Renting cameras from borrowlenses.com

February 4, 2016April 17, 2018 / SV Gimme Shelter / Leave a comment

I had a huge video project land on my desk a few weeks ago, and I knew I was going to need more artillery than what I usually carry in my camera bag.

I decided to try borrowlenses.com for this project. I have no connection to the company whatsoever. I ordered three Sony A7 cameras, two Sony FE 28-70mm f3.5-5.6 OSS lenses, a Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm f1.8 ZA lens, and three extra batteries for 25 days.

I got a message the day before the cameras were supposed to arrive telling me that they did not have the Sony A7 cameras I had ordered in stock, so they were upgrading my order to the newer A7II model for no extra charge.

On the date promised, two packages arrived via UPS.

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A small box contained the three lenses and three extra batteries as well as the return labels for sending the lenses back.

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The second box had a nice Pelican case and the return labels.

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Inside the Pelican case were the three camera bodies, three batteries, and three battery chargers.

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They also provided a packing guide with a photo of how to put it all back in the case to mail it back

All of the cameras had clean sensors and functioned perfectly.

Since we were going to be working outdoors in a shipyard I purchased the insurance, but we thankfully did not have to make any claims.

Total cost for the 25-day rental of the equipment was $1,390.15, less than purchasing one Sony A7II body.

I don’t get jobs this large very often, but I’m very impressed with the service from borrowlenses.com and will not hesitate to use them again in the future.

Padded lifelines for a fraction of the corporate price

September 1, 2015 / SV Gimme Shelter / 5 Comments

A few months ago Fred had it in his mind that we needed padded lifelines to spruce up the cockpit and lean back against while sailing.

Well we headed out to West Marine and found a package of lifeline pads for 62.99.

We got these “premium” lifeline cushions home to discover that the construction was so very basic we should have just made them ourselves. They were literally a piece of PVC wrapped in plumbing insulation — the stuff you put on your pipes, so they don’t freeze — with a sleeve of sunbrella.

We paid $65 for that?!!!

This month I got a bee in my bonnet to do some sewing, so I decided to make my own lifeline covers and see just how easy it was.

After sewing the sleeves we just needed to get some PVC pipe, and some padding, and it all slid right together.

Here’s a shot of the pads on Gimme Shelter. The top line has the West Marine pad, and the bottom line is showcasing the one I sewed myself. The West Marine version comes only in the 57″ length and only in blue.

For those of you without any sewing skills, you’re in luck. This week I’ve decided to launch the Gimme Shelter Etsy Store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/SVgimmeshelter.

I would be happy to sew and assemble a custom pair of lifeline pads for you in whatever length you order and in your choice of sunbrella colors for half the price of what West Marine charges.

So if anyone would like to get some lifeline covers made for their boat, feel free to order!

I’ll slowly be adding more useful and interesting nautical products to the store as I conduct this Etsy experiment in entrepreneurship, so bookmark my new site and stop by often!

We’re in Houston Magazine this month

April 7, 2015 / SV Gimme Shelter / 2 Comments

Well, Gimme Shelter isn’t actually in the magazine, but I’m flattered that one of my long-exposure photos is featured in the CLICK section of the April issue of Modern Luxury Houston. Even if you’re not a Houstonian, you can still check it out on pages 22 and 23 of the digital edition.

Thursday, April 9, I’ll also be on 88.7 FM KUHF Houston Public Radio from 5-6 p.m. representing Technip and matching donations during the Spring Fund Drive as part of our commitment to transparent reporting, sustainable development and community outreach.

And while I’m just promoting random stuff, I thought I’d mention that the crew of Gimme Shelter provides freelance copywriting, design, photo, video and translation services to fund our adventures. If you’re in need of any of those things, visit our photo site at www.fredfacker.com and like our Facebook business page Facker Media Services.