Photography Blog Written by Joe Edelman (Cr.Photog.)

Photography Advice

Stop Making Excuses and You Will Improve Your Photography

Episode #225 of the TOGCHAT Photography Podcast - Recorded November 11th, 2020
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Modeling Resources

How To Find the Best Models & What Makes a Great Model?

Episode #223 of the TOGCHAT Photography Podcast - Recorded October 28th, 2020
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Photo Shoot Tips

How To Improve Your Portrait Lighting With a Circle and Some String

Episode #221 of the TOGCHAT Photography Podcast - Recorded October 14th, 2020
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Photography Advice

The Most Valuable Learning Technique That Most Photographers Ignore

Episode #220 of the TOGCHAT Photography Podcast - Recorded October 7th, 2020
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Photography Advice

The Problem With “Fix It in Post” and “Get It Right in the Camera”

It’s time we put some updated sensibilities’ behind the statements “fix it in post” and “getting it right in the camera”. A few people mentioned these phrases to me recently and honestly I was surprised to hear how they interpreted the meaning behind them. I was even more surprised and…
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Photo Shoot Tips

My 5 Best Tips To Stop People From Blinking in Photographs

Blinking in photographs is a problem that every photographer deals with and while it frustrates many, most photographers come up with little tricks to avoid the blinks, but even those tricks aren’t foolproof and usually don’t account for the real reason the blinks are happening in the first place. You’re…
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Photography Advice

7 Things My Subjects Have Taught Me About Photography

Learning to be a better photographer is not all about learning photography. Especially if you want to photograph people. Don’t get me wrong, you still need to read your camera manual, learn about exposure controls, Depth of Field and the dreaded Inverse Square Law. Let’s face it, there is no…
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Photography Advice

9 Behaviors That GREAT Photographers Embrace

We all look at the most successful photographers and wonder what would it take to “be them”. There are some things that we can point to with certainty that are key to their success. Skills, intelligence and very importantly discipline. You have probably heard the phrase “Work smarter, not harder”.…
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Photography Gear

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV Camera

Olympus has just announced its latest entry level camera in the OM-D lineup – or should I say entry level interchangeable lens camera with Intermediate level features and even some pro camera capabilities – the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV. As promised, the Olympus imaging division is moving full steam…
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Photography Advice

Why You Need To Join Professional Photographers of America (PPA)

Did you know that Professional Photographers of America is NOT just for professional photographers? And it’s not just for photographers based in the US. PPA is short for Professional Photographers of America. It is the world’s largest nonprofit photography association organized for photographers by photographers, with over 30,000 members in…
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Modeling Resources

MODELING PORTFOLIO 101

A modeling portfolio is a model’s most important marketing tool. The modeling portfolio is what will get you signed by modeling agency(s) and hired by clients. Modeling is a first-impression business. Your photographs are always seen by the modeling agencies and clients BEFORE you are, so if they don’t sell…
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Photography Lighting Techniques

The Importance of Catchlights for Portraits

If you are going to shoot portraits, don’t overlook the importance of catchlights. They’re a small detail that can easily make or break your shot. So what’s the big deal about catchlights? Catchlights play an important role in creating dimension and depth and in adding life to a portrait by…
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DIY Photography Tips

2 Fun DIY Photography Backgrounds for Glamour and Portrait Images

DIY Photography Backgrounds I love cool gear. Who doesn’t? But a great photographer isn’t necessarily the person with the fanciest gear. A great photographer is a great problem solver. Chances are, you probably have a lot of really cool portrait and glamour backdrops sitting around your house, and you don’t…
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Photo Shoot Tips

The Stuck at Home Photography Challenge

Given the current world events – photography may be more important to you than ever. Let me take just a moment to offer my prayers and sympathies to those who have been directly affected and to offer my wishes and hopes that all of you will be smart and remain…
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Modeling Resources

Baby Modeling – 6 Things for Parents To Consider

Baby modeling is NOT for everyone! It’s only for babies! *hits drums* Ba-Dum-CH! :-) If you are the parent of an adorable little baby or toddler, congratulations! I’m sure you are reading this article because people stop you all the time and tell you that your son or daughter should…
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Photography Gear

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III

Click here for the specs on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III. Olympus has just announced a very exciting upgrade to the OM-D E-M1 Mark II. Allow me to introduce you to the latest pro camera in the flagship group the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III. Read on to learn…
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DIY Photography Tips

Livestream Setup in My DIY Home Studio for Photography Videos

A lot of folks have asked me for the details on the livestream setup and gear that I use to produce my photography videos for YouTube. I’ve been doing YouTube videos weekly now for just about 4 years. The home studio setup that I am using now is the result…
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DIY Photography Tips

Unlimited One-of-a-Kind DIY Portrait Backgrounds

How about a DIY portrait background that will save you money and give you infinite creative possibilities? A portrait should NEVER be about the background, however, the background can make or break the shot. My favorite solid background color is gray, because with gels I can make it just about…
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Photo Shoot Tips

Shooting Cowboys and Cacti in the Arizona Desert

What goes on inside my head during a shoot? A few people have asked me that question, so I thought I would share my experience while trying out the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III for the very first time. Recently, I posted a few shots on Facebook from a trip…
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Photography Advice

3 Most Important Things You Must Do To Improve Your Photography

It’s a new year and the beginning of a new decade. All of which means – opportunity. Opportunity to become a better photographer. Opportunity to improve your photography skills and even improve your ability to make money as a photographer if that is your goal. 2019 was a great year…
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Photography Gear

Compact Studio Strobes – Godox MS200 & Godox MS300

These are two extremely affordable studio strobes from Godox that a lot of photographers don’t know about. Certainly when we think of Godox flashes and strobe lighting we think of the AD200 Pocket flashes and the AD400 and AD600 studio strobes that run on lithium batteries. We know that Godox…
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Photography Advice

It’s Time To Hold the Photo Industry Media Accountable!

I am so disappointed! First and foremost – I am disappointed with the companies that make our cameras. Not just my brand – Olympus, but all of them… Canon – Nikon – Sony – Fuji – Panasonic – all of them. Secondly – I am disappointed in photography YouTubers who…
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Photo Shoot Tips

Create the Wow – Make Your Portraits EPIC

PhotoPlus Expo 2019 is in the books and once again I had the honor of presenting for Olympus at the three day tradeshow in New York City. My talk was titled Create the WOW – Make your Portraits EPIC and it featured portrait photography and studio lighting techniques done with…
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Modeling Resources

How To Discover a Modeling Scam Before It’s Too Late!

I have noticed a trend in the past few years: modeling scam artists are getting smarter in the modeling biz! Years ago there were only a few and it was actually pretty obvious which companies were running modeling scams. These individuals have gotten smarter and realize that new models are…
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Events From My Photography Career

Bold and Beautiful Fashion Portraits at WPPI

The Wedding and Portrait Professionals International (WPPI) show was held in late February again this year at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Once again, I had the honor of presenting on the Olympus stage using the new Olympus OM-D E-M1X. Olympus was kind enough to allow…
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Events From My Photography Career

How My Photo Became a 48’ Wide Billboard

I would like to take you behind the scenes of this bold blue beauty shot and show you how it wound up on a 48-foot wide by 14 foot tall ArtPop Street Gallery billboard. This photo resided on a billboard that is just off Rt. 309 in Allentown, Pennsylvania for…
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Photography Gear

Olympus OM-D E-M1X – My First Impressions

The wait is over – here it is – the new addition to the Olympus E-M1 series. The Olympus OM-D E-M1X! So let’s get this out of the way, right up front… in case you don’t know, I am an Olympus Visionary. So yes – I am sponsored by Olympus.…
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DIY Photography Tips

DIY Portrait Backgrounds To Improve Your Holiday Portraits

Learn how to make some glorious DIY bokeh ball backgrounds from your Christmas decorations- for less than ten bucks.
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Events From My Photography Career

My Interview With Good Light Magazine

Here are the screen captures from my recent 18 page spread in the British Good Light Magazine. This article by the magazines editor Bienna Ursula features images that I have shot in the studio, on location and on stage for Olympus. It includes gear lists as well as lighting diagrams…
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Photography Gear

15 Air Travel Tips for Photographers

When I pack camera gear for a trip, I’m a habitual over-packer. If I could fit the kitchen sink in a suitcase, believe me I would do it. So I am going to share some hard-learned tips and tricks for making air travel with your photography gear a little easier.…
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Photo Shoot Tips

Diary of a Street Fashion Photo Walk in New York

I had the honor of leading a Street Fashion Photo Walk at this year’s PhotoPlus Expo in New York City. This was a two hour walk that was advertised as an opportunity for photographers to spend two hours with me on the Friday morning of PPE2018. The Photo Walk Description…
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Photography Gear

WHY I shot an assignment as JPEGS

I was hired for a marketing assignment for Olympus to shoot on location with two young Instagrammers and the Olympus Pen E-PL9 Camera. And just to make it fun, I shot the entire assignment as jpegs – NO RAW. Read on and I will tell you why. The marketing team…
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Photo Shoot Tips

The Best Ways To Blow Hair For Glamour Portraits

If you like working with models or photographing beautiful women, at some point you’re going to want to try a blowing hair shot. The problem as we all know is that hair often has a mind of its own, so adding wind is definitely a recipe for disaster – UNLESS…
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Photography Advice

If You Want To Find Success as a Photographer Stop Asking for Opinions!

If you want to find success as a photographer – STOP asking people what they think about your photographs or what they think you should do to improve – just stop. It’s not helping you – in fact it’s making it harder to progress and improve as a photographer because…
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DIY Photography Tips

The Best DIY Photography Reflector for Less Than $2.00

Bet you didn’t know that Walmart sold professional lighting accessories. Here’s an inexpensive and effective DIY photography reflector that you can find at any Walmart or Dollar Store. If you’ve read many of my articles or attended my workshops, you have heard me talk about my famous DIY photography reflector,…
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Photography Gear

Monitor Viewing Angle Gauge

As laptop computers become more powerful, I see more and more photographers processing their images and videos on their small laptop screens. Now I will admit, us old guys prefer bigger screens to work on, but even if you are working on an iMac like I do – the screens…
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Photography Gear

My Olympus Camera Gear – The 6 Month Report Card

It’s been 6 months since I shared this article about switching to Olympus cameras and a lot of people have been asking for my thoughts about micro four thirds and if I am happy with the switch or if I regret it in any way. Now that I’ve had more…
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Photo Shoot Tips

Photo Shoot With Celebrity Magician Matthew Furman

My tagline says I Shoot People and that’s exactly what keeps me motivated as a photographer. My camera is my ticket to meet and interact with people. People that I would otherwise never have the opportunity to experience. Throughout my career I’ve had the opportunity to photograph numerous magicians on…
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DIY Photography Tips

DIY Justin Clamp

What is a Justin Clamp? A Justin Clamp is an incredibly versatile clamp that retails from Manfrotto for $56.00. Below is a DIY Justin Clamp that I will show you how to make for $23.00. Why is it called a Justin Clamp and what do you use it for? It’s…
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Photo Shoot Tips

Fashion Portraits With Cellophane

I’m always on the lookout for things that I can drape around a model, or turn into an outfit, or place over a light source to change the color of the light, or even turn into a background. As a result, I make frequent trips to local fabric stores and…
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Events From My Photography Career

Fashion Portraiture with Simple Lighting Presented at WPPI

Since switching to Olympus cameras, I really have been having a ton of fun shooting without sacrificing features or image quality. The Olympus gear has met and exceeded every one of my expectations and even saved me time in post production. I have also been very fortunate – Olympus has…
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DIY Photography Tips

DIY Portrait Backgrounds

Have you ever considered the idea of painting with light to make a portrait background? The possibilities with this live composite technique are endless and it’s actually a lot easier than you might think. Some of you may be thinking that, although light painting has been around for decades, it’s…
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DIY Photography Tips

3 DIY PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS to Create Depth in Studio Portraits

3 DIY PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS Solid colored backgrounds are great when shooting people because they let you isolate your subject, and since they come in different colors they are very versatile – if you have enough money to buy every color. I already showed you in this YouTube video that gray…
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Photo Shoot Tips

Top 3 Tips and Advice To Hide a Double Chin in Photos

How To Hide a Double Chin in Photos Table of ContentsIntroductionWhat’s the Big Deal With a Double Chin?How To Hide a Double Chin in Photos – The Tips1. The Turtle Stretch2. Shoot From Above3. MakeupChin TuckersLighting Techniques To Hide a Double Chin in PhotosDon’t Hide Behind Your CameraConclusion Introduction Turkey…
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Photography Lighting Techniques

Your Best Shot Is a Mistake!?!

Sometimes your best shot presents itself as a mistake, and if you are not paying attention you will fix the mistake and wind up with a less creative, less exciting, less interesting photograph. I want to show you an example from a recent shoot where this happened to me and…
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Photo Shoot Tips

How To Save a Shoot When Your Idea Isn’t Working

What do you do when you have a beautiful subject with amazing makeup in front of your camera and you want to produce a shot that is truly special and… it’s just not coming together? Maybe the lighting is boring, the camera angles are bland, and the sweat is starting…
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Photo Shoot Tips

Sci-Fi Inspired Four Light Fashion Portrait Tutorial

What can we create with four strobes, some blue gels, a big fan, and a gorgeous model with incredible eyes? Two unique sci-fi fashion portraits. I’m going to show you how I did it and share with you why it’s important to emotionally LET GO of your work once you…
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Photography Gear

Goodbye Nikon! Hello Olympus!

I did it. I said goodbye to Nikon. I switched to Olympus. That’s right — micro four-thirds and I couldn’t be happier. My only disappointment is that I didn’t do it much sooner. My Camera History I purchased my first Nikon camera — used in 1975 and I’ve shot with…
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Photography Gear

The Honey Badger by Interfit Photographic

I was wrong. A few months back I wrote this article and told you that I thought the Paul C. Buff DigiBee was potentially the most underrated flash unit on the market. I was simply wrong — for a bunch of reasons that all involve the Interfit Honey Badger from…
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Photography Gear

Acratech Ball Heads on Benro Tripods

In this Part 2 of my How to Choose a Tripod Series, I’m going to show you which tripods I use and tell you why. Plus, I’ll show you what I think is the best tripod ball head ever made! Hopefully you read Part 1 of this set and you…
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Photography Gear

10 Tripod Tips and Tricks

A tripod is one of the most important pieces of gear that you should own and use as a photographer. Yet I see so many photographers struggle to choose the right tripod, or– even worse–not use them properly or– the absolute worst of all–not use them when they should be…
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DIY Photography Tips

DIY Strip Light Modifier for Speedlights

Grab your Jedi robes and your stuffed Ewoks, because I’m about to show you how to make a bigger, brighter, light saber than any of the ones you see in the Star Wars movies–perfect for photographing Princess Leia. These lightsabers are even daylight balanced and great for shooting portraits both…
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Photography Advice

What is Dynamic Range?

Over the last month or so I have been asked more and more questions about dynamic range, and I am seeing more and more articles and YouTube videos with headlines about this topic. Indeed, it is becoming the big buzz phrase in GEARtographer discussions all over the internet. I’m seeing…
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Photography Gear

LED Lighting for Photographers

I have been having a ton of fun shooting with these LED lights and even learned some cool stuff along the way. I wanted to close by sharing my thoughts on LED lighting for photography, and, of course, I’ll take you behind the scenes for another shoot using ALL of…
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Photography Gear

Smith Victor CooLED Lights

In this article- Part 4 of my LED light series- I’m gonna show you some lights from the Smith Victor CooLED series. These include three LED studio lights that look more like studio strobes that you can attach modifiers to like you do with a strobe. I’ll also add a…
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Photo Shoot Tips

Self Portrait Tutorial

How I shot my self portrait for social media and my photography website The task: I got a new pair of glasses and that means it was time to update my profile photo for my website and social media. When shooting a portrait, ask yourself: WHO is the subject? Me!…
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Photography Advice

Can We Please Stop Watermarking Photographs?

My Facebook group recently blew up in a heated debate: Why is watermarking an issue? Painters add their signature right into their painting as an assurance that people will be able to identify them as the artist but they do it in a way that you frequently need to hunt…
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Photography Gear

Led Portrait Lighting With Savage Edge Lit Pro Led Lights

How do you make an LED lighting panel that is much bigger than a strobe, yet super thin and has really even light across the front panel?… You light it from the edge. That’s want Savage Universal did with these awesome Savage Edge Lit Pro LED Lights, which I’ll be…
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Photography Advice

Success in Photography – It’s in the Details

Last week, fStoppers.com published an article by a very talented Canadian shooter named Ryan Cooper. The article was titled “Why being pickier will make you a better photographer.” The article reminded me of a presentation that I’ve been doing variations of for almost ten years. It’s titled The Art of…
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Photography Gear

Spekular LED Photography Lights / What Is Cri?

Spekular is a new modular LED lighting system that is being referred to as the Swiss army knife of lighting. For the second part of my continuous lighting series, I am going to put Spekular to the test and I am going to do my best to demystify those three…
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