I get asked (a lot) about my recommendations for lighting equipment. For most of my career, my answer has always been "just buy whatever you can afford."

And more than two decades into my career, my stance on that has not changed. Get what you can afford and you will find ways to make it work. Also, gear does not make the photographer nor improve the shot if not used correctly.

That being said - I recently have found myself only using a few pieces of gear every single time I shoot on location. In fact, I am using these pieces so often and enjoying them so much that I've actually started to recommend them to photographers building their lighting kits for the first time.

If I had to re-do my entire lighting kit, these are the pieces I would buy first.

https://jamespatrick.com/