We know that some of you are operating as one-man/woman shops and doing what you can with social media photography and videography based on your available resources. We’ve pulled together a quick shopping list of inexpensive items for your photo and video kit to raise your game without busting your budget.

iRig Microphone

If you’re shooting video on your phone for live Periscope shots or even for produced videos (Hey, why not? Your phone records in high-def.), you’re going to want better sound than the microphone in your smartphone will give you. This is the single easiest way to make your smartphone video way more professional. Sound quality is key!

Price: $59.99

Benefit: Better-than-bad sound from smartphone video recordings

Smartphone Lens Kit

If you’re using your phone for photography, you might want to get a little fancier than what the built in lens will let you get. This kit includes a macro lens for your arty close-ups, a wide angle lens for your big group shots and cityscapes, and a fish-eye lens because why the hell not.

Price: $14.99

Benefit: The option to shoot fish-eye stuff, because sometimes you just wanna

Smartphone Tripod Mount

If you’re shooting a video on your smartphone, the easiest way to make it look more professional is to put it on a tripod so you don’t get the handheld shake. Luckily, if you have a regular old tripod, you can buy a smartphone holder that works with what you already have.

Price: $12.95

Benefit: Look like you know what you’re doing

Light Kit

If you’re going to be shooting photos or videos indoors or at night, you might consider investing in a light kit. Luckily, LED panels aren’t super expensive and you can do a lot with a couple of them. The kit we’ve linked here includes everything you need: 2 light panels and 2 tripods. You can run the lights off of a couple different kinds of batteries or a power cord, and they’ll also fit in the hot-shoe of your DSLR camera if you’d rather use them that way.

Price: $64.99

Benefit: Get your subjects lit (literally)

Of course there’s lots of other equipment you could spend your budget on, but these are the ones we’ve gotten a lot of use out of.

For more options on equipment, check out some of what The Link has available. It’s a great place to try-before-you-buy, or even use for all your projects (if you don’t have too many of them).