Price Update (and general update)

Hi everyone,

I have been quite busy this year, 2019 has been a year of new ventures, new adventures, and new friends round the world being made! I have been working this evening to not just add a new color(MANGO!) to the current product lines using 1000D Cordura™ fabric, so I felt it prudent to add a small blog post in addition.

As many of you who also live in California well know, prices on most things almost never go (down)… Running a business(even as a sole operator) costs money, and good materials are worth it, that’s why I choose to use them :-). Anyhow, over the past year I have decided to take the extra hit due to price increases on pretty much all raw goods I source to make SPG products, but also hardware, increased rent and utilities cost, etc. It all adds up; and in order to keep innovating the way I need to, a price increase is now mandatory, sadly.

My goal, with SPG, is to provide the best market-oriented products I can, using the best materials I can source to deliver a high quality, long-lasting product that will give you years and years of faithful service. Now with customers in over 25 countries worldwide(thank you all!), I still want to grow, expand, and with any growth, this will command extra resources.

So while this price increase might not effect all single products, those that have the most time involved with their construction will see a slight increase.

May you be blessed with good light and properly exposed photographs!

P.S. I am considering the addition of some photography/darkroom - themed swag/apparel. I have many ideas for t-shirts, sweatshirts, stickers, etc, but I am open to hearing YOUR ideas as well. Please send me an email through the Contact page with your ideas if you should have one/some.

God Bless,

Dan

Lens Wraps Update

Hey all!

Been awhile since I’ve put something up on the blog, been busy getting orders finished before my trip down to South Africa to visit my girlfriend. Long distance relationships can be tough, but IMO, she’s totally worth the effort! She’s supportive of my business, even though it’s still very much in the “getting roughed out” stage of the process. So please note that if you would like to place an order, I will not be back in the shop until Nov 10th, but I am still able to be reached via email(see the contact page) or via my social media channels(Facebook and Instagram).

Now, onto the meat of this post! I’m a day late, my sincerest apologies, just being a bit behind schedule with packing, making sure I have power block adapters so I can charge my necessary devices, etc, not to mention finishing up my prototype for the upcoming formal announcement of tripod cases(spoiler alert!), this post was supposed to go up yesterday, but it is first order of the day today, since I’m flying tomorrow night, and need to get stuff done done done!

History/Design:
So, lens wraps. I’ve been offering them since day one, but I’ve decided to go back to the drawing board somewhat and make some modifications. No, not because I “need to”, my customers have been very satisfied by what I’ve offered, but as a artisan of sorts, and since I consider myself a tinkerer of sorts, I wanted to make some adjustments. So, I’ve done such, and after using them personally for a few weeks to see what could possibly be improved, I’ve found myself perfectly happy with the design as it sits now, and I believe you will be too!

Materials:
Up until this turning point, I’ve been using a 600 denier polyester or 500 denier nylon for the outside layer of my wraps. This works great, but it can be a little heavy weight-wise. Well, “What’s a few ounces, it’s a lens wrap” you might say? Well, ounces add up(rather quickly) to make pounds, and who wants to carry more than they need to? I know I don’t, and I’m a 6’5” big burly dude. No wilted flower of a man here, but still, I wanted to lighten them up a bit, without compromising functionality or protection offered. And less weight(even a little bit) helps keep the body from getting tired and worn out faster.
So looking at readily available/sourced materials that would not cause a price jump(for me or for you). Assessing properties offered by said materials, but also what is required for the intended purpose, I chose to use what is normally considered a liner fabric: a 420 denier nylon, with the interior a 210 denier nylon, slightly softer and smoother. In terms of colors, there are a LOT of options. Looking at past sales on lens wraps and colors most commonly ordered, I’ve chosen to offer the most popular choices as a start(including a new one, the tan).

Available Colors:
Black, Red, Blue(similar to the Mariner Cordura used for my film holder sleeves), Tan, and Grey.
More colors might be offered down the line, this is simply a starting point. Special request can most certainly be submitted, if you have your heart set on a particular color.

Looking forward to building you some gear in the near future! With Christmas right around the corner, a lens wrap or two can make a terrific stocking stuffer or last minute gift, just a thought! So if you are a photographer, videographer, or know someone who is, a padded wrap can offer a layer of protection to your precious gear. FYI, lens wraps don’t just offer protection for lenses. I’ve found that using one for my Bose headphones works better than the rigid case they originally came with.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have, please use the contact page or feel free to comment here on this blog post.

cheers!
Dan

New Website pages/additions added!

Hey friends!

4x5 Grafmatic Sleeve:
I have added the 4x5 Grafmatic sleeves to the website, they can be found on the Film Storage page. Made to order.

Limited Editions:
I like to play around with ideas. A sewing machine is a very versatile tool and I like to try out different materials. So if you check into the new "Limited Editions" page  you can see what is currently available. Of course, if you desire something totally custom, or a material/color that you may not see listed, feel free to contact me (see contact page).

cheers!
Dan

Woohoo! Finally, my website is born!

So it's May of 2018, and I'm coming up on nearly 2 years of doing this, sewing up crazy projects for people around the world, it's been a lot of fun so far. Haven't made a dime yet, haha, but that's how startups go, and I'm not gonna stop because I know there's lots more good stuff to come! Reinvesting every penny of profit back into the business, so I can grow, upgrade my machines, materials, etc.

For those of you who don't know, I am a one-man shop. Yup, all by myself in this madness. I'm ok with that, it's nice working by myself pretty much all day. Put on YouTube and listen to nearly endless podcast(Stefan Molyneux and Jordan Peterson are some of my recent favorites, along with the MFCEO Project podcast from Andy Frisella). Anyhow, it's 2:36am when I'm writing this, I've been up since around 6:30 this past morning, so going on 20hrs straight. Not tired physically, but mentally I might need to take a little breaky-poo, maybe go out and make some photographs. 

Here's to joining the 21st century, finally! Stone Photo Gear is now online, "officially"!