Gear DOES Matter

Although a competent photographer can make great work with whatever gear they have available to them, having equipment that works for you can make a massive difference in your efficiency and quality of life. As commercial photographers, we need equipment that just works and gets out of the way.

So here is a list of gear that I use and trust to help me do my best work.

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Lights

Lighting is everything and Westcott is the easiest to recommend by far. The value for their lights and modifiers is unmatched and their customer support is second to none.

Most versatile strobe: FJ400 ii
Most powerful strobe: FJ800
Powerful continuous light: Ice Light 3 RGB
Most affordable strobe: FJ400 SE

Light Modifiers

Modifiers are the most important part of creating beautiful studio imagery. There are virtually limitelss options out there, but these are the ones I use most and find most value in. Once again, I suggest Westcott because of their excellent build quality, color neutrality, and massive ecosystem of easy to setup products.

Colors that pop: FlexiGels Vivid Pack
Most used softbox: 1x4' Rapid Box Switch
Most versatile for beauty: Beauty Dish 24" Sliver
Great for Ultra Soft Light: 4' Octa L
Umbrella for Fashion and Headshots: 53" Deep Umbrella Silver
For ultimate precision lighting: Optical Spot
Constrain Light for Great Saturation: 30º Standard Grid
Control your gradients: Scrim Jim Cine Kit 4x6'
Bounce and Fill: 40" 5-in-1 Reflector

Lighting is the fun part of studio photography, but there are so many foundational things to consider. Here is a practical list of stuff I couldn't work without.

Tethering

Tether Pro Optima 10 G
Lever Lock Plate
SmartShooter 5

Support

STA Sidekick
3-Way Head
Accessory Tray

Software

set.a.light 3D
Narrative
CaptureOne
EVOTO