FREE Super Fruits Eye Balm with $130 or more purchase

Wednesday 9 January 2013

Amazing Blog Addition: Portable Photo Studio & Lighting Kit!

So, my boyfriend is pretty awesome. I've mentioned it a few times on the blog, but in case you haven't heard, he's kinda great :) One of his fortes is giving excellent, unexpected gifts, and he really outdid himself this Christmas. He knows how much my blog means to me, so he was thoughtful enough to get me a gift that would undoubtedly give this website a boost: a portable photo studio and lighting kit!

I opened it up for the first time a couple evenings ago and was quick to use it to take photos for an upcoming lipstick post (coming soon!). Here's a quick snap of the mini studio all lit up before I arranged my shoot:


This is one of the photos that resulted from my first experiment with the kit- perhaps my favourite lipstick shot I've ever taken! Promising! Nothing sexier than a portrait of a Chanel lipstick, really.


The kit itself came housed in this relatively compact box and, as you can see from the top right-hand corner, it is contained in a handy carrying case. The front of the box shows the general setup of the studio; I most likely won't be photographing model cars, but as I mentioned, lipsticks can be just as sexy as a Maserati ;)




The kit comes with a "photo tent" (essentially a mini studio) with two light bulbs and light reflectors to create daylight-like fluorescent lighting within the studio. It also comes with a tripod (which I didn't photograph) and four different coloured backdrops, and offers the ideal setting for clear photos without glare or shadows. I really feel like a professional having one of these in my home!


It took a while to figure out the setup the first time around, but now that I have the hang of it, it should be a breeze next time! Here are a few shots of it set up in my apartment. Ironically, the photos of the portable studio did not turn out great, much unlike the photos taken inside the studio. But hopefully you can still get a good idea of what it looks like and how it works!


One of the light bulbs positioned in front of the reflector to maximize and concentrate the light: 


A slightly more side angle- I didn't even have to fully remove it from its carrying case to use it, so it was a snap to put away!


View from the top, all lit up. Looks really neat!


Overall, I couldn't be happier with this kit and can't wait to become more skilled at using it! I really think it will improve the quality of the photos on the blog (along with the new camera I got for Christmas, yay!) and will allow me to take bright, clear pictures without any sunlight. Without the kit, there were really only a few hours per day when I could take quality photos in my apartment; once the sun shifted everything would get shadowy and hazy. It is so refreshing that I can take photos at any time now!

You'll see the portable studio and lighting kit at work in my next post, which will feature all of the deep, vampy lipsticks in my collection. I'd love your feedback on whether you like the photos I've taken in the studio and how they compare to past photos.

Thanks for reading!

24 comments:

  1. The kit looks really nice girl! I have a Chicnova Jewelry giveaway for 3 lucky winners starting 9 Jan..wld love it if you drop by!
    www.fashionistaera.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by! Will check out your blog for sure :)

      Delete
  2. Well done to your boyfriend on chosing a pressie so well. You're gonna get so much use of this, it looks great!

    Lauren x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I'll definitely use this all the time- it was one of the most thoughtful gifts ever :)

      Delete
  3. This is such a nice gesture. Unexpected gifts are the best and when they're useful as well...we'll he's a keeper :D.

    I've got a $100 Asos Giveaway going on. It would be great if you would join :D.
    http://www.101fashionstreet.com/2013/01/giveaway-100-asos-gift-voucher.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, totally unexpected! He's a keeper for sure ;)

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  4. Wow, your boyfriend is amazing and so thoughtful. That's one of the best gift ideas I've heard this Christmas. The lipstick picture turned out great. :)

    http://www.youremyfavouriteflavour.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! It was definitely an incredibly thoughtful gift :)

      Delete
  5. Ahh, so jealous, my boyfriend told me about these but he never even mention him getting one for me ! ha !

    xx
    holaflo.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha... Thanks for stopping by and commenting! :)

      Delete
  6. WOW! looks amazing
    www.lam-style.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a wonderful idea! OMG i so want that :DD he's a keeper.

    bye

    http://lookluisa.blogspot.pt

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I was so impressed and surprised. And yeah, I think I'll be keeping him around :)

      Delete
  8. Ah I love that Chanel in Rivoli, I'd like to try it out :). And you've got some great resolutions - I also want to appreciate the make-up I have instead of constantly buying something new :).

    xx
    http://gita-oddsandends.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should definitely check out Rivoli- it is gorgeous! Thanks for stopping by and good luck with your resolutions :)

      Delete
  9. This looks really really good!
    I'm at uni, and during winter in the UK we start to lose sunlight at around 4pm and so sometimes it just isn't possible for me to take pictures with great lighting.
    It sounds like you're one lucky girl to have such a thoughtful boyfriend :D

    Emily x - prettypleaseprettyplease.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Emily! Winter in Canada can be equally dark and gloomy; all the more reason this studio was a fantastic gift! And yes, I'm a pretty lucky girl :)

      Delete
  10. Definitely NOT your boyfriend... or maybe it is?13 January 2013 at 23:10

    I agree with everyone here. That boyfriend of yours is DEFINITELY a keeper!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha- thanks, boo. I think I'll keep you around a bit longer ;)

      Delete
  11. WOW! What a lucky girl you are!!! I keep scrambling for good lighting for photos as well.... Maybe I can drop some not-so-subtle hints for my husband :-)

    xx Christal xx
    LipstickAndPonytails.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, thanks! Definitely a product worth dropping subtle (or not so subtle)hints about :)

      Delete
  12. Wow that is the most amazing present! I really want to look into this as I do most of my blogging at night since I work in the day, and I can never take photos at that time because I have no good lighting. Thanks for sharing this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you found this helpful, Ellen! It really is the perfect setup to use if you're taking photos in the evening :)

      Delete

All of your lovely comments make my day! Thanks for taking the time to share your musings, ideas, and opinions. Feel free to leave a link to your blog- I'd be happy to check it out :)