Start Portrait Photography.
The right way.

You're looking at the £600–£1,200 range. APS-C sensors are entirely capable for portraits — the Fuji X-T30 II, Sony ZV-E10 II, Canon R50, and Nikon Z30 all produce excellent skin tones and handle mixed indoor light well. Full-frame gives you better low-light performance and marginally shallower depth of field, but it isn't the priority at this stage.

What actually matters: a body you'll carry. Portrait photography is slow and deliberate. You're not chasing action, you're not shooting in rain. Good skin-tone rendering and reliable autofocus in soft indoor light are the specs that affect your images day-to-day.

The 85mm prime (or its 50mm equivalent on APS-C) is the classic portrait focal length for very good reasons. The compression flatters faces — noses appear proportionate, facial features sit naturally in relation to each other. Background separation at f/1.8 is clean without being clinical. And you're far enough from your subject that they relax.

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.8, Sony FE 85mm f/1.8, and Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8G are all under £400 and genuinely excellent performers that have been trusted by working photographers for decades. On Fuji APS-C, the 56mm f/1.2 is the benchmark. These lenses will outlast multiple camera bodies.

A pop-up reflector (£15–25) is the single highest-impact accessory in portrait photography. It fills shadows, redirects window light, and eliminates the flat unflattering look of direct overcast daylight. Buy this before anything else — before a tripod, before extra batteries.

Add a basic speedlight (£50–80) when you want directional control. A Godox TT600 or similar off-camera flash triggered by a cheap radio trigger transforms what's possible in any location. You don't need a studio — a single flash, a reflector, and a plain wall is a complete portrait setup.