Im 'open' to all 'ideas' and advice, pointless being here otherwise eh, as im here to learn after all.
No.. I dont think you are.. sorry...
My Granddad was a mechanic. He used to get rather annoyed by folk in the street, asking for advice, or to borrow tools, or expect him to turn their clapped out 850 Mini into a Ferrari that did 200mph and returned 200mpg by twiddling the carburetor....I'd often bring him a cuppa out to the shed to receive the bombast "
They ask you a question! answer it themselves!! THEN call me an effin LIAR!!!"
That's what you are doing here. You don't know enough to know how little you know. You have a chunk of ideas and even more preconceptions; and are rejecting advice you are offered because you don't like it, or think you know better, and insulting the folk offering it....
If it was shot on the old style cameras that used film, PS and LR weren't invented in them days.....is that correct?
Provided some posts earlier...
Photographers have been using various darkroom processing techniques, e.g. cropping, dodging, burning, pushing, pulling, etc. pretty much since photography began. Lightroom is literally a digital darkroom. .
That 'query' you pose had actually been de-bunked before you even asked it! - You are analysing offered advice; cherry picking replies, challenging it, and calling it 'learning'.?!?!?!? - It's a bit like walking into a Hospital cafeteria, and saying "
I want to be a Brain Surgeon... what scalpel should I buy?" then arguing with the patient who tells you that they have ever had brain surgery, but can really recommend anti-botics? Or the porter who offers discourse on the merits of saw blades, and the nurse who tells you the important thing is the steralisation.....
You KNOW, a lot of folk that want to do things to a 'professional' as in they get paid for it standard, more actually get paid for it.. dont' start by walking into the hospital cafeteria ad asking any-on and every-one for thier opinions and arguing the toss with them, and complaining that they aren't being shown the 'respect' the Doctors deserve, because they are a chef....
THEY GO TO COLLEGE.. they do the courses, they get the qualification; they LEARN stuff from first principles.. and they DONT argue with the teachers.. they LEARN.
THAT is what I advice you do.... you are NOT a photographer; I DGAS what you 'think' being an 'artist' may or may ot bring to the arena; you do NOT have any expert knowledge let alone qualification in the arena, and you REALLY don't know just how little you know. My 'recommended' start point, is to go to your local college, see what photography courses they offer; get the prospectus; see what 'camera' they expect you to equip yourself with to do the course; and then book a place on it.
Right here, right now, you have ambitions and aspirations to make professional, salable prints, in a niche area of the topic, and are asking what camera and what lens, when you don't EVEN tell us whether you are hoping to take photo's of sharks or minnows, YET authoritatively stating that 'close focus' will be essential!?!?!?!? That you NEED to be able to shoot in both bright and dim light, d arguing the toss with Phil. an actual professional(?!?) over how important lighting is?!?!?
As has been said;
photography is 95% in the photographer NOT the equipment.
As an artist you MIGHT appreciate the suggestion its a BIT like suggesting that all you need to be a professional artist is a sable hair paint brush and a smock!
This thread has mushroomed from the first page; where I was going to offer some 'questions' rather than 'advice'.. like "How BIG are these fish or the tanks you want to snap?" And deteriorated into FIVE PAGES of argument and argy bargy, with you getting ever more arrogant that you are NOT being given the answer you want! Being Patronised by folk you have asked patronage of!! And Arguing the TOSS whilst revealing you REALLY haven't got the first clue, and it is ALL far far over your head.
At this stage, you do NOT need a camera; you do NOT need lighting stacks or macro lenses; you do NOT need a computer or a printer, you need a healthy dose of humility; you need a BIG ctrl+alt+Del reset to your presumptions and arrogance; and you need to start, from fresh, at the beginning, as a know-nothing absolute beginner! And park the aspirations and ambitions, of wanting to win the Olympics and what would be the best trainers to buy, before you have even stepped foot on an athletics track!
Five pages of asking questions, answering them yourself and calling contributors liars..... [shakes head] ... good luck.