When you don't have a studio but love using light, you go through a whole series of gear changes before landing on something that actually works. For the self-taught photographer, that usually means progressing through the ‘strobist’ journey, learning off-camera flash with small speedlights before gradually realizing their limitations.
Your typical early setup might include three speedlights, a few lightweight stands, some white shoot-through umbrellas and maybe a snoot. It's compact, accessible and barely takes up any room. I definitely went through this phase, with additional radio transmitters and receivers back before they were built into flashes.
