My Daughter in law heads up a foundation in Milwaukee that provides college scholarships to graduating high school students. It started out a few years ago with about 25 students; they are up to 90. These are all outstanding students who would not be able to go to college without this kind of assistance. She has asked me to take headshots of the students that they then use for promotions, communications, etc. I did this for her during the first year, and I didn't have any lighting to help. The photos turned out "ok," but not anywhere near what I would like. I'm looking for some ideas and suggestions for this. There will be a luncheon for the students at Marquette University, and during the luncheon, the students will come by for a photo/headshot. I will not be shooting in a studio, and at this point, I don't really know what type of lighting will be available. Should I invest in a portable lightbox to help with lighting? Maybe just use a flash? I'll be using my Nikon D500. My lenses include a Nikon 105, Tamron 24-70, Sigma 18-35. Post processing will be in Lightroom, and I am considering using some background replacement in Photoshop, knowing that could be a lot of work. Thoughts and suggestions? Thank you!

If the camera is used enough to need replacement of 'worn' parts, the camera will be sold as used, not 'refurbished' by replacing surprisingly expensive replacement parts and selling the results at a deeper loss ...

Where would B&H get a camera to 'refurbish'? The same way Canon does, via near immediate returned stock from customers. I don't mean 30-days returns. More like the "I took it out of the box and decided it wasn't right for me" customer returns. That equipment is brand new in every way except being unsold. Canon can put it back into Canon brand-new packaging and sell as refurbished. Third-parties can just double-check that everything is there.

Imagine operating your own for-profit business and performing a value-added function to something you want to sell. How much do you pay your tech per hour? How much do the replacement parts cost? If that tech touches the camera and spends enough time to then perform a replacement part, how could you sell that camera less than the cost of new given the money you've now invested into that camera?

There's no profit in holding onto unsold or returned stock. There's even less profit in adding value to a product you cannot sell at a profit reflecting that value-added. These companies are not buying used equipment and 'refurbishing'; they're just reselling returns as efficiently as possible while incurring the minimum of new costs.

I'm shooting with a Canon RP which I love but battery life is very poor compared to the 7D I was using before. This means I need to have a few extra batteries in my bag but Canon batteries are expensive. You get what you pay for though and the cheap aftermarket batteries I've bought don't have the capacity and they don't live long. Can anyone recommend an aftermarket brand that matches the quality of the Canon batteries? They obviously wouldn't be the cheapest batteries out there but they're bound to be less money than the Canons.
Thanks

As we look back and consider 2020, how did your photography change? We probably all made less trips. Did you visit / revisit new subjects closer to home? Did you change your camera bodies or focal lengths? What changes will you make for 2021?

What is a resolution?
A firm decision to do or not to do something.

Will you learn to better use your current equipment?

Will you learn your processing software?

Will you organize your legacy images?

Will you organize your new images?

Will you sell your unused and outdated equipment?

Will you ask for help?

Will you answer a request for help?

Will you use selective focus with an off-center AF point placed specifically on the subject?

Will you investigate higher ISOs?

Will you use your flash?

Will you use your tripod?

Will you try Back Button Focus?

Will you change to mirroless?

Will you create an image over the next 365 days that achieves your resolution?