Reply To: Let me have it.

[Bill]

From what I see, skin re-touching is where I would start.

I would not totally rely on apps or actions for skin touch-ups or smoothing but there are some good apps out there that will help with heavy workloads, but I would use them wisely.
Imagenomic Portraiture is a good one and is fairly easy to use. I use it from time to time but lightly. The best method that seems to work for me is to export as a separate layer and then adjust the opacity from there. This way you can keep a lot of the natural skin texture while still touching it up.

Another is Portrait Professional Pro, I have never tried this app, but some say it is good, but I have no idea.

Remember, all these apps and plugins do what photoshop can right out of the box, it may save time using the plugins, but knowing what it is doing and how can be very beneficial. Photoshop classes in your area and YouTube can help you out. In my area, there are local groups that do free or nearly free courses, you may want to check out some of the local community groups to see if they offer anything like this.

As for the lighting, YouTube, again, can be a valued resource if you don’t mind spending the time to watch countless videos and how-to’s. It is very helpful and you get to see how others achieve those shots, sometimes using simple techniques.
Another way would be to see if a local photographer has a need for an assistant to get first hand experience, but this can be a little restrictive and time consuming, but again beneficial.
Meetup.com can also help out. Again, several groups to choose from, some offer hands-on some free some not. You’ll have to determine which would be a better deal for you.

Color management is a big deal, I use a X-rite display pro, but they have other models like colormunki

As for lenses, you can always rent one before making that big investment. I have “L” lenses and yes they are nice, but pricey. They can easily destroy any budget. I tend to go towards the larger focal length when doing portraits. Typically, I use either a 24-70 f/2.8, 50 f/1.2, 135mm f/2 or a 70-200 f/2.8, those are my goto lenses that I use. Not saying one is better than the other, they each have their pro’s and con’s. The Canon 85 L is nice, good choice.

Hope this helps out