Light Stands
I own a variety of light stands, some are great some no so much. That all said the best stands you can invest in are C-Stands but they are not easy to transport.
Below are some affiliate links to some stands I own and some I recommend. My collection is a miss match of all sorts collected over the years.
My honest advice is do not cheap out on stands or grip that holds £100’s worth of gear close to your clients. Not worth it.
1. Pixapro 300cm C-Stand with 50” Boom Arm Set (none adjust legs).
These stands are really well made with great knucles unlike many slightly cheaper brands on Amazon. I am yet to have one of the thread strip on the Pixapro C--Stands.
2. Pixapro 300cm C-Stand with 50” Boom Arm Set (Adjustable Legs)
Like the C-Stand above but with an adjustable leg for use on steps.
3. Pixapro Stainless Steel Century (C-Stand) stand with Heavy Duty Boom Arm
This is currently my main boom rig in the studio because it can hold any of my lights and modifier setups I want to run.
Built to last.
4. Pixapro 2in1 Reclined Boom
Not as heavy duty as C-Stands but much easier to travel with on location. Will hold a Pika and small Octa set up just fine.
5. Pixapro 240cm Air Cushioned Stand. Interchangeable Spigot
These stands are great for two reasons. One - They are air cushioned. Two the spigot can my oriented vertical or horizontal.
6. Pixapro 190cm Retractable Light Stand.
Air cushioned, interchangeable spigot and they retract when lifted for easy moving during weddings, events or in a busy studio.
Grip / Clamps / Brackets
Some here are linked whilst others are just good to have in the studio or grip kit. Grip is amazing.. I love it and have far too much of it. Whoops.
1. Super Clamp / Convi Clamp
Buy 4 and thank me later. Ever useful for rigging bars, lights, reflectors, cameras. Hold 15kg of weight.
2. A Clamps
I have a range of sizes in these. Great for holding cards, negative fill, dots, backgrounds.
3. S-Type (Bowens Mount) Speedlite Adapter Bracket
This version of the bracket is much better then the first gen and will hold speedlites, Pika 200, CITI 300 Pro and CITI 400 Pro.
4. Spring Clamp with Ball Head
Handy for clamping and also for holding a small BTS camera, action camera or speedlite/LED. Also known as Alligator Clamp or Justin Clamp.
5. C-Clamp with 1/4” Thread
Handy for clamping to light stand columns and attaching a reflector arm, grip arm or small light to.
6. 11” Magic Adjustable Arm
I use these with small crab claw clamps to hold small strips of card to either reflect light or subtract it on product work.
7. 2” Mini Visor Clamp with female 1/4 20 thread and 5/8” baby stud.
I need to grab a couple of these for an idea I have after the lockdown of 2020 is over. They can be used to clamp a speedlite or LED to bars or beams.
8. C47’s AKA Clothes Pegs.
No link here but buy the wooden ones. Great for holding small bit of card and also sorting baggy clothing/jackets.
9. 3m Telescopic Cross Bar
These are what I currently use to store my paper rolls behind the set. I also keep one handy for location jobs that need a background set building. One of these, 2 light stands and A Clamps and you can setup up a roll on location.
10. Stainless Steel Cross Bar with 5x 5/8 inch studs.
This get used to rig a light under a table or to rig multiple lights on one single C-stand base for those times you need to fire a ton of watt seconds through a big diffuser sheet.
11. Kupo Ceiling Adapter -KD-CM16P
Basically a scissor clamp with 5/8 pin for mounting lights to suspended ceilings. Just don’t put too much weight on them.