Building Your Home Studio: The Best Tools for Photo & Video

21 Oct Building Your Home Studio: The Best Tools for Photo & Video

The photo and video capabilities of today’s smartphones make it so much easier to produce professional photos and video without all the expensive equipment! With just a few key items, you can create an at-home studio that allows you to generate eye-catching content for your website and social media channels. Today, we’ll share some of our team’s favorite tools for creating top-notch photos and videos for our clientele. 

Tripod

A simple, adjustable tripod that fits your phone or tablet need not break the bank. Look for a tripod that gives you maximum flexibility for positioning; this portable option fits a variety of phones and includes a wireless remote; if you prefer a tripod that doesn’t need to be on a tabletop, try this option, this extendable tripod includes a lot of bells and whistles, including a carrying case!

Overhead Stand

Level up your tutorial videos with an overhead stand! This allows you to shoot from a bird’s eye view, providing stability for your shot while also freeing up your hands (when paired with a remote). We love and personally use the Arkon Pro Phone or Camera Stand because it has multiple adjustment points and extends from 17 to 29 inches high to provide the perfect overhead shot. One of the things we love most about this stand is the flexibility it offers – not only can you use it with most smartphones, but there is also the option to use with a DLSR camera with the included adapter. 

Bluetooth Remote

Can’t rope your friends or family into a photo shoot? Try using a Bluetooth remote to DIY your own shots! This simple, handheld device connects to your phone via Bluetooth technology and allows you to take photos (or start videos) from wherever you are. We love this affordable option from Amazon which works with a variety of phones and tablets and has a generous 30-foot range.

Bounce Card/Reflector

Even if you’re using natural light, a reflective surface can help diffuse light and eliminate unwanted shadows – and we definitely recommend using one when shooting indoors. A white piece of foam board can work just fine if you’re not ready to invest in a reflector, but this affordable reflector set gives you 5 options to create different effects in your shots for around $30 (plus, it folds down into an easy-to carry size and comes with a zipper storage pouch). 

Ring Light

Natural lighting is always best, but sometimes you need to shoot indoors. Here’s where a ring light comes in handy: this small clip-on version is great for shooting close-up shots and video; for wider shots, this ring light with stand is less than $30, and includes a tripod and remote so you don’t have to purchase those items separately.

Backgrounds

If you don’t have a well-lit table or countertop where you can shoot, give these amazing photo-realistic backdrops from Replica Surfaces a try! They work for both overhead (flat lay) shots, or you can use their stands to create different combinations to create a table/wall effect that allows you to shoot from a variety of angles. 

Editing Software

The latest iOS version has many more photo and video editing options than ever before, but if you use a different brand of smartphone or prefer to edit on your desktop, here are some of our favorite apps and software for: 

• Adobe Lightroom – a simplified version of Photoshop, this user-friendly option is great for folks who are new to photo editing.
• Adobe Photoshop – this software has all the bells and whistles, and offers loads of options for editing and manipulating images.
• Canva – this app has tons of templates for creating eye-catching graphics and videos; the photo editing options are fairly basic, so we recommend doing most of your editing in Lightroom or Photoshop before uploading your image into Canva.
• Vimeo Create – this app is similar to Canva, but designed solely for the creation of videos. It includes many premade graphic templates for creating videos which are optimized for each social media channel.

If you need help creating visual content for social media or your website,  contact us today to learn more about our services!

Disclaimer: Some of the items in this post include affiliate links. Stitchcraft Marketing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.