https://strobist.blogspot.com/2014/09/education-gear-for-your-brain.html

I don’t see this as a shutter speed issue as other posters mention. Every lens stopped down to f2.x or more will have very shallow depth of field. So some part of the photo is likely sharp but not the eyes which is the target for portraits. Especially with a subject that won’t hold still try stopping down to at least 5.6 and set your light for the same.

You should also review how to use high speed shutter with flash. Does your camera support HSS? If so, 1\160th isn’t in high speed zone… that would be anything over the the fastest default shutter your camera is designed to use, usually around 250th or lower. The band means that you have settings in conflict which results in the shutter over the sensor for part of the flash duration. Easily fixed.

First, become familiar with the principle of RTFM. Your question suggest you haven’t and just using whatever settings your glean from correspondents here won’t change that. There is no easy path to learning photography. The effort should improve your work.

Why do you want to change the defaults? Have you experimented with them at all? If you don’t know why the monitor is set to 6500k or which color space to use, that’s where you need to start. Read, test, evaluate, and bring your curated questions to the group.

You’re question may as well be what sneakers to wear while you edit.

Also consider joining a local photographers group. Most will have a competition each meet up. The judging is process is a great learning opportunity. You will learn what the judges look for and often how closely they look at the images. It’s a great opportunity to meet and network with other shooters, too. With what you learn about judging locally, you will have a leg up for the wider scope.

Bubblewrap is good and inexpensive, stores easier than cardboard.

In addition to the photogs mentioned here, look at Daniel Norton’s youtubes. He has a nice balance between gear and technique. But heavier on the studio technique. Adorama also has a great series where artist use gear they happen to sell to produce work. Same story, the photogs focus on techniques. No hard selling of gear.

I want to echo what others have said about flash outdoors. It opens possibilities beyond what available light can do.

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https://www.youtube.com/c/danielnortonphotographer

If you’re near a metro area, then search for a local photography swap meet. i have gotten great deals on bags, tripods, lenses, filters, bodies. And have sold gear to vendors at them too. I suggest this because you should find some good options. It’s buyer beware but you will be able to give it a good look over before you buy. Short of that, I don’t think you will find a sturdy, long lasting tripod in your price range. Also, I assume you are using your camera to shoot video? Otherwise, video gear needs to be on heavier tripods for safety.

First thing I would check is whether your camera maker offers an editing tool.

Nikon has NX Studio which I use to import the raw files and do the general stuff (tweaking exposure, white balance, lens corrections, that kind of stuff.) Then I use GIMP, RawTherapy, and Darktable. All of these will be difficult for a beginner photographer but there are tons of videos online. Review a few of the ones at the GIMP site to get a feel. Darktable is not for the meek but it does great stuff and excellent video tutorials.

Canon also has free editing software, I think. I don’t know about other makers so do your homework there.

The big media companies hire photographers and only a few of them. I like many of the comments here. You will need peerless skills in many areas in addition to photographic skills. Do you speak any languages? Have you any military experience? Are you working as a press stringer now?

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Have you seen the Killing Fields?

Concerts are events and event photography is usually per event with some understanding that some specific number of shots or specific moments will be delivered. But you are working with an amateur so it’s maybe more casual. You haven’t said what agreement you have about fair use but I assume there is an understanding about that. Copyright is an unresolved issue in your arrangement based on what you have given us. As a musician you might appreciate those complexities, it is the same for artists with a camera. This should be settled to everyone’s satisfaction or you risk access to those images for an intended use. Event photography pricing varies widely so perhaps call around in your area to find out what pros are charging, not the big fish in your town but some of the minor players. If you’re amateur has any professional aspirations, they need to wrestle with both copyright and fee structuring as well. As a businesses, both parties need to tighten up for best results.