Ron Eggers

There are various companies that offer studio kits in a box (or canvas bag). For the most part, such portable studio systems are primarily lighting setups. They might include the heads, self-contained power packs, stands, and some type of diffuser. That's enough to get started with studio work, especially for experienced shooters. But photographers just starting to work with...

Ringflashes, or ringlights, are specialized pieces of equipment that work great in certain situations, but they're not the right choice for others. These circular units have a center-mounting bracket that allows the lens to extend through the ring of light. When the flash is triggered, light explodes around the lens, lighting up the subject somewhat like an on-camera flash.

Wireless flash control is really big right now. For a long time, wireless systems primarily used slave triggering or infrared technology to fire strobes remotely. Increasingly, though, RF (Radio Frequency) systems are becoming the norm. RF systems, which generally provide multiple frequencies, make it possible to have a number of different photographers shooting with their own...

One of the difficulties of getting involved in studio work is trying to figure out where to begin. There are so many different lighting systems and so many equipment options available that it's not easy to figure out what's essential, what might be nice to have, and what really isn't necessary, at least when you first begin. Just what type of lighting do you need...