Scott Kelby’s Gonzo Holiday Gear Guide

Lastolite HiLite Background

If you shoot in a studio on a white background, you know what it takes to evenly light that background (and you’re used to dealing with hot spots and fade outs). The Lastolite HiLite Background makes that stuff a thing of the past—you get solid white, perfect backgrounds every time, in just seconds. Best of all, it’s portable—collapsing down to what looks like a large reflector—and it pops up into place in seconds. I absolutely love mine. The 5×7′ goes for about $379.95.
www.lastolite.com

JS Apollo Softbox

Westcott’s 50″ Recessed Front JS Apollo Softbox

My buddy Larry Becker turned me on to this very cool pop-up softbox that turns any off-camera flash (such as a Nikon SB-900 or a Canon 580EX II) into a wireless on-location studio light. The quality of the light is big and beautiful (perfect for portraits), and it pops out and folds up easily and quickly—you don’t even need an adapter ring to use it—just pop your strobe right inside and you’re ready to go. Street price is around $252.50.
www.fjwestcott.com

Laptop Platform

Bogen / Manfrotto 131DD Cross Arm and Gitzo G065 Monitor and Laptop Platform

If you shoot tethered to your laptop or a monitor in the studio and you want a pro-quality laptop stand, this is the way to go. Joe McNally turned me on to this rig and I love it! The Bogen / Manfrotto 131DD tripod accessory arm for four heads mounts on top of any tripod so you can choose just how sturdy you want the support legs to be. It holds up to four accessories, but most times I mount a ballhead to one end of the bar and the Gitzo G065 Monitor and Laptop Platform to the other. The bar (which sells for around $91.95) and platform (which sells for around $84.95) are sold separately. (If you don’t need to mount a ballhead on the same stand, you can skip the bar part altogether and just go for the platform.)
www.bogenimaging.us

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