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Many of you have asked me about the products I use to take my digitals, record self-tapes, or just take photos for my Instagram. I’ve decided to write this blog post to share what I use. Feel free to reference back to it whenever you want! 

Ring light, Softbox & Tripod: 

The most popular item that I get asked about is my ring light. My dad gifted it to me as a Christmas present and so far it has been one of the best and most used gifts I have ever received. My ring light has helped me so much by giving my digitals, Instagram posts, TikToks, and self-tapes better overall lighting and balance. Additionally, since I use my iPhone to take the majority of my pictures and videos, the smartphone holder that came with the ring light has been extremely helpful.

Ring-light with smartphone holder.

However, the smartphone holder that comes with the ring light makes it difficult to place your phone in portrait-mode when you’re taking digitals. To fix this, I use another tripod that I attach the smartphone holder to, which makes the process of taking photos in portrait-mode much easier.

Tripod with smartphone holder in front of ring light.

I also have a softbox, which is often necessary to use with the ring-light. A soft-box is a coverup that you can add on top of the actual ring-light, and it makes the lighting less harsh on your face and makes the photograph or video appear smoother. I would highly recommend getting one - they’re the perfect pairing.

Ring-light on its own (first image), ring light with soft-box from the back (second image) and ring-light with soft-box from the front (third image).

Full-Length Mirror: 

I’ve been wanting a mirror like this since I moved to my current house and I am so happy I finally got one after living here for 3 years! Let me just address the fact that I’ve never been the type of model to practice in front of the mirror, but now that I have a full-length mirror in my room, it really motivates me to try different poses whenever I’m in front of it. You know what they say, practice makes perfect! 

Full length mirror.

Whenever I am taking photos with my phone in my room, I like to place it in front of the mirror and practice poses. This is so I can use the reflection of the mirror to see what the photo will look like on camera. It saves me the time and frustration of constantly checking each photo taken and then having to reposition myself accordingly. And obviously, a full-length mirror is also perfect to take selfies for Instagram!

Selfie taken in front of full length mirror.

Recorder, microphone & headphones: 

My room is starting to look like a studio now, because I have also started a podcast called Standing Tall. The equipment that I got is new but I have been testing it out and I love it enough already to share it with you. The microphone comes with a pair of headphones that I enjoy working with, but if you don’t like them and have something better, feel free to use your preferred headphones. I have been trying out the microphone and the recorder, and I am super excited about the overall sound quality. So far I have only officially recorded the intro of my fifth podcast episode and a voiceover audition, but I plan to record all my future podcast episodes with this awesome equipment.

Full recording equipment: recorder, boom arm, recorder, microphone, microphone pop filter and headphones (left) and closeup of recorder (right).

Similarly, on top of modeling, I often get submitted for voiceover work, and now I am finally a lot more confident about submitting my auditions. There are two main reasons for this: (1) my voice sounds a lot clearer with this equipment compared to using my iPhone; and (2) sometimes brands are only looking to hire talent who own professional recording equipment.

Moreover, it helps that I am able to do the recording from home with studio-like sound quality. In this industry, the more versatile you are, the better. Increasing your versatility means you’re more valuable to an agency and can typically book more work. There is a lot of voiceover work out there, so if you’re interested in those types of bookings, getting the proper equipment to record from home may be very beneficial.

Microphone (left) and microphone pop filter (right).

While the sound quality is excellent, if you do get this specific microphone bundle, I would recommend getting another boom arm to hold it as the included one is not sturdy. The boom arm you see in the pictures is a separate one I purchased after realizing this. Also, I got a microphone pop filter, so my audio sounds cleaner and it protects my microphone from spit. Believe it or not we do spit when we talk, especially if we get a little too excited!

So just to recap, these are the primary products I’ve been using for modeling submissions or creating content. I believe that at least the ring light, soft box and tripod are essential to any model’s career, no matter what type of modeling you do. Over time, you’ll be surprised how often you’ll end up using it so it is definitely a great investment. In the future, I will be following up with more items that I use for skincare as I know that this is a popular question. Stay tuned!