Stickers serve to promote your business, but they are good for other things you may not even suspect. For example, they are good to pair equipment so it is easy to pick up the gear you need.
Have you ever been in a situation where you don’t know if a piece of equipment is yours or from someone else? If you replied yes, you know how awkward the feeling can be. After experiencing that at one of my workshops, I looked for a solution. I found it on MOO stickers.
Labels and stickers will never stop thieves from stealing your gear. Keeping an eye, all the time, on camera, lenses and equipment, is the best solution. Moreover, I keep my serial numbers, as everyone else does, although I am aware most times they don’t help much either. If your material is gone, it is gone for good.
Have you ever been in a situation where you picked someone else’s camera, by mistake? Or have someone else pick yours? Again, it is an awkward moment. But cameras are so personal that it is easy to correct the mistake. Even so, some people will have their cameras marked, sometimes with a sticker.
Cameras and lenses are not equipment where stickers are essential. Still, there is a lot of equipment that, when mixed, becomes difficult to tell apart. It’s on those items that stickers are a welcome solution.
Radio triggers (both transmitters and receivers) are especially difficult to tell apart. If you’ve guided people to get equipment like yours, it gets confusing, to find out which gear belongs to whom. On photo tours or workshops, if you lend them equipment, it’s a good idea to have yours identified with a sticker.
There are different ways to mark your gear, and one of them is a permanent marker. My LED panels have their Kelvin value written somewhere on the body, so it is easy to check. The marker is also a good solution to mark rechargeable batteries with a group number and date. Still, battery chargers, radio triggers and other equipment need another type of solution. A name came to the rescue: MOO Stickers. Colorful, easy to stick everywhere you need and easy to see.
MOO means business cards for many professionals, but the company, is much more than that. Launched in 2006, it’s an online print and design company offering a variety of products. Check them out!
Their stickers are available in different shapes and packages. I chose the StickerBook, which starts at $9.99 for 90 stickers. The stickers are small, at 0.86″ x 0.86″ (postage stamp-sized) presented in a pocket-sized book. MOO says they are scratch-proof and that they are great for branding.
MOO provides a series of templates, but users can create their own designs. Keep your original files in archive and you can always reorder any time.
Some people may need larger stickers, to write information as name and address. I use the stickers to identify my equipment, so my name and a photograph are enough. A series of six photographs of flowers promoted some of my work and served the goal.
Radio triggers for flashes and battery chargers were the first equipment to receive Moo stickers. These items are always hanging around during workshops, so it made sense to have them marked. Then I discovered I could use the stickers for something else: to pair equipment.
When using LED panels with AC adapters, it is crucial to check them, as panels have different power needs. Placing similar stickers on both the LED panel and AC adapter makes it easy to get things working the right way. I know, by looking at the sticker, which pair works together.
A single StickerBook with 90 stickers is enough for most people, but MOO has other packages on offer. In fact, the list of things you can put a sticker on is huge: tripods, lens caps, filter cases (not the filters!) flashes, and many other pieces of equipment, big and small. Videographers will have an expanded list: microphones, transmitters, etc.
Whether you want to promote yourself or give them the use I do, the MOO Stickers are an accessible solution you should investigate. I admit I was not yet convinced when I ordered, but once I discovered how to use them, I changed my mind: it’s a great idea!