Photographer In Training

What is good enough?

Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS camera

• 8.0 Megapixel
• Focal length: 6.2-18.6mm f/2.8-4.9 (35mm film equivalent: 38-114mm)
• Maximum aperture: f/2.8 (Wideangle) - f/4.9 (Telephoto)
• Shutter speed: 15-1/1500 sec.; Long Shutter operates with noise reduction when manually set at 1.3-15 sec.
• Sensitivity: Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 equivalent (Standard output sensitivity. Recommended exposure index)
• Light metering method: Evaluative*, Center-weighted average, Spot**
• Pixels: Still Image: 3,264 x 2,448 (Large),
• JPEG compression: Still Image: Exif 2.2 (JPEG)

Depth of field increases with f-number, as illustrated in the image here. This means that photographs taken with a low f-number will tend to have subjects at one distance in focus, with the rest of the image (nearer and farther elements) out of focus. This is frequently used for nature photography and portraiture because background blur (bokeh) can be aesthetically pleasing and puts the viewer's focus on the main subject in the foreground. 

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3845728#forum-post-55833477
http://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/getting-started-with-your-new-monolight-kit--photo-14128
Monolights:

• http://www.blinkphotographic.com/collections/monolights/products/godox-ds200-200w-s-monolight
• http://www.amazon.com/Flashpoint-DG600-Watt-Second-Monolight/dp/B007JD3CZQ
• http://www.adorama.com/FP600DKT.html

Some helpful terminology:

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/which-camera-should-i-get/

Specifically:

Focal length describes the angle of view of a lens: how much of the scene it can take in. It is expressed in millimeters. The higher the number, the narrower the field of view. A 20mm lens is considered a wide focal length as it captures approximately an 84-degree angle of view. A 200mm lens, by comparison, offers a narrower, 10-degree angle of view, though with much greater magnification.