Giveaway: Professor Kobre’s Lightscoop AND a Roll-Up Tote

Two times a year, Sew, Mama, Sew! hosts Giveaway Day, where you can find tons of handmade goods and supplies to win! I’ve participated in two Giveaway Days, and it’s always been a lot of fun to both host and enter. Today, I’m so excited to be giving away a product I love, the Professor Kobre's Lightscoop , which has really changed the way I take blog and shop pictures! Plus, if you win, you’ll also get to pick a Roll-Up Tote from The Silly Pearl SHOP!

Note: This giveaway is NOT sponsored by Professor Kobre’s Lightscoop. It’s a product that I *LOVE* that I just want to give to one of you!

The Professor Kobre’s Lightscoop is a device that you attach to your DSLR camera with a pop-up flash. It allows the light from the flash to bounce off the mirror and off your walls (or ceiling), and therefore NOT directly onto your subject when you take pictures in dim light. So, you can use your flash, but you won’t get super yellow, shadowy, or harshly-lit photos.


(Images are from http://www.lightscoop.com)

With the Lightscoop, I can take pictures of my tutorials and products for my shop…get this…AT NIGHT. That is, when my girls are in bed and I have a quiet house, I can keep on taking pictures and actually finish more of what I want to by the end of the night. And in the wintertime when it gets so dark around here in the late afternoon, I can keep on working as well.

For example, here are some pictures of an old tutorial of mine, my Holiday Embroidery Hoop Wreath. I took the first picture on the left two years ago, before I had the Lightscoop. It was at the same time of year, approximately the same time of day (a gloomy afternoon), and in the same spot in the house, as the picture I retook last week using my Lightscoop and a flash (middle picture). From left to right: Just my camera and no flash with the best editing I could do (I had to turn on the inside lights and I couldn’t get rid of those shadows); Using Lightscoop with a flash (no editing, and I didn’t need to turn on any inside lights); and Using Lightscoop and just a little bit of editing in PicMonkey.



I’ve really been able to increase my productivity with the Lightscoop. I am no photo editing genius; I use picmonkey.com to edit my pictures. But I’ve had to do a lot less editing than with just my camera alone. As you can see above, I still needed to edit my picture somewhat. It was easy to follow the basic directions to install the Lightscoop and change the settings. But, you do have to tinker with it a little bit for your individual camera. So I do have room for improvement, but I’m MUCH happier and work much more efficiently already.

And for those of you who don’t take pictures for a blog or shop, the Lightscoop is perfect for taking pictures of your family at night, when most gatherings during the holidays take place! No more pictures with harsh lights and shadows on your loved ones’ faces.

Edited…I posted this on my Facebook page, but in case you didn’t see, here are some pictures I recently took of myself (for an upcoming review of those pretty posies I’m wearing). I’m taking the picture at 5pm and the room is already pitch black with the shades drawn. The pictures are straight from the camera (except I’ve put them in a collage…but the brightness, saturation, etc have not been touched). On the left is my camera with just the flash, and on the right is my camera with the flash and Professor Kobre’s Lightscoop. I think the lighting in the one on the right is way softer, and way better!

Visit the Professor Kobre's Lightscoop Standard Version Bounce Flash Device - Universal Model Amazon listing or http://www.lightscoop.com to see if your camera is compatible with the Lightscoop. You can also contact someone at www.lightscoop.com to make sure. But it is supposed to work with most DSLRs with a pop-up flash. NOTE: I’m not responsible if you win and your camera ends up being incompatible with the Lightscoop when you receive it. Sorry! Thanks for your understanding.

PLUS, the winner will also get to pick

a Roll-Up Tote from The Silly Pearl SHOP!

 

If you don’t have one of these cameras, you can always give it as a gift to a photography-loving friend or blogger/shop owner friend. And you can keep the tote for yourself if you choose!
Are you ready to win? Here’s how to enter:

• Use the Rafflecopter widget below. It may take a few seconds to load. Log on to Rafflecopter, either with your email or using Facebook.
  
• The first question (leave a blog comment) is required. This will unlock extra entries.
  
• You can Tweet about the giveaway once a day, so come back every 24 hours to gain more entries!

Rules: This is a giveaway for the Professor Kobre's Lightscoop Standard Version Bounce Flash Device - Universal Model plus a Reversible Roll-Up Tote from The Silly Pearl Shop. Giveaway ends December 10, 2012 at midnight PST. All entries will be verified. You must be 18 or older to enter. Giveaway is open worldwide. I will send an email to the winner, who has 48 hours after I send the email to claim the prize. I’m not responsible if the Lightscoop ends up being incompatible with your camera if you win. This giveaway is not sponsored by Professor Kobre’s Lightscoop. Choice of tote will depend on availability at the time the winner responds to the email notification. By entering this giveaway, you understand all of these rules.

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