Aperturent | Review

I knew I would need a flash for Grant & Sarah's wedding. The ceremony wasn't starting until 6pm - I'd have time to squeeze in formals before the sun set, but by the time the reception really got going it would be 8pm and DARK. If you have been reading my blog for any significant length of time, you know that I hate flash with a passion. Which explains why I don't own one. Usually I would be able to borrow my friend's, buuuut... she was second shooting for me. So she'd need her own.

Enter Aperturent. I seriously think that renting equipment, especially when you're just starting out, is a fabulous way to expand your gear without forking out hundreds or thousands of dollars. With renting, you can easily wrap the rental costs in with your pricing, so you are out $0 and you can use the high end stuff!

I chose Aperturent mainly because I had a coupon and so it was the best deal. :-) A lot of people it seems like BorrowLenses, and I'm sure they are a wonderful company too. But we're not talking about them right now. :-)

I rented a Canon Speedlight 580EX II, and a Lightsphere diffuser. Since I'm not local to Aperturent, I rented for a week, which was really nice because I could practice around with the flash before the wedding. The items arrived on the day I specified, securely packed in a handy plastic container. I really liked this, as I could just cart that tub with me to the wedding. The Speedlight came with it's padded case too. I think I hardly need to mention that the gear was in great condition and working order. :-) I have pictures to prove it.

It was almost too easy. You just receive the gear, save the cardboard shipping box, use the equipment for a week (or however long you rent for), then pack it back up in the box and slap the included return shipping label on top of the old one. Drop it off at FedEx before their last pickup of the day, and voila!

I will definitely consider renting again in the future... I'd love to try out some L series lenses. :-) And Aperturent provides a great service, so I would certainly use them again! Try it out yourself - they have generously offered 10% off to my readers! Just enter coupon code KGRACEBLOG at checkout!

*Disclaimer: I was not paid to do this review.  I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.