Gear

TOGCHATS

Buying Used Camera Gear. Advice from Phil Kaplan of KEH Camera

Episode #253 of the TOGCHAT Photography Podcast - Recorded June 11th, 2021
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TOGCHATS

Udi Tirosh — The Creative Mind Behind Spiffy Gear Lighting

Episode #236 of the TOGCHAT Photography Podcast - Recorded January 27th, 2021
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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 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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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 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 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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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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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 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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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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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

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 Gear

LED Continuous Lights vs Strobes for Photography

LED this, LED that, hybrid lighting, CRI, constant vs strobe… are you getting a headache from all these headlines and videos and kickstarter campaigns about these revolutionary new lighting gadgets? Is it causing you stress because you are going to have to spend a ton of money to keep up…
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Photography Advice

Will That New Camera Make You a Better Photographer?

More megapixels, faster shooting speeds, greater dynamic range… it all costs more money – lots more money- but will it make you a better photographer? 2017 has been an exciting year in the world of photography, especially when it comes to the cameras that we use. Sony released the A9…
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Photography Gear

Where Is the Cheapest and Best Place To Buy Camera Gear?

Recently a fellow photographer told me, “I would never buy camera gear from Amazon.com. I will only buy from a reputable retailer like B&H Photo.” That got me to thinking about how the process of buying camera gear has changed in the 40+ years I have been involved in photography…
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Photography Gear

RapiDome by Photoflex

The RapiDome by Photoflex is a lightweight speedlight modifier which is changing the way I approach portrait lighting both on location and in the studio. I’ll explain why and I’ll even take you behind the scenes as I put it to the test. The folks at Photoflex were kind enough…
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Photography Advice

A Smartphone Is the Best Camera to Improve Your Photography

I want to challenge your way of thinking about camera gear and prove to you that your smartphone is the best and possibly most important camera that you own. Now, I bet you are thinking I’ve lost my mind; that I’ve finally crossed over to the dark side, sold my…
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Photography Gear

DigiBee DB800 by Paul C. Buff

I honestly think the Digibee – the DigiBee DB800 by Paul C. Buff, to be exact – is the most underrated flash unit on the market today. This DigiBee DB800 has been on the market for just about a year now and I will admit that I just started using…
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Photography Gear

Best Software Options for Shooting Tethered

Are you ready to start shooting tethered? Are you looking for the best software to use? Tethering doesn’t have to be difficult. In this article, I will break down your options and look at why you might pick one over the other, and I’ll even explain how I create backups…
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Photography Gear

Light Blaster by Spiffy Gear

Stop! Don’t move! Now click that “like” button, or I’ll blast you with my Light Blaster! I bet you’re wondering ‘What the heck is a Light Blaster?’ The Light Blaster is a strobe-based image projector that will let you to turn a simple backdrop into an exciting new background with…
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Photography Gear

Best Lens for Portrait Photography and Headshots

So you’re ready to begin shooting portraits or headshots. Now, the question is: what is the best lens for portrait photography?? This is a question that has multiple answers depending on several factors. First and MOST important – what is your style of photography and what kind of portrait does…
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Photo Shoot Tips

Monopod Aerials – A Cool and Easy Trick

A monopod is not just a one legged camera stand With a little bit of creative thinking, they can be the solution to many difficult camera shots. In this case I am going to show a technique for creating elevated camera angles that I call Monopod Aerials. Using a monopod…
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Photography Lighting Techniques from Joe Edelman (Cr.Photog.)

Equipment and Lighting for Shooting the Female Nude

Planning KISS IT! = Keep It Super Simple Especially for your first few shoots… select a simple concept or lighting style and don’t try to over do it. The majority of my fine art nudes are shot with one or two lights. Even when I am not using the models…
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