Photo Shoot Shortcuts

TOGCHATS

SHOOT PREP — How to Make Your NEXT Shoot Your BEST Shoot

Episode #246 of the TOGCHAT Photography Podcast - Recorded April 9, 2021
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TOGCHATS

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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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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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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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

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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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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Shoot Breakdown

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 from Joe Edelman (Cr.Photog.)

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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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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Shoot Breakdown

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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Shoot Breakdown

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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Shoot Breakdown

How To Shoot a Fitness Magazine Cover Shot

Have you ever thought about shooting a fitness magazine cover? You know, the ones with the white background, clean, crisp commercial lighting, three quarter length pose, really fit and sexy subject who looks really happy. . . sound familiar? You see these all the time when you’re in the checkout…
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Photography Lighting Techniques from Joe Edelman (Cr.Photog.)

Photographing People With Glasses – How To Avoid Glare in Eyeglasses

One of the most common questions I receive: what’s the best lighting to use for photographing people with glasses, so that you don’t have reflections or glare on eyeglasses? The answer is easy… and I can use any kind of lighting arrangement I want to. I just set my lights,…
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Photo Shoot Tips

7 Most Important Things To Know About Working With a Makeup Artist

I have had new photographers tell me they are intimidated by the thought of working with a makeup artist. They don’t know how to find one, they don’t know how much to pay them, they don’t know how to communicate with them. And, in all honesty, working with a makeup…
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Photo Shoot Tips

Best Way To Find the Good Side of a Person’s Face

My left side is my good side… no wait – it’s my right side… oh come on – with a face like this – there is no bad side :-) Keep reading and I will explain how to find the good side of a person’s face – to make your…
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Photo Shoot Tips

6 Best Reasons to Work with a Makeup Artist

For better portraits, headshots and beauty images, work with a makeup artist! Do you think this young woman would prefer to look like this? Or this? That’s what I thought. So until next time, keep learning, keep… Huh, ohhh you expected me to make a long and passionate speech about…
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Photo Shoot Tips

How To Shoot a Hair Flip and Make It Look Awesome!

Hair flips are just cool! But it’s not as simple as just telling a model to flip her hair As you will see in the hair flip video, as the photographer you need to be the models eyes since she has no idea how the head flip looks and whether…
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Shoot Breakdown

How Not To Shoot a Self-portrait

Radio DJ’s often say that they have a face made for Radio. Hence the reason they aren’t on Television. (Unless your name is Ryan Seacrest) There is a reason I work behind the camera, I simply hate having my picture taken. Probably because I am never happy with what I…
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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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Modeling Resources

What Should Be In Your Modeling Makeup Kit for Your Next Shoot

A modeling makeup kit is an important tool for EVERY model. Both male and female models need a well-stocked modeling makeup kit to ensure that they always look their best in front of the camera. It doesn’t matter if you are modeling for fun or if you are modeling professionally…
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Photo Shoot Tips

Is Your Modeling Go Bag Packed for a Successful Shoot?

What is a modeling GO bag? A modeling GO bag is a small suitcase or duffel bag that you keep packed with the supplies that you should have available each and every time you attend a photo shoot. Being prepared is an essential habit if you hope to be successful…
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Photo Shoot Tips

5 Reasons To Hire a Makeup Artist for Your Photo Shoot

The Top 5 reasons to hire a Makeup Artist for your Photo Shoot if you are a model: If you are the model – your job is to MODEL! You should be focused on modeling – not trying to do your hair and makeup. No one can do their own…
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Photo Shoot Tips

Should I Tan Before a Photo Shoot?

NO! Absolutely not! Do NOT tan for a photo shoot. If you look at the major fashion magazines or visit the top modeling agencies in the world, you will see that most of the models in the fashion world are somewhat pale or even very pale in skin tone. These…
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