Assuming I have zero knowledge of product photography, how and where should I start learning about it?

I understand that I need to learn and internalise the theory before I can even remotely hope to achieve any semblance of good results in practice. Is there a tutorial or course I can follow to get started?

Samples of my current questions:

1. How do I determine the correct aperture for keeping the entire subject in focus? And how do I determine when simply stopping down is not enough and I need to implement focus stacking?

2. Since different products will require distinctly different approaches to photographing them correctly, would it be better to first decide on a niche and focus on learning how to photograph only that specific category of products?

3. Are techniques such as compositing, light painting, frequency separation, etc absolutely indispensable for professional-grade product photography? Or can I implement alternative techniques to circumvent the complexities of these techniques?

Equipment: I have a camera, a few lenses, two strobes with two soft boxes and a remote trigger, but no macro lens. Would it be better to get a macro lens before I even get started? Or is it not a necessity?

Experience: I’ve never shot products other than for Instagram stories on my phone, and I’ve never shot artificial or controlled lighting other than occasionally bouncing a speedlight off the ceiling (admittedly with extremely poor results). I’ve only ever used Lightroom for processing and thus have zero knowledge of the advanced techniques pertinent to Photoshop.

By now, my lack of knowledge in this particular genre of photography should be abundantly evident. Please provide your advice and recommendations accordingly.

Thank you very much.

What is the best or closest substitute for Acqua Di Gio Profumo?

Are any of the ADG flankers even close to the original Profumo? If yes, which one?

Please recommend the best camera app that will allow me to shoot portraits with background blur at 48MP in a RAW format. Thank you.

Does anyone here like to put their iPad in a sleeve/pouch before throwing it in their backpack? If yes, which brand/model do you currently use and like the best?

Just looking for the best sleeve/pouch I can get for my iPad Pro M5 11”. Maximising protection is the highest priority, but aesthetics are a very close second.

Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

If you are looking to squeeze every last drop of battery life out of your iPad, you’ve come to the right place. Below is the comprehensive master list of every battery-saving tweak available, organized purely by how much juice they will save you.

The tweaks are divided into four tiers by level of impact on battery: Extreme, High, Medium, and Low.

Note: The "Extreme" tier includes drastic changes that will change how your iPad looks and functions (like disabling Apple Intelligence or turning the screen grayscale). Apply those only if you need absolute maximum battery life. For everyday use, picking and choosing from the High, Medium, and Low sections will serve you best.

Disclaimer: The aim of this guide is to be as comprehensive as possible in order to cater to as many users as possible. The tweaks you should make will depend on your personal preferences and your usage patterns with your iPad. Feel free to skip the ones that you think will hinder the normal usage of your iPad.

A. Extreme Battery Impact

These are the heaviest hitters. Changing these settings will fundamentally alter your iPad's functionality, but they will extend your battery life to its absolute physical limits.

1. Grayscale Display — Set to ON (Grayscale)

Path: Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters

2. Auto-Brightness — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size

3. Reduce White Point — Set to ON (> 65%)

Path: Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Reduce White Point

4. Dark Mode — Set to ON

Path: Settings > Display & Brightness

5. USB Accessories — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Face ID & Passcode > USB Accessories

6. Talk to Siri — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri > Talk to Siri

7. Sound Recognition — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Accessibility > Sound Recognition

8. Background App Refresh — Set to OFF (Global)

Path: Settings > General > Background App Refresh

9. Screen Time — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Screen Time

10. Safari Service Workers — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced > Feature Flags > Service Workers

11. Apple Intelligence — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri > Apple Intelligence

12. iCloud Photos Sync — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Photos > iCloud Photos

13. Location Services — Set to OFF (Global)

Path: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services

14. Reduce Motion — Set to ON

Path: Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Reduce Motion

15. Keyboard Haptics — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Keyboard Feedback > Haptic

B. High Battery Impact

These settings offer massive battery savings by turning off intense background processes, heavy visual effects, and continuous location tracking, without completely crippling the device.

1. Limit Frame Rate — Set to ON

Path: Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Limit Frame Rate

2. Auto-Lock Timeout — Set to 2 Minutes (Max)

Path: Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock

3. 5G / Cellular Data — Set to LTE Only / 5G Auto

Path: Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data

4. Find My Network — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Share My Location > Find My iPad > Find My network

5. iCloud Cellular Backup — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back Up Over Cellular

6. Raise to Wake — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Display & Brightness > Raise to Wake

7. Apple Pencil Hover — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Apple Pencil > Show Effects when using Pencil

8. Attention Aware Features — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Accessibility > Face ID & Attention > Attention Aware Features

9. Tap to Wake — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Tap to Wake

7. Predictive Text — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > General > Keyboard > Predictive Text

8. Dolby Atmos — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Apps > Music > Dolby Atmos

9. Share iPad Analytics — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements > Share iPad Analytics

10. Share iCloud Analytics — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements > Share iCloud Analytics

11. Handoff — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > General > AirPlay & Continuity > Handoff

12. iCloud Keychain Sync — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Passwords and Keychain

13. Protect Mail Activity — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Mail > Privacy Protection > Protect Mail Activity

14. Fetch New Mail Data — Set to OFF (Manual)

Path: Settings > Mail > Accounts > Fetch New Data

15. Live Activities — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Live Activities

16. AirDrop via Cellular — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > General > AirDrop > Use Cellular Data

17. Significant Locations — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Significant Locations

18. Optimized Charging — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging > Optimized Battery Charging

19. Local Network Access — Set to ALL OFF

Path: Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network

20. Low Data Mode — Set to ON

Path: Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Low Data Mode

21. Increase Contrast — Set to ON

Path: Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Increase Contrast

22. Button Shapes — Set to ON

Path: Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Button Shapes

23. Keyboard Sound — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Keyboard Feedback > Sound

24. Siri on AirPods — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Accessibility > Siri > Listen for "Siri" on AirPods

25. Calls from iPhone — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Apps > FaceTime > Calls from iPhone

C. Medium Battery Impact

These are excellent everyday tweaks. They stop your iPad from constantly polling for nearby devices, checking for minor updates, or running unnecessary audio/visual enhancements.

1. True Tone — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Display & Brightness > True Tone

2. Spatial Audio Tracking — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > Headphone Accommodations > Spatial Audio Head Tracking

3. Wi-Fi 6E Mode — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Wi-Fi > [Network Name] > Wi-Fi 6E Mode

4. Auto-Download Podcasts — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Podcasts > Automatically Download

5. Bring Devices Together — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > General > AirDrop > Bring Devices Together

6. Pencil Double Tap — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Apple Pencil > Double Tap / Squeeze

7. Music EQ — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Music > EQ

8. Announce Notifications — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications

9. Private Wi-Fi Address — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Wi-Fi > [Home/Trusted Network] > Private Wi-Fi Address

10. Focus Status Syncing — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Focus > Focus Status

11. Contact Verification — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Apple ID > Personal Information > Contact Key Verification

12. Detect Leaked Passwords — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Passwords > Security Recommendations > Detect Compromised Passwords

13. iCloud Health Sync — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Health

14. Enable Dictation — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > General > Keyboard > Enable Dictation

15. Siri App Library Search — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Siri & Search > Show in App Library & Spotlight

16. Safari WebGL 2.0 — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced > WebGL 2.0

17. Contacts Fetching — Set to OFF (Manual)

Path: Settings > Contacts > Accounts > Fetch New Data

18. Setting Time Zone — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Setting Time Zone

19. Ask to Join Networks — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Wi-Fi > Ask to Join Networks

19. Emergency Alerts — Set to ALL OFF

Path: Settings > Notifications > Emergency Alerts (Bottom of page)

20. Continuity Camera — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > AirPlay & Continuity > Continuity Camera

21. AutoFill Passkeys — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Passwords > Password Options > AutoFill Passwords and Passkeys

22. Weather Location — Set to NEVER

Path: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Weather

23. Routing & Traffic — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Routing & Traffic

D. Low Battery Impact

These tweaks provide minor, incremental savings. They eliminate very small background checks and niche features that you likely won't miss anyway.

1. Compass Calibration — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Compass Calibration

2. Device Management — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Device Management

4. Clean Up OTP Codes — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Passwords > Password Options > Clean Up Automatically

5. Notes Corner Gestures — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Notes > Corner Gestures > Left/Right Corner Swipe

6. Speak Screen — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content > Speak Screen / Speak Selection

7. Text Message Forwarding — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding

8. Sync Podcast Library — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Podcasts > Sync Library / Sync Stations

9. Apple Dictionary — Set to Uncheck ALL

Path: Settings > General > Dictionary

10. Home Control on Lock — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Home Control

11. Accessibility Zoom — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Accessibility > Zoom

12. System Customization — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > System Customization

13. Personalized Ads — Set to OFF

Path: Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising > Personalized Ads

I’d like to preface this by saying that I’m only just getting into the habit of reading actual books, so I don’t have the skills required to tell a good book apart from a bad book. The first book I read on the topics mentioned in the title is The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. The second one that I’m currently reading is Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. But according to the comments on a very recent post on this sub, both of those books are “trash” and “bottom of the barrel”. So I’m hoping that I can get some recommendations on books on these topics that are actually good.

Feel free to not read any further and skip directly to making recommendations, but I’ll leave a list of things I’m trying to learn, and questions I’ve been asking on the aforementioned topics in order to facilitate better recommendations from experienced readers.

Topics of interest:

1. How to maximise earnings

2. How to minimise expenses

3. How to maximise returns from investments

4. How to multiply money

5. How money flows

6. How taxes work (and how to minimise taxes)

7. How the legalities of money work

8. Different asset classes (and how to maximise profit from them)

9. The psychology of money / best money habits

10. The mindset or mental model/framework required to build wealth and succeed in entrepreneurship

Specific questions that came to mind:

1. Where does the journey to building wealth begin? What is the first thing that I should do? Is there a checklist of activities that I can follow?

2. Assuming I’m not inclined to take out a loan, how much money should I have saved up before attempting to start my first business?

3. How do I identify the niche I should start my business in? Is there a methodical approach to it? If yes, what is it?

4. Which topics do I need to have a rudimentary or comprehensive knowledge of in order to succeed in entrepreneurship?

5. What are the best resources (videos, books, tutorials etc) I can study in order to learn everything I need to learn about building wealth and entrepreneurship?

6. How do I find and connect with entrepreneurs who have already made it so that I can learn from them directly?

7. Do I need a mentor to succeed as an entrepreneur, or is it entirely possible to succeed as a self-taught entrepreneur? If needed, how do I find a mentor?

If you’ve read this far, thank you very much! Looking forward to hearing (and reading) all your recommendations.