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We asked Bryan Officer what he would like to add to his studio setup. Here's what's on his wish list:
 Sekonic L-758DR DigitalMaster Lightmeter
Officer currently uses a Polaris light meter that cost about $200, and that he considers superior for studio photography to both the analog light meters he used in the past and his camera's metering system. "It works," he says. "You can hook up the studio strobe directly to it." But if he could have any meter on the market, he'd take this fancy Sekonic, which is designed to achieve highly precise exposure metering for digital photography. It uses analytical software and a special test target to create dynamic-range profiles for individual digital SLRs; includes a 1-degree spot meter; and can average up to nine separate readings. (If you're giving a gift to a portrait photographer who is still working with an in-camera meter and don't have the budget for this one, a less expensive digital handheld meter is still a good option.)
About $500
Read Pop Photo's review of the L-758DR.
www.sekonic.com
 Manfrotto Boom Stand 420
In addition to lights with softboxes, Officer sometimes uses reflectors to bounce light onto his subjects. He'd like to have one of these boom stands to hold and position a reflector. With the boom arm removed, it can also support a light and softbox. It can be purchased with or without a sandbag that works as a counterweight to an attached reflector or diffusion screen.
About $150
http://www.bogenimaging.us
 Savage Widetone Seamless Paper Background
Just about any portrait photographer would appreciate having more background paper on hand, and Officer is no exception. "Any color would be great" he says, "vermillion, fuchsia, orangish-yellowish-pink -- it's nice to have a variety." If you're shopping for someone who doesn't have a background setup yet, take a look at Savage's background support systems, which start at about $65.
Starting at about $20 for 53-inch-wide rolls and $40 for 107-inch-wide rolls.
www.savagepaper.com
 Datacolor Spyder 3 Elite
"I shoot to print," Officer says. Since he's a portrait photographer, Officer frequently makes prints for his subjects, so using a calibrated monitor to get the color and brightness right in his print output is important. "Monitor calibration is as important as the strobes and camera," he explains. He currently calibrates his monitor with an older Spyder model, but would like to upgrade to this one, which offers before-and-after calibration displays, precise control over white point and gamma, fast recalibration, and multiple-display calibration.
About $280
www.datacolor.com
 Samsung SyncMaster 275T
Officer would love to have this monitor both as part of his digital darkroom setup and to use in his studio. He likes to have the option of showing his subjects the photos he's taking during a break in the shoot, to make the process more collaborative. "I want some type of involvement from them," he says, "because they're ultimately who I want to make happy." The 275T is a 1920x1200, 27-inch widescreen LCD that has earned widespread praise for its image quality and provides a relatively affordable alternative to pro-oriented monitors that can cost twice as much, or more.
About $990
www.samsung.com/us/consumer
 Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM
Although he prefers to use prime lenses for studio portraits, Officer would like to have a high-quality zoom lens for shooting outdoor and location portraits. "Especially outside, you're not going to feel as comfortable switching lenses," he notes, pointing out that some settings don't allow the photographer to move around much in order to change composition. This popular lens would cover the focal-length range that he likes to use for portraits and let him keep the depth of field shallow to blur out backgrounds. It also offers the extra flexibility of optical image stabilization.
About $1600
Get more information about this lens from Pop Photo.
www.usa.canon.com
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