A few other thoughts about equipment:
When hanging backgrounds such as fabric backgrounds and stiff backgrounds that are too heavy or large to easily stand up on their own, the end of a relatively inexpensive boom arm can be mounted to a light stand. You won't be hanging anything from it heavy enough to require the use of a counter-weighted boom, so don't overspend. I've hung my wife's camera several times from such a boom with no threat of an impending divorce.
Lots of items such as pieces of foam core and poster board can be used as reflectors and flags. (A flag is anything that blocks light from falling anywhere you don't want it to fall.) Those items can become self-standing if you put a 2" binder clip on each of the bottom corners of the piece of the material.
Cinefoil is a fancy name for matte black aluminum foil. It's great for attaching to light sources to cast shadows to prevent light from falling where you don't want it to fall. It's malleable, which makes it easy to attach to light sources often without even needing tape. It's stiff enough that it needs no support on the end of it. And it can be reused constantly because it doesn't matter when it becomes wrinkled. I'm still using my first roll of Cinefoil.
You never know when you need tape. Gaffers tape is ideal because it leaves no residue if you remove it within a few hours, maybe even a day. I've even used it to tape things to my camera equipment, such as making a custom snoot out of Cinefoil and taping it to a continuous-light lamp or a speed light.
Whatever you buy, by all means don't forget to attach a cup holder to your stand, table, or whatever you routinely use. Using the cup holder will instantaneously take your images to the next level.
When hanging backgrounds such as fabric backgrounds and stiff backgrounds that are too heavy or large to easily stand up on their own, the end of a relatively inexpensive boom arm can be mounted to a light stand. You won't be hanging anything from it heavy enough to require the use of a counter-weighted boom, so don't overspend. I've hung my wife's camera several times from such a boom with no threat of an impending divorce.
Lots of items such as pieces of foam core and poster board can be used as reflectors and flags. (A flag is anything that blocks light from falling anywhere you don't want it to fall.) Those items can become self-standing if you put a 2" binder clip on each of the bottom corners of the piece of the material.
Cinefoil is a fancy name for matte black aluminum foil. It's great for attaching to light sources to cast shadows to prevent light from falling where you don't want it to fall. It's malleable, which makes it easy to attach to light sources often without even needing tape. It's stiff enough that it needs no support on the end of it. And it can be reused constantly because it doesn't matter when it becomes wrinkled. I'm still using my first roll of Cinefoil.
You never know when you need tape. Gaffers tape is ideal because it leaves no residue if you remove it within a few hours, maybe even a day. I've even used it to tape things to my camera equipment, such as making a custom snoot out of Cinefoil and taping it to a continuous-light lamp or a speed light.
Whatever you buy, by all means don't forget to attach a cup holder to your stand, table, or whatever you routinely use. Using the cup holder will instantaneously take your images to the next level.
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