BorrowLenses.com Review

Turning A Hobby Into Income

Over the past year I have been blessed with several opportunities to photograph some special events and occasions in the Pittsburgh area. It’s one of those things that kind of just fell into my lap that I have taken and run with and has turned my photography hobby into an unexpected amateur-professional source of income.

Shoot Like A Pro Without Spending Like One

While I’ve made some good money shooting these events, it’s not going to replace my day job any time soon. Unfortunately, photography, whether pursued as a hobby or as a career, can be incredibly expensive. Digital SLR cameras can cost as much as decent cars and the amount of accessories that you want/need can easily break the bank.

Luckily, there is a way to shoot like a pro without laying down a large chunk of coin: BorrowLenses.com. I recently read about them on twitter and after several reaffirmations from fellow photographers I decided to rent some equipment from them for an upcoming event. I’m glad I did.

My experience with BorrowLenses.com was great from the get-go. Their site, while a little aged looking, was incredibly easy to navigate and I felt that their inventory contained just about everything that I would need in the immediate future. On top of it all their prices were fair. After many hours mulling over what to get I decided that a Sigma 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Fisheye and a Canon 430EX Speedlite w/E-TTL II would meet my needs perfectly. Due to my procrastination I had to request next day shipping and was quite pleased when the equipment arrived on-time and in perfect condition. My rented Lens and flash were packaged ever so snugly and I was out and shooting with them in no time.

I’m extremely happy that BorrowLenses.com exists and will definitely be a returning customer. If I ever need special equipment for an upcoming event or want to try a lens before I buy it I know where I’m heading first. It’s a great way for photographers like me to get their hands on higher quality, expensive equipment without going into debt. As we all know: debt is bad…m’kay. :)

Sometimes the coolest photos aren’t even planned. This is an action shot of my Lincoln MKZ with the fisheye lens on the way home from a networking event at PNC Park. See it on Flickr

The reason I rented all of the equipment was for the Annual Bishop’s Dinner in Pittsburgh. All-in-all it was a great event and the client seemed happy with their photographs. This photograph was shot from the catwalk high above the attendees using the fisheye lens and flash. See it on Flickr

What’s Your Experience?

Do you have any experience with BorrowLenses.com or another company like them? If so, was it as pleasant as mine? I’d love to hear your thoughts/opinions.