Studio gear multiplies until your space feels more like storage than a place to shoot. This video tackles that problem by imagining a completely fresh studio and choosing seven pieces of equipment that actually deserve floor space and budget.
Coming to you from Manny Ortiz, this focused video starts with a rolling tether station built around a Neewer Light Stand with Casters & Sliding Arm instead of a traditional tripod. You see Ortiz mount the camera, tether table, and even a small monitor or iPad on that one stand, then stabilize it with a Manfrotto 10 lb Counterweight so it does not wobble while you shoot. He leans on a Hasselblad system for wireless tethering or runs a laptop feed that he mirrors to the tablet, so you still keep a live view without adding another stand into the mix. At the base, a simple fan turns that same rig into a controllable hair-movement tool, triggered by remote in short bursts instead of blasting air constantly into someone’s eyes. You end up steering one compact stand that carries camera, computer, and fan rather than weaving around a mess of legs and cables.
Ortiz then shifts from capture to editing and shows why his Logitech MX Master 4 has basically become part of his hand. The haptic panel under your thumb pulls up the Actions Ring, giving you floating bubbles tied to the repetitive tasks that usually slow you down, like adding titles, recording voiceovers, or nudging exposure and volume while cutting in Final Cut Pro. He maps shortcuts for launching ChatGPT, starting a screen recording, or jumping into his most-used tools so those moves become one press instead of a sequence of clicks. The shape helps with the carpal tunnel problems he mentions, and the anti-stain silicone panels hold up when you are working long days at the desk. You see how dialing in a custom layout on the mouse changes the rhythm of both culling and retouching instead of just feeling like a fancy upgrade.
Lighting control is where you start to see why Ortiz treats some “boring” pieces as non-negotiable. The Westcott Easy Boom lets you bring a big modifier in close without the stand sneaking into the frame, and its locking pin keeps a heavy overhead setup from crashing when you change sandbags or swap modifiers. He pairs it with a softbox as a flexible key and an umbrella overhead as what he calls atmosphere light, lifting shadows across the scene without screaming “flash.” His own Westcott Beauty Dish handles more sculpted looks, while the Westcott Eyelighter 3 acts as his headshot cheat code, adding that curved catchlight and a bit of specular polish on skin. An optical spot becomes the “secret weapon” for fake window slits and precise highlights that are hard to copy if you are only using big soft sources. Ortiz hints at how much more shape and depth you get once you mix in flashes, grids, at least one C-stand, and a low small Manfrotto stand for hidden separation lights, without unpacking every single setup on camera. You also see a standing desk repurposed as both product table and posing surface once he wraps it in matching backdrop paper, which ties into the monochromatic studio look he has been leaning into. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Ortiz.
