Yes, the first thing to do is put a flash on your camera but learn how to bounce it. Don’t aim your flash at your subject. Put it on ISO 100, maybe ISO 200, 1/250th of a second, whatever your flash sync speed is. You can use TTL or manual. I’d use manual since you are learning. Point the flash at the ceiling. Notice what happens. Next time point it at the wall, etc. You’ll start learning how light bounces around. Then you can take it off the camera put it on a stand put a soft box over it, etc and learn how that works.

The Godox V1’s are really nice. I remember when I started it seemed intimidating but it’s actually fairly easy and you figure it out pretty quick.

All of my indoor shots are at ISO 100, even if it’s just of a cat. You can’t tell I even used a flash, (unless you’re a pro photographer,) it doesn’t have that flash look to it. If the ceilings are too high you might have to bounce it off something else. Or you may have to just take it off camera.

Also, when looking into these things, don’t discount just getting a strobe. I know starting out most people would say, “Why would you recommend a strobe and not a flash?” Well you can use strobes outside they are more powerful and Godox has strobes that are about the same price as a flash. Like the AD200’s.

Of course that is for off camera though, but you can still bounce it, just got to put it on a stand. I have the AD400. For flash’s I use two Godox V1’s. All three of these devices also have modeling lamps. Sometimes you can just use that at night time. Especially on the AD400.

Basically, you learn your ambient light and your flash light. For example, if you want a complete black background and want to shoot an object, you can set an object on a table, make sure its not close to wall, stop down the aperture a good bit, maybe f/11, maybe more. And you’ll have nothing but the light of the flash and you’ll have a black background.

It’s mostly about bouncing it around. Until you get it off camera and have soft boxes and things like that, then you can point it directly at the subject.

I like to bounce off the ceiling because I always get really sharp images of my pets and family, even in an older house with dim lighting. Because I can shoot at ISO 100. Since I learned this I haven’t shot over ISO 400 in years.

If you buy flash’s, I’d go ahead and buy two, because once you go off camera you’ll probably find yourself wanting another one very soon. Although you can do A LOT with one flash.

I always shoot in full manual except when I bounce, I just let it be in ETTL mode and if it’s not bright enough I turn the flash exposure comp up.

The real question is how did they take the video of the moon landing, as it was landing? hehe I know the official story but don’t buy it. How did they get that film through the van Allen belt? not starting anything just joking…kinda.

Accept yourself. I was probably one of the best musicians in my town growing up and I was so critical of my own music that I have nothing to show for it. I deleted the songs, etc. With photography when you see flaws, it’s just something to work on.

For example, I wouldn’t get close enough. Being an introvert. I could be taking a family portrait or any kind of portrait and I’d always be too far away. It’d look fine in the camera but on the computer I’d always end up having to crop it way in. Which takes away resolution. Having a higher MP camera saved me on one job.

But then I learned to get closer. But EVEN THEN, I was making crops that looked even better so I learned to get even closer.

Then I developed my own style, a lot of detail. So, say you have two people kissing, I will get so close that their full heads aren’t even in the shot, but their facial features out to their ears. Of course you don’t want to cut anything off that looks awkward.

But those flaws are helping you develop a style.

Family photographer, you might look at people using good strobe lights and you might not be and might see a big difference and feel inferior.