Nikon, Canon, and Sony don’t provide all the equipment you will need to be a photographer, especially if you’re a studio photographer. Cameras and lenses aren’t the only necessary equipment a photographer should own. Daniel Norton gives his advice as to what equipment he thinks you need.

In the video, Norton recommends six great pieces of equipment that any photographer should have or have easy access to. Not only does he provide suggestions for the equipment, but he also offers some great advice on what size of equipment to purchase. The one piece of equipment he recommends, which to be honest is a no-brainer, is extension cords. But Norton’s recommendation to purchase them in shorter lengths and splice them together when needed is not only good advice for the studio but also for any household.  Why buy one 100-foot extension cord and lug it around when you could buy five 20-footers?  Then, when you need a 100-footer, just splice the five 20-footers together. And when you don’t need the 100-foot length, you now have multiple extension cords to use.

A couple of items I would add to the list include gaffer tape and clamps. I like to use different colors of gaffer tape. The bright color tape can help add visibility to cables or extension cords, thus reducing a hazard. Clamps are great for, well holding just about anything, especially if they’re a Justin clamp. You can make them yourself and save a few dollars. If that interests you, check out my article on building your own Justin clamps.