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How to plan and shoot the perfect self portrait for social media profiles

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These days, social media is a huge part of one’s branding. It needs to represent who you are as a person and a company. There needs to be consistency between Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. It needs to convey who you are, either as an individual or as a company, and your personality.

Photographer and YouTuber, Joe Edelman recently had to update his social media profile photos after acquiring a new pair of glasses. Joe treats this task as he would any headshot shoot for a commercial client. Because that’s essentially what he is. His own commercial portrait client. In this video, Joe walks us through his process, with some great tips, whether you’re shooting for yourself or somebody else.

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Spekular is the light that does it all for photographers

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Spekular is spectacular! Hmmm – a little over the top? Not really. I recently had the opportunity to put this new LED lighting system from Spiffy Gear to the test. Spiffy Gear are the folks that brought us the Light Blaster (buy link).

Spekular is a modular lighting system that can take on all kinds of shapes depending on your needs and this can save you money and the time needed to pack and set-up light modifiers especially when you are working on location. Spekular comes as a kit of 4 LED sections. Each section is built with aluminum and ABS plastic. The sections can be configured using the included hinged connectors or with the accessory extension kit.

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Continuous LEDs vs strobes: which is the best solution for studio photography?

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If you’re new to studio portraits, there’s just so much to learn about the light. Also, you have a choice between strobes/speedlights and continuous LED lights. If you can’t decide where to start, the latest video from Joe Edelman could be helpful and get you on the right track.

In this video, Joe breaks down the differences between these two types of lighting. You’ll learn their main uses, and also why it’s good to use one or the other in different situations.

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Everything you need to know about paper backdrops with 2 money saving DIYP tips

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Choosing a backdrop for use in the studio largely comes down to personal preference. I rarely shoot in the studio, so I tend to go with cloth backdrops. For those who do it regularly, though, paper is the optimum choice. In terms of cost and ease of use, there’s really nothing out there that beats it. But some people get put off using paper, for one reason or another. Mostly due to a simple lack of knowledge.

In this video, photographer Joe Edelman tells us everything we need to know about working with seamless paper backdrops. Which to buy, how to store them, how to use them, how to make them last longer, and finally a couple of DIY tips to save you some money.

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Use those Christmas lights during the summer to light beautiful portraits

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Chrismas lights are usually in use for maybe six weeks out of the year. The other 44 weeks, they typically reside in a box in the attic or a cupboard under the stairs. It seems a bit of a waste to me. When photographer Joe Edelman‘s wife informed him she was going to a “Christmas in July” sale, it made him think the same thing.

In this video, Joe shows us a bunch of ways to make use of Christmas lights throughout the year. Whether it’s to serve as the main light source for a portrait, or an interesting sparkly background, they have plenty of uses besides just hanging off a tree.

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Make a DIY portable beauty dish for less than $10

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The beauty dish is an important piece of lighting gear for portrait and beauty shots. Joe Edelman will show you how to make a DIY beauty dish for less than $7 using a white umbrella.

Since beauty dish reflects, and umbrella diffuses the light, maybe we can’t really call this build a “beauty dish.” However, it gives the same results. So, in terms of the light quality, this DIY version will give you the same light and catchlights like the standard beauty dish. It costs less, it’s easy to make, so it’s definitely worth the shot no matter how we call it.

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A visual approach to the Inverse Square Law and how it affects photographers

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The inverse square law (ISL) is one of those principles of photography that drives people crazy. It’s a fairly simply concept that’s broken down into a rather confusing sentence. It states that the intensity of an effect such as illumination or gravitational force changes in inverse proportion to the square of the distance from the source. That, to most people means absolutely nothing.

So, in this video, photographer Joe Edelman is here to explain it in straightforward terms. In his usual way, Joe has lots of diagrams and practical examples to illustrate what it’s all about. The ISL can be a difficult one to wrap your head around at first. Once you understand it, though, it all makes complete sense. You’ll wonder how you ever got on without knowing it.

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How to shoot great casual portraits with just one light

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Long before I decided to start shooting portraits, I was asked to photography people. Friends, family, their friends, and their friends. At the time, I wasn’t interested in photographing people, and didn’t really have much idea how to go about getting great photos of people. I usually declined and deferred to people who knew what they were doing. But it’s a valuable skill to learn.

In this video, photographer Joe Edelman shows us how to get great casual portraits and headshots using very minimal kit. With just one light and one modifier, Joe shows us how to create some fantastic portraits. I wish I’d had this video 15 years ago.

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How to avoid glare when shooting portraits of people wearing glasses

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Whenever I see people posting questions about how to photograph people wearing glasses, they usually receive the same response. “Don’t, have them take their glasses off”. This is usually followed by some silly statement about it being impossible to avoid glare and reflections on glasses. Well, it’s not impossible. It’s actually pretty straightforward.

As photographer Joe Edelman describes in this video, it’s simply a case of applying a little basic physics. It’s a challenge that’s been around since the dawn of photography, but the methods to solving it today are the same as they were a hundred years ago.

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Are photography trade shows, conferences and expos really worth going to?

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Big photography shows happen all around the world. Some are much bigger than others, but are even the big ones worth going to? It’s a question I see asked quite often online, especially at the moment. The Photography Show is the biggest one here in the UK and it’s on next month. I’m going, and I’d probably still be going even if I weren’t covering it for DIYP. For me, they are worth it. But I know a lot of people who aren’t going, and don’t really see the point.

Having recently attended WPPI in Las Vegas, Joe Edelman tackles this question head on in his new video. There are some downsides to these shows, as there is with almost anything in life. But there are many positives and benefits, too, which Joe talks about. Sometimes it’s the opportunity to learn. Perhaps it’s to play with a shiny new toy you’ve been thinking about buying. Maybe you just go for the networking.

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