We spend loads of time behind a desk. Whether at home or in an office, working behind a screen is a fact of life for most people today.
As a photographer, I invest loads of money in my gear and it’s upkeep. From buying new lenses, cleaning camera bodies and sensors, laptops, wires, triggers and so on. They are the tools of my trade and to justify the market friendly rates I charge, I ensure that the gear is well maintained, updated and that I have backups for everything I use. I have no issues buying an expensive, well put together bag that carries all my gear. On some days, I could have $15,000 of equipement on my back, so why settle for a $40 bag because it was on sale?
An older blog post I wrote up about chosing the right mouse for photo editing has been really popular on the site. So I figured I’d put together a little something on my newest aquisition. My office chair.
Professional photographers know that we spend probably 25% of our time actually clicking the shutter button. We spend more time behind a desk than behind a camera. From editing images, calling clients, filling out quotes, researching, learning,… if you are using a cheap chair, your body will have aches and pains it shouldn’t have. The one I was using was a good quality chair that my dad bought almost 20 years ago and I inhereted about 10 years ago.
A few months ago I started research to buy a new office chair. Thing is, like most people, I have a small budget. I went to some stores to try out some chairs myself (no better way to know if it fits your body than actually sitting in it) and read loads of already existing reviews. There are some amazing high end options out there. Chairs made by Herman Miller are exceptional. I mean, ultra comfortable, ajustable, funky colours…. but at an average price tag of $1,000 (but shipping is free!!).
One chair kept popping up as a great chair and affordable as well. And it’s made by a company who we usually associate with cheap, first time purchases… IKEA.
Who doesn’t love going to IKEA and seeing all their funky displays? Loads of inspirational items throughout the store and things that can fit all budgets. Well, they make one amazingly comfy, ajustable chair. Let me introduce you to the MARKUS chair.
I won’t get into all the specs and details of this high back chair, you can read it all on their website.
- The cost is great at $170 CAD (or $230 if you insite on all black instead and black and dark grey).
- The lombar support in your lower back is essential in keeping proper posture.
- You can ajust the height of the chair, lock the incline, but also regulate the tension required to lean back.
- It is a high back chair so you can actually rest your head if needed
The only negative I have found so far is that the arms are not ajustable. They are at a standard height, so they will be fine for 80% of the population. But if you are super tall or super short, they might be an issue. Just head to an IKEA and try one out to see how it fits your body!
*** Sadly, IKEA doesn’t allow for people to use their images on their own blogs for content, so you’ll have to click on their link to see images. ***