifting between ringside and the stands, watching for moments that could pull a reader into the experience. It wasn’t a pace he typically works in.
“I’m not a sports photographer,” Paul said. “This was very different from how I usually shoot.”
The constant motion pushed him to stay responsive, adjusting quickly as the action unfolded around him. He wasn’t wearing the backpack while shooting, but it stayed close. Shooting in continuous mode meant frequent battery changes, and speed mattered.
When he needed something, everything was exactly where he expected it to be in the bag. There was no digging or hesitation.
“That was huge for me,” he explained. “I didn’t have to think about my gear. I could just focus on what was happening.”
The Shape Shifter 37L supported the rhythm of the night without interrupting it, allowing him to stay present in an environment defined by noise, movement, and momentum. In a setting like that, reliability wasn’t a convenience. It was essential.
Once the matches were over, the assignment shifted.
In the days that followed, Paul and Joan spent time with three wrestlers who lived locally. They formed real and intimate connections and realised these were the moments the assignment had been moving toward, even if they hadn’t known it from the outset.
Photographing people in their own spaces demands restraint. Walking into a home with too much gear can shift the energy immediately. What begins as a conversation can quickly feel like a production, and Paul wanted the opposite.
“I didn’t want to overwhelm anyone,” he said. “I just wanted to be there, to let things unfold naturally.”
Working out of the Shape Shifter 37L made that approach possible. By keeping his footprint small, Paul could move easily within each space, setting the bag down, opening it just enough to pull what he needed, and getting to work without breaking the rhythm of the room. The setup was quick and unobtrusive, allowing conversations to continue as if the camera had barely entered at all.
That simplicity mattered. “When you’re not fussing with gear,” Paul explained, “people stay relaxed. You’re not breaking the moment. You’re just part of it.”
The gear stayed present but quiet, and the focus remained on the people in front of him.
By the end of the assignment, Paul found himself thinking differently, not only about how he packed, but about how he approached future work. Carrying less changed the pace of his days in subtle but meaningful ways, making movement easier, decisions simpler, and allowing his attention to stay focused on what was unfolding in front of him rather than on the logistics surrounding it. Working lighter became a form of clarity, not about having the right tools, but about recognizing when nothing essential was left behind.
In the end, the most effective tools are the ones that don’t compete with the story. They follow it. This assignment was about finally stepping into a story that had taken years to reach the starting line and letting it unfold on its own terms. By staying out of the way and supporting the work quietly, the Shape Shifter 37L played its role in making that possible.