Photography and light go hand-in-hand, but why work with color filters and gels, when your lightbulbs can change color with the touch of a button?

The

ilumi

does just that, and If this project is successful (see below) the potential for these bulbs are limitless. Not only do these lights change color, but the software allows them to activate through proximity, music sync, and more. You name it, they probably thought of it.

Now with that said, there are some issues to consider. I've had fantastic success picking which kickstarter projects to back, but no project is guaranteed. In fact, this isn't the first try at this idea. LIFX had the exact same core idea, had over 1.5 million in pledges by the end of their campaign, and still has had nothing to show for it since the campaign ended September 14, 2012.

When it comes to kickstarter projects, I always bid first, decide later. I get to take advantage of early bird discounts and bonuses with no risk to my bank account as long as the funding period is still live. That means I have 39 days to do my research and really make a decision on whether or not the benefits outweigh the risks.

After a few minutes of googling, it appears that at least the creators of the LIFX project are still somewhat communicating with their backers and their website is still up and running. They're even taking pre-orders for a new projected release date for Q1 2014. This may very well be the reason why the ilumi team has such an aggressive plan to ship their product December of this year. It's a race to release first, so perhaps the better idea is to wait it out. I'll pay a little bit more for the finished project, but I'll know for certain that there's a product to pay for. It's not like I'm in any rush since I'm only just learning the basics on lighting.