I want to get into portrait photography. I enjoy being creative, but my artistic abilities are not so great. I'm hoping photography could be that creative outlet. This is not for a business or anything like that. I'm definitely new to photography and simply want to have fun with it.
I own 2 older Nikon digital slr's. The D50 and D3100, and I have a few old film slr's that produce awesome images. I understand the bare basics as far as iso, aperature, shutter speed, and white balance. I can compose a decent shot that is exposed well. My question is how do I go from producing everyday run of the mill shots to something dramatic and nice to look at? I've been experimenting with lighting but I don't want the plain olan mills family portrait look. I really like the look of the hollywood glamour shots of the 50's. Obviosly these were produced by pros but as far as lighting goes what can I use without spending thousands of dollars on professional equipment? I've been researching lighting setups for beginners, and i've considered buying a cheap amazon beginner lighting set. Any helpful hints for a clueless newbie?
Added (1). Thanks for the feedback. The word "client" doesn't have anything to do with me taking photographs. I think for some photography could be an art, for others it's a meticulous undertaking that results in getting a check to pay the bills. My question for the most part pertained to lighting.
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