Well for this photograph I used a 20mm lens at f/2.5 at 1/50sec with 800 asa with no flash. It's a low lit pub we go to. After a while though I ended up bouncing my flash.



As far as the prints, I started using Adoramapix.

Hopefully this will hope for now, till other people respond.
 

Question 1: You have a few options. The best thing you can do is bounce your flash off of a wall or something to get light up on their faces and even it out with the harsh directional light from the ceiling. If you don't want to use flash then I would suggest using reflectors. They won't help as much as you'd like because the lights are so dim but it will make a difference for the better. You could also make the choice to blow out your highlights and expose for the faces.

Finally, if this is an actual session with paying customers you can have them stay still and bracket your exposures (one for the hair and one for the face.) Then you can take those shots into photoshop and create a composite where everything is properly exposed.

Your best bet is a flash or a composite.

Question 2: If you don't sell prints then you won't be a successful photographer (financially.)

85% of my profit is through print sales. I also sell memory disks that include all the images but I can generally get people to add that cost onto their print order.

Another reason that you should sell prints: as a professional photographer you are expected to give people prints of high quality. When you just give them a disk they can go to wal-mart or something and get pictures that look like crap. When their friends see those pictures and ask who took them your name is tied to those low quality prints so you probably won't get many referrals because you'll be thought of as a low quality photographer. Another reason that I prefer printing the images myself is so that on the pictures they order I can fine tune everything and make it look the best it can possibly look once printed. Find yourself a good lab and try to make everything you do (from meeting with clients, to taking their pictures, to the delivery of their prints) the best possible. I would recommend H&H Color Lab, Millers, or even mpix.com (mpix.com is the best for someone starting out.)

Good luck!
-Brett

www.jarnaginphotography.com
 

Thank you guys for posting the Qs and As....It has helped me a lot too....
 

First of all, for the bar situation, use the fasted lens you have! I shoot in clubs all the time using f/1.4. Also, try setting your ISO to 1600. This should help prevent the need to use a flash...and you might be surprised at the results you get. But, if this is still producing blurred shots, then I second the motion for using a bounce flash. Tho, I try not to use a flash if at all possible. I just like the color I get without one. (See examples below -- the second just shows what you CAN get - with a fast lens - even when the light is almost non-existant.)

And, about your senior portraits...SELL THEM PRINTS!!! I can't stress that enough. This is where you'll make your money! Go to Mpix.com. They have an easy site to use and they deliver beautiful prints...with "professional copyright - do not copy" print on the back. Their wallet photos come with die-cut rounded corners, so they work perfectly for senior pics. And, their prices are great! :)

Hope this helps. Good luck to you.

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