Black Friday Deals - Big Box(ish) Edition
Get those last minute tax write offs!!
Every year I always scour the internet trying to find good deals for various things so I figured I’d link here for the deals I find that are photography related (or maybe they just make me happy).
Some of these links will be affiliate links, some won’t. Mostly I’m here to share the deals so when there’s a cheaper price wherever I can find it I’ll post that link. Well, on a reputable website - there will be no “Buy at Larry’s Lounge” links here!
I started a chat where I’ll also post the deals as I see them since some Black Friday sales started, some are waiting until next week and I’m sure things will go up and down and in and out of stock.
I will update as things update/drop in price either this post or in the comments.
Hate it or love it I’m not just throwing numbers at you and hope to make this list entertaining as well!
Also, next week if there’s interest I would love to do one with just small businesses so if that interests you let me know or if you ARE one offering something photographers may enjoy let me know and I’ll add you!
CCC = Camel, Camel, Camel
Free Larry!
Today is Larry’s last day incarcerated so of course I’m having a sale. No it doesn’t make sense but I couldn’t resist a Larry special, peep the name on the link. 20% off the next year if you subscribe by December 1st.
Affiliates!
I have TWO affiliates! TWO! COMPANIES! have been brave enough to align themselves with the fight for honesty in the industry and I’m so delighted to bring you two of their sales! They aren’t Big Box but deserve a shout out of their own.
AfterShoot - AfterShoot is my favorite AI program that edits, culls and soon will also offer retouching! I personally only use the edits because I’m pretty quick to cull and the edits have been fine tuned to my own style. You can choose that or choose a style from their marketplace. Their CS is amazing and I have been really happy since moving to this company from another one. Their Black Friday sale is pretty stellar offering $24-144 off their plans which are already a great price. Message me if you have any questions, I’m happy to chat and tell you more. I’d be singing their praises without the affiliate link!
Archipeligo Presets - From November 27-December 4 at midnight PST Archipeligo will be running their Black Friday Sale which is 30% off with code BLACKFRIDAY24. I personally haven’t used these (yet!) but I’ve heard great things about them and you gotta stan a company who is passionate about copyright! They have various presets for Lightroom or profiles you can buy for Imagen.
Camera Wars
It seems Sony’s really the only one offering big deals right now, I have a feeling Nikon and Canon will drop more next week.
Nikon - I’m not seeing any OMG BUY NOW deals for Nikon gear (which is what I use). I’ve been eying getting some Z6III’s but so far the $200 off from Nikon isn’t enticing me enough.
Canon - While their deals aren’t released yet, there is currently 10% cash back from Rakuten which when buying $$$ gear can add up quite nicely!
Sony - They seem to have started their Black Friday savings early and their website pricing seems to be a few cents more than Amazon’s. The AIII is $1298 which matches the historic low price from July per CCC.
Bright Lights
The thing I seem to buy the most of is flashes because I’m a klutz. At least I finally stopped buying the bougie Nikon ones that break faster than the cheaper Neewer/Godox flashes that are better.
Neewer Z1 Flash $133 - I have this thing and it’s pretty awesome. If I didn’t already have a slew of Godox V850II’s I’d probably pick a few more of these up. Still may because it’s a decent deal?
Neewer Z2 Flash $161 - I haven’t played with this newest version yet but it’s currently at the cheapest price ever per CCC and is running about $70 cheaper than the price it usually runs.
MagMod MagGrip 2 $22 - These things are a nessary evil but are nice to have extras of on hand for when you get a new flash. CCC seems to think this is a good deal and it’s going for a bit more on their website directly vs. Amazon.
MagMod MagSphere 2 $48 - I use these and lose these on the dance floor at least once every weekend BUT it’s less often than the Fong Dong fell off so I guess that’s progress. CCC says this is the cheapest it’s been new.
MagMod Starter Flash Kit 2 $88 - I purchased the V1 version of this way back when. The magnets popped out and that was absolute chaos. I’m glad the V2 ones are more encased. CCC says this is the cheapest it’s been new.
MagMod MagShoe V2 $45 - I don’t have these but I’ve been eyeballing these for a few years now and I just pulled the trigger on getting a few. My goal for 2025 is to simplify as much as I can when it comes to weddings and I think these will help me obtain that goal. That and the price is the lowest it’s ever been. Win!
MagMod MagBox PRO $142 - This is another thing I’ve been eyeballing for a few years. I’m not quite to trigger point yet but I may be swayed. CCC says lowest price.
…there are many other MagMod deals, all appear to be the lowest prices they’ve been so if it’s something you’ve been interested in have a gander.
Neewer 9.2 Light Stand $52 - If you want a hefty light stand, this is it. They are sturdy, they go high and they don’t tip over. I’ve got 2 of these and they are my go-to for wedding receptions.
Neewer 71” Portable Light Stand $34 - I’m a product tester for Amazon Vine and I got one of these bad boys over the summer and immediately ordered 2 more. I love these for weddings that I know I need to travel as light as possible (lots of stairs) or that I need to squeeze stands into tight pews for portraits after a ceremony. They strap onto my bag pretty easily and are so quick to setup. I love these!
Memory (We All Need Some)
When it comes to Black Friday sales the thing I always buy is more memory in the form of cards and hard drives. Not many internal ones have dropped yet, that will probably come next week.
SanDisk Extreme Pro 200ms SD Cards - I know people use all kinds but I prefer to stick around the 200 speed for my Z6II’s. The 32 and 64s aren’t currently on great deals, the 128 is fine but the 256, 512 and 1TB ones are currently the cheapest they’ve been. Don’t be like Scamber and have to rewrite shoots before you download due to lack of cards! Personally I always keep extras in every bag and in my car so if I ever accidentally don’t have one I have a backup set nearby.
SanDisk Ultra 140ms SD Cards - If you prefer slower, these are fine but not as good of a deal as the Extreme Pros. Still not a bad price but I find the faster is worth it with the faster cameras but if yours is older or if you like what you like, go nuts.
SanDisk 64GB CFExpress Cards $54 - Per CCC this is the lowest they’ve been. Of course I use 128 which is out of stock at the moment.
Seagate 2TB Portable HDD $65 - Not the lowest, but the lowest it seems to get lately.
SanDisk 2TB Portable SDD Extreme $130 - Last year there were some deals around $100 for this so it may drop cheaper but it may not. These are handy little suckers and I’ve yet *knocks on wood* to have one die one me.
LaCie 2TB Rugged Portable HDD $80 - I’ve personally never used these but I’ve seen them often on desks of those teaching at WPPI and I hear good things. It’s not a historic low price (that was in 2021) but it’s as low as it has got since then.
WD Easystore 20TB Extreme External Hard Drive $250 - My motto is that you should never erase ANYTHING because memory is (relatively) cheap. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve outed on Photo Stealers have used the whole “I had to erase it from my hard drive because I ran out of space” bullshit line. Don’t be that person. Hit up Rakuten for an additional % back to make this an even bigger deal.
WD Red Pro 22TB NAS Internal Hard Drive 2 for $700 - Yeah this is a splurge but it’s the best deal going currently if you need a lot of storage. I’m not the techiest person but my friend who is says this is a “sweet” deal. Take it from him, he’s totally not shady at all.
Other Techy Bits
Other things that make the photography job go along but aren’t actually part of the day of (usually).
Beats Solo 4 $99 - Everyone has their own method of madness when it comes to editing but I usually throw on some headphones and watch some random show or when I’m really trying to concentrate I’ll hit up some ambient music channels on You Tube or Spotify. These headphones are great if you prefer over the ear which I do when I’m home. These match their lowest price from the last Prime Day adventures.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 $160 - I’m am Apple person (you should have heard the gasp I gasped when my husband suggested I get an HP laptop for editing yesterday) and even if I wasn’t I think I’d still love these AirPods. Not only are they much more comfier to wear than their cousins, but they are a fantastic hack to wear at wedding receptions to help cancel the noise/loudness of the music while still being able to hear humans when needed.
Apple MacBook Air 15” M3 - Since I mentioned laptops above I figure I should link some of those. The Air isn’t going to be a great option for heavy editing but if you are like me and do 90% or more of your work on a desktop and just need a laptop for travel or being lazy and doing emails from the couch this is at a historic low price.
Apple MacBook Pro M4Max $2900 - I went for the lowest end and here’s the highest end if you want to be free of desks and cords to edit on the couch to your heart’s content. Is it cheap? No. But it is about $300 cheaper than it usually goes for and for Apple that’s about as much as you can hope for with a new laptop from Apple.
Aula F99 Wireless Keyboard $66 - Creamy keyboards make my brain happy. They just SOUND SO NICE and dreamy. I had a different one and returned it because it didn’t have a numpad and I’m considering trying this one because it does even if it’s smaller. It may drive me nuts though getting used to the new placement but I’m willing to try to live my creamy clicky dreams since this is at its lowest price.
LG 32” UltraGear Monitor $200 (Prime Member) - If you’re a Prime member you can save an additional 20% off the sale price of $250 with code SDHOL20. I’ve been kicking around going to two monitors and this may be what gets me to pull the trigger. There’s a few other things that are also on the 20% off deal like the eero mesh system which I’ve been thinking about since my old Orbi one is on its dying legs.
Software Subscriptions
Do you remember when you just bought the program and could use it for years? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Evoto Up to 35% Off - I’ve used Evoto a few times for mostly flyaway hair editing but daaang is this program amazing for what it is. You can either do an annual option or pay as you go. I did the pay-as-you go option since I don’t use it a TON but it’s great to have when needed.
Adobe $30/month All Apps - Adobe is a necessary evil for subscriptions and their all app bundle is a great deal. It’s the price I’m paying currently that I got after I walked through quitting to downgrade to the photographer plan.
Wedding Day Essentials
Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier $16 - Every time I forget to pregame with one of these bad boys I know it the next day. They have made a HUGE difference in wedding hangovers even for this old 45 year old lady. They are also clutch the day of on hot days and to give to drunk bridal party members to keep them on the side of drunk that listens and not on the side of drunk that thinks driving golf carts into ponds is a great idea when the bride is in the cart. The Firecracker Popsicle is my favorite flavor. If you want a Corey Storytime ask me about the first time I had one when my neighbor Brian bought it for me, you may know him better as Marilyn Manson.
Portable Tire Inflator $63 - If you have had anxiety about all the random things that could befall you on a wedding day or just like having a supreme emergency kit these things are amazing. I had a tire go flat after parking in a sketchy lot and this got me inflated enough to get to the reception and home. This + a can of fix-a-flat gives me a lot of peace of mind after that incident. Just don’t be like my husband and overfill a dolly tire and have it explode in the middle of the night, my cats are still traumatized I think.
Portable Car Jump Starter $70 - My stupid car likes to decide not to start randomly. She’s dramatic and it’s usually when it’s cold and I have a meeting. This thing has saved me SO MANY TIMES since then and now we have one in every car. I also have used it at weddings for other vendor’s cars and parents cars. Seriously one of the best things I’ve been able to pull out of my pocket(not actual because I’m a girl and they don’t think girls need them).
Lume Deodorant Wipes $16 - These are a recent to this year find and OMG. I always feel self-conscious at weddings when it’s hot and I’m sweaty and I feel like I smell (even though I probably don’t but probably sometimes do). I’ve been keeping these in my cooler in the summer and have used them when driving between photo locations and the reception just to feel better and they make me feel like a million percent more human. Bonus points is that I’ve had SO many clients be thankful that I had these for when they’re really hot. These suckers are magic. There’s other versions of the similar vibe but these are the best I’ve found but for wedding day kits you may want the individually wrapped ones.
Goody’s Bobby Pins $2 - Look, this isn’t fancy or whatever but I promise you that you will thank me later if you start carrying these on your person on a wedding day. They have saved me so much editing when I’m able to grab one out of my fanny pack and toss one in someone’s hair where there is a loose bit. Every time I catch these on sale I stock up (I recommend getting them in multiple colors).
Kilt Pins $5 - Here’s something to toss in your bag that will make you the hero of the reception. If you’ve been to a wedding reception you know that it’s only a matter of time before someone steps on the wedding gown and breaks the bustle if it’s a flimsy one. Kilt pins are freaking MAGICAL for this. They hold heavy material without issue. Pick these up and put them in a pill organizer with straight pins (for boutonnieres or aisle runners), bobby pins, regular safety pins and foldable scissors. Someone’s Mom will probably hug you after you whip out that magic box and save the day.
Corey’s Favorite Corner
Not necessarily photography related but these things make me happy. Happy Person= Happy Photographer
Amazon Kindle $85 / Paperwhite $130 / Paperwhite Signature $155 - If you know me I’m a reader. I read a lot and if I don’t have to make small talk during a wedding reception when I am wolfing down my meal, I’m usually found reading on my Kindle App on my phone. I really want the baby Kindle to throw in my purse/camera bag for these times. I have had almost every single iteration of Kindle since their second version and have loved them all. I got lucky that my ColorSoft isn’t yellow but since it’s out of stock it’s not on sale.
Viozon Tablet Stand $36 - This is freaking brilliant for reading/streaming in bed, on the couch or wherever. I generally use my poof if I’m laying all the way down but if I’m sitting and reading this is clutch.
Gel Pens $6 - I’m a bit of a pen hoarder. I have been since I was a kid. I swear I blame the 4 color click pens. After that bad boy it was all downhill from there for me. Until now my go-to favorite pen is the Pentel EnerGel pens. My friend recommended these random ones from Amazon to me and I LOVE them. If you like gel pens pick these suckers up and thank me later.
O’Keefe’s Lip Repair 3 Pack $10 - This could go in wedding day stuff too because I keep one on me at all times during a wedding day but man I love these lip balms. They are magical. I found them after a surgery left me with some awful cracks in the corners of my mouth and since then I’m ride or die for this brand. This is a pack of one of each of some of their lip balms. The original is my go-to but the SPF does come into play when it’s sunny out, especially beach weddings. Their lotions are also top notch if you need something to combat dry hands this time of year!
Goody Forever Hair Elastics $2 - My friend tipped me off to these and OMG. I have thick long hair and I’m forever battling with hair ties that break and stretch out but most annoyingly get loose and have to be tightened all day long. I use these on a wedding day and don’t have to touch my hair a single time after using them until I get home. MAGIC.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons $55 - It’s not on sale. It never goes on sale. However this game has been the thing I’ve said time and time again saved my sanity during the pandemic and it just makes me happy. Whenever I’m feeling stressed I dust off the Switch and play this for a few hours. If you play and want to come to my island to catch stars, let me know!
Sleep Crown Classic $179 - These things never go on sale so this 8% sale is a good one and OMG THIS PILLOW. This is close to take-when-there-is-a-fire level of love (of course after the 5 dang cats I’ve seemed to accumulate and my husband are safe!). This magical pillow you plonk on top of your head and you will sleep the deep sleep that only babies dream of. Bonus is that it dulls sounds (like someone snoring nearby) so you don’t wake up for every noise in the house. This *may* go on deeper sale next week if any influencers get a code (TIBAL sometimes does, it’s how I got mine after coveting the one I got my husband).
Barefoot Dreams CozyChic Blanket $60 - Every time I try a new blanket I keep coming back to this. It’s the house favorite and I can’t tell you how many I have. My cats even have their own because I won’t share and neither will they. I’ve given SO many more as gifts. This is the cheapest I’ve ever seen this blanket (usually on Nordstrom Rack for around $90) and combined with the Rakuten 10% off it’s an even more amazing deal.
urgh.... the link to Seagate 2TB Portable HDD $65 is taking me to some deodorant wipes 😅