u/justsomesdude

Noob photographer here. I am trying to understand the best camera settings and well, really, how best to stage a shoot to get the best results based on sun/weather, or things to be aware of. I'm in the central southern U.S.

For example - let's say my scene is a brick wall facing directly south with a person standing against it also looking directly south. Is there a certain time of day (or time of year, even) where the natural lighting yields best results?

Also, same scenario, what sort of camera settings should I adjust depending on how much cloud cover there is?

Also, a flip of the prior scenario, let's say my scene is an open field with a person in it and I can move myself anywhere 360 degrees around the subject. Where is the best place for the subject to face, and me to stand, relative to the sun, I guess? And is there anything I should be aware of in the camera settings depending on the weather/cloud cover?

I have similar questions but for shooting indoors with windows, as well. Same rules apply?

I'd like to dabble in real estate photography as a side hustle, but I don't have a wide angle lens. (for that matter, I also have no idea how to get practice shots at it or how to break into it).

I'm tempted to get a wide angle lens to try and get started, but I'm also afraid it might go to waste if I can't break into the field somehow. So IDK how much money I should spend.

Anyhoo, these all looked like good choices to me, but I didn't know if there were adequate less expensive options or if one seems better than another. The Sigma 14-24 Art Lens seems most useful, but is also the most expensive.

Sony 16-25 f/2.8 G Lens ($1298)

Sigma 14-24 f/2.8 DG DN Art Lens ($1539)

Sigma 16-28 f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens ($939)

Tamron 16-30 f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Lens ($929)

Thoughts or suggestions for getting started?

I want to use a Sony Alpha7V to start making either short films or content for YouTube.

I have 2 main questions:

(1) Best way to capture quality audio (gear recs, tips, etc)

(2) How to edit multiple footages shot into one coherent final product. It seems extremely tedious to go through the footage and cut bits and pieces of it out and then insert it into the order I want, but I guess that is just how it's done?

I have no idea where to start.

I've never really done post processing because I can't decide what makes the picture look better (e.g. warmer vs cooler).