Where to take my idea..

After researching further into identity and trying to think of ways to integrate it with a surrealistic aesthetic I have started to realise that with my time frames and lack of software it is going to be difficult for me to do both these things. So I have decided to continue with the identity theme but I would now like my work to be shot in a portrait style. I want to be be able to capture my subjects personality/ background in a single strong image. To make these stand out I will need to experiment with lighting as this is very important when it comes to portraiture and do a bit of research on lens' to determine which will give the best effect.