Grip Equipment for Macro and Close-Up Photography

The equipment used to hold lights, support subjects, and to clamp props is referred to as grip. Grip goes hand in hand with your lighting equipment to provide ideal shooting conditions, and in macro and close-up photography this equipment can make your life easier and your photos amazing.

Here is a list of grip equipment that is extremely useful:

• Light stands and C-stands hold strobes or mono-lights in place in the studio.

  
  



• Accessory stands (smaller versions of light stands) combined with a hot shoe can hold an off-camera flash. The stand holds the flash in place and the hot shoe receives the signal (either through a wire or a transmitter) from the camera telling the flash when to fire.

  
  



• Clamps hold anything in place or out of the way. A clamp combined with a tripod socket can hold a flash, enabling you to position the flash anywhere that you can attach the clamp.

  
  



• Clothespins are similar to clamps but work better for smaller, more fragile objects.

  
  



• A ground spike is a metal pin with a tripod socket attached to the top. You can stick it into the ground to hold extra flashes in place.

  
  



• Clay or putty is great for propping up your subject or holding it in place. Its sticky surface provides a good grip, and you can shape it to work with your specific subject.

  
  



• Hot glue guns fix things in place without fuss because the glue dries quickly and is easy to remove from hard surfaces.

  
  



• Double-sided tape doesn’t show up in your shot.

  
  



• Gaffers tape holds things together or in place without leaving behind a sticky residue.

  
  



• Bendable wire positions small diffusers, scrims, and black flags in tight areas.

  
  



• Tweezers enable you to make precise movements with fine objects.

  
  



• A small paintbrush is great for cleaning hard-to-reach areas and for dusting surfaces without disturbing your subject or other elements in the scene.

  
  



• A viewfinder loupe magnifies the image in your camera’s viewfinder, making it easier to see where your point of focus is located.

  
  



• A right-angle viewfinder enables you to see what your camera sees without having to press your eye right up against it. This is ideal for when your camera is very low to the ground.

  
  

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