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Lighting
Lighting is so important when making content. While daylight is best for some of the year, daylight is limited, so good artificial light is so helpful.1. Ring light
A ring light provides lighting that is good for shooting videos and taking pictures of yourself. They usually have a phone holder, so a separate tripod isn't needed. I've used a ring light for years when shooting videos. Plus, these can double as a room light.
2. Clip-on light
Another good light to use is one that clips on to your phone or computer. They are perfect for when you're on the go or don't want to spend a lot of money but want a good amount of light. This is the clip-on light I use. It gives off a good amount of light, making my pictures and videos even better.
3. LED light kit
If they want to up their lighting game even more, getting an LED light can do that. These are bright lights that usually come in a pack of two. They have multiple light temperatures and levels of brightness. These kits can be panel-type lights or softbox lights.
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Backdrop
When I first started creating content, I didn't realize the importance of having something to quickly set up a clean backdrop. These are helpful when shooting product photos or talking head videos. These types of backdrops come in different types of materials
4. Poster board
When I first started using a consistent backdrop for my product photos, I used simple poster board that I got from the Dollar Tree or Target. Some of the boards I would cover one side with marble-like contact paper to vary my backgrounds.
5. Photography backdrops
After using poster board for a while, I upgraded to photography backdrops. These are packs of flat, coated sheets of paper with textures like marble, wood, stone, and even different colors. Some of these packs even come with a stand so you can use the paper for standing products and not just flat lays.
6. Backdrop stand
For shooting videos, sometimes the background in your home won't suffice, or you don't want to show personal items, and putting up a fake backdrop is necessary. It can be as simple as hanging up a colored or white sheet using a backdrop stand like this one.
I bought one and use it for some of my YouTube videos and product demos. I also used this to hang up a background to shoot the photo for my new passport photo.
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Tripod
Starting out, propping your camera or phone on some books, a bookshelf, or a table is very budget-friendly. At some point, it gets old because it's not always an easy setup, since you usually have to stack books or boxes, or move a planter. Having a tripod that can be kept in one place or that you can take when you travel is so helpful.
7. Overhead tripod
For some of your product shots, you'll want to take some overhead shots. That can be tricky, but an overhead tripod can make it easy. This Neewer tripod is the one I use. I can use it with my phone or camera. It can also adjust so I can use it to shoot when I'm standing up or sitting down.
8. Cell phone holder for glass
A lot of my content is hair and skin-related, so I shoot a lot in the bathroom. Instead of putting a tripod on my bathroom counter, I got this Airstik phone holder for my bathroom mirror. It sticks to the mirror in my bathroom, and it holds my phone both vertically and horizontally. I like that I can also take it with me when I travel and shoot videos in my hotel room.
9. Gimbal stabilizer
Perfect for vloggers, this is like a selfie stick on steroids. This DJI Gimbal is used to stabilize your phone when shooting videos or photos. It can expand into a tripod. And the best feature is that it moves to track moving subjects. This is perfect when shooting things solo.
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Office equipment
While I use my Google Calendar for a lot of my planning, I'm still a little retro in that I like to write out a lot of things. And it's more fun to write things out when you have colorful, fun notebooks and pens.
10. Notebooks
The best time to buy notebooks is right before and during the beginning of the school year because many retailers have them on sale and many in stock.11. Pens
Having different colored pens lets you easily color-code your notes. Just like notebooks, the best time to buy is before the beginning of the school year. You can get them year-round but tend to find better deals during the back-to-school time of year.
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