While natural light is a great choice for a number of photographic situations, having the gear and know-how to use a basic lighting system is an important step in any photographer’s journey.

Contrary to popular belief, a fundamental lighting kit doesn’t have to break the bank, or be overly complicated. Here, we’ve laid out two basic lighting kits—one very simple and cheap, and one with a few more bells and whistles—as well as some extras that any photographer using external light sources will find handy.