World, meet the Cloud Dome.

It is a studio-in-a-bag. It’s the simplest way for anyone to take professional-quality digital photographs without complicated lighting. It is portable and convenient — an idea brought to life by an enterprising jewelry artist and her weather-loving father.

With guidance from above.

Cloud Dome inventor Cindy Lichfield's day-to-day activities were often guided by her father Ernie';s interpretations of cloud formations. A meteorologist and inventor of weather-measuring devices, Ernie canceled numerous ski adventures, hikes and fishing trips because clouds indicated a storm was brewing.

"And the crummy thing was, my dad was always right," says Cindy. "The clouds don't lie."

Ernie studying clouds and other weather stuff in Antarctica, 1966

After years in the jewelry industry, Cindy was one of the first to see the potential of selling jewelry online. The biggest problem she found was finding an affordable way to capture the beauty of her pieces photographically.

Hot spots, shadows and inconsistent lighting frustrated her on a daily basis. She sought advice from professional photographers and took photography classes, but problems still plagued her.

So Cindy turned to her knowledge of weather and clouds. She knew clouds evenly diffuse light and on a cloudy day details and a variety of shades could be seen. Could she create something that worked like a cloud? Something to filter the light?

Taking matters into her own hands, Cindy began experimenting with household items. Gallon milk jugs came first. She cut them in half and used the hole at the top to shoot through. The milk jug provided even lighting, but stability and sturdiness were now a huge problem.

Next she tried her mother's Tupperware containers. Still, stabilizing the camera was an issue.

Sensing she was on to something, Cindy turned to her mad scientist father and his well-equipped workshop for help. Working together, they researched different types of plastics and created molds. They spent numerous hours tinkering in the lab, trying to find a way to mount the camera to the dome. When the dust cleared, Cloud Dome was born. Now anyone can easily take high-quality digital tabletop photos.

Made of high impact, non-yellowing, crack-resistant plastic, Cloud Dome evenly diffuses natural light over the surface area of the object being shot. High quality digital photographs can even be achieved in low lighting. Lightweight and easily portable, the Cloud Dome is outfitted with a camera mount to eliminate any stability problems. It’s the perfect accessory for any photographer of any skill level aiming to achieve the highest quality digital photographs.

The Cloud Dome is perfect for capturing images such as: