MEET OLYMPUS VISIONARY JOE EDELMAN

 

WHO ARE YOU?

I am guy who has been fortunate enough to spend most of my life involved with photography in one form or another. My subject of choice has always been people, but I have from time-to-time been known to do some product and food photography. My studio is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania where I can create and experiment and test my fashion portraiture concepts and most of my DIY ideas that I share via my YouTube channel . The studio is also home base for my weekly YouTube live stream – TogChat Live!

 

 

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WERE A PHOTOGRAPHER?

I purchased my first camera at age 11 with my own savings and was immediately hooked. I was a shy child and thanks to a teacher in middle school who was the advisor to the school yearbook, I learned that the camera was both my access to people and my shield that allowed me to talk to anyone. Because of this early experience, people became my favorite subject and continue to be to this day. As a teenager, I was obsessed with the imagery of photographers like Peter Turner, Bert Stern and Francesco Scavullo.

 

 

 

INTRODUCING OLYMPUS

My first Olympus camera was the OM-D E-M1 Mark II which to this day remains a loyal backup to the incredible E-M1X. I had been a Nikon shooter for most of my career and after a short trial with Sony cameras, I fell in love with the mirrorless technology and especially EVF viewfinders. I was tired of big and heavy and incredibly expensive gear and decided to rent an E-M1 Mark II to see what Olympus had to offer. I was honestly blown away and couldn’t believe I hadn’t considered Olympus sooner. The M.Zuiko glass is second to none for image quality and the smaller size and weight of both the lenses and camera body actually make photography fun again. In the studio I shoot primarily with my E-M1X and either the 45mm F1.2 PRO lens or the 75mm F1.8 lens.

 

 

 

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING A MEMBER OF THE OLYMPUS FAMILY?

My favorite part of the Olympus family is the overwhelming passion for photography. Of course, we all love our gear, but the real core of the Olympus community is its love for the pursuit of great images and the camaraderie formed around that.

 

 

 

TIPS FOR OTHER BUDDING PHOTOGS

The best piece of advice I would give to an aspiring photographer is to remember why you picked-up your very first camera and no matter what you do as a photographer – have FUN! Don’t let others tell you what you should or should not like.

TIPS FOR OTHER PRO PHOTOGS

For pro-photographers, I would offer the same piece of advice. Have FUN! It is hard work to earn a living as a photographer and it is easy to lose sight of the passion that lead you to turn pro. Find the time to shoot personal projects for fun. If you keep the passion alive – it will never feel like work.