The GP Shop Gear List
Brands – Godox or FlashPoint?
Which one? The short answer is, they are the same. Godox, a Chinese company, is who developed everything and manufactures the hardware. Adorama imports the hardware and rebrands it as FlashPoint. A Godox light/transmitter/receiver will communicate with a FlashPoint light/transmitter/receiver and vise-versa. The brands will work seamlessly together. We buy the FlashPoint brand because Adorama provides a US based warranty.
Speedlights
Both Stacy and I have four speedlights each. Crazy huh? It all makes sense in the workshop though. The most cost effective and reliable lights we’ve found are the Godox 860II or FlashPoint Li-on II. They have a powerful Lithium Ion battery that lasts forever. They are relatively inexpensive when compared to your Canon, Nikon or Sony speedlights. We do recommend avoiding Yungnuo as their ecosystem and usage isn’t up to par.
There are other options that will work, so if you have a question about a specific speedlight, please let us know.
The Brick
We use this for much of our portraiture. It is 200ws compared to the 50ws of a speedlight, so in short, it has the power of 4 speedlights and can be used with modifiers or in brighter conditions. While it is more powerful, it is also more expensive and does not zoom in/out, which we’ll also explain in the workshop. We currently own two “bricks”, but usually use one at a time. The brick is not camera brand specific and will work with Sony, Nikon, or Canon.
Transmitter
There are a many different transmitter options out there that will work, but we’ve found this one to be the fastest to use. It is overwhelming at first, but offers the most speed and ease of use.
Canon
Nikon
Sony
Light Stands
This is an often overlooked tool for lighting reception photos. You need to get your lights as high as possible. 7ft wont cut it. We often use our stands at max height at 12ft. These Manfrotto Stands, while expensive, are super easy to transport and they’re durable. These stands snap together.
Dual Bracket
Get two flashes on one light stand. One for you and your second shooter… or double up your speedlights for twice the power if you need it for a portrait.
Straw Grids
These are the inexpensive grids that fit a speedlight or brick. We use 65 degree for dance floor and find that it is the correct spread. Not too concise, but still doesn’t spill. You want the 45-74mm for a Godox/FlashPoint flash.
Spring Clamp
Allows you to clamp a flash in odd places.
Mini Ball Head
Allows you to modify the angle of a flash on a stand or clamp.
AD200, Brick, Speedlight to Softbox Mount
Holds a brick or speedlight in place while allowing you to mount a bowens softbox.
