A Camera Lens Wrap for Child Photography

Child photography can’t be approached as a simple “1, 2, 3, smile!”. Children cannot be directed like adults, it’s difficult to focus their attention long enough to obtain the perfect picture. Who better than a photographer can understand the challenge of photographing children? Marie is a professional photographer and the owner of Memories By Marie; a renowned photography studio based in Burlington, Ontario that specializes in newborn, maternity and children’s photography. Being out in the field every day she knows how difficult it is for a photographer to capture the moment as everything happens so fast. To tackle this issue, Marie Murray invented Phoxi Friends; a series of fun and functional photography tools that can be wrapped around a DSRL camera lens to catch children’s attention.

A Versatile Device for Photographers, Designed by Photographers

Phoxi Friends are not only targeted at professional photographers, they can also be used by parents and amateur photographers. It’s not always practical to use one hand to distract the child and the other to hold the camera. Phoxi Friends are wrapped around the camera lens and allows the user to shoot with both hands on the camera and ultimately get better results.

This innovative device was designed with a squeaker to help the user catch the attention of their young models. As an added bonus, for more interactivity, Phoxi Friends can be unwrapped and extended out up to 25 inches long. Its adjustable feature makes this invention compatible with any SLR/DSLR camera lenses. There is no invention like this on the market. Phoxi Friends come in different models such as a monkey, caterpillar, penguin and so many more. Photographers could use multiple Phoxi Friends to mix it up and keep the children interested. This product design enables users to stimulate the photographed children on three levels: visually, physically (with its extendable feature) and audibly.

Marie Murray’s expertise and experience has enabled her to create a tool that can solve a recurring challenge encountered by child photographers and parents alike. With a successfully funded Kickstarter campaign, backers should be able to receive their Phoxi Friends by July 2016. Marie’s next step is to create a camera mount. MAKO Design + Invent is looking forward to take on this project and help her new company Phoxi Tog bring the best tools to photographers.

About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!