O.K. Listen Up...
As promised, below are a few of Karen's favorite websites/blogs for education and inspiration,
(in no particular order).
Scott Kelby is currently the top selling author of photography books. His books are written in a simple and concise way that we all can understand. I have several of his books and recommend him highly. If you are a Photoshop or Lightroom user, his books are mandatory. He is the Photoshop guru, but keeps up on all the latest trends and advances in photography and equipment as well as events.
This Week in Pictures - MSNBC News
This is an inspirational slideshow of amazing photos from all over the world showing weekly current events.
Joe McNally's Blog
Joe McNally is a famous photographer who has shot for National Geographic for years. His blog is a variety of technical instruction, fabulous locations, shoots of celebrities, and whatever else is on his mind delivered with his charming humor and wit.
Stuck in Customs
Trey Ratcliff is the HDR guru and produces the Number 1 travel blog. His photos are from all over the world. Most are artistically and beautifully done, some are over the top. Personal preference. He offers several free tutorials. Something to note is that he has reviews of many of the computer programs and plugins he uses, and even better, he has coupon codes to get a reduction in price for anything you might be interested in purchasing.
Pioneer Woman Photography
Ree Drummond hosts the wildly popular blog called The Pioneer Woman. She is a transplanted city girl, now living on a cattle ranch/farm. Her wit and humor are wonderful and the number of her followers is huge. She has several sections to her blog including cooking, home schooling, etc., but this link is to her photography page. She often has guest bloggers, and contests where followers submit their photos of a specific subject. The photos that get submitted are truly inspiring. But the most important part of this blog for me is that she has made available, free of charge, two different Action Sets for Photoshop you can download. I use them all the time.
Strobist
I don't know about you, but one of the trickiest and confusing aspects of photography is lighting. How to use artificial light, or artificial light combined with ambient light to produce an image with just the right amount of light and shadows in just the right places. This blog is all about the light.
Pixsylated
This blog is a photography magazine with a wealth of information about all aspects of photography. You can sign up for a free newsletter.
Digital Photography School
One of my favorites!!! This site gives all sorts of practical tips, tutorials, information. I've signed up for their daily email, which gives just enough valuable information to take in on a daily basis. This one is a must.
Leggnet
For any of you thinking about the world of stock photography, this blog is worth following. He is local to where I live and successfully switched from full time Realtor to full time stock photographer. In a few short years he is at the top of his trade.
Beyond Megapixels
Another photography magazine type blog with a wealth of information about all aspects of photography.
Photographybay
This is another photography magazine. I've signed up for their daily newsletter. It often has reviews of various cameras and all other photography equipment.
Friday Photo School
This website hosts online live seminars about learning photography. After the live event you can download the seminar. Both for a modest fee.
If you are in need of some inspiration, I hope this gets you started. Of course this list only scratches the surface of the vast amount of information available. There is no excuse for someone who really wants to learn about photography and has access to a computer and the internet. So much is available right at your fingertips!! (And if you have a favorite inspiration/educational website/blog you love, please let is all know!!)
This is an inspirational slideshow of amazing photos from all over the world showing weekly current events.
Joe McNally's Blog
Joe McNally is a famous photographer who has shot for National Geographic for years. His blog is a variety of technical instruction, fabulous locations, shoots of celebrities, and whatever else is on his mind delivered with his charming humor and wit.
Stuck in Customs
Trey Ratcliff is the HDR guru and produces the Number 1 travel blog. His photos are from all over the world. Most are artistically and beautifully done, some are over the top. Personal preference. He offers several free tutorials. Something to note is that he has reviews of many of the computer programs and plugins he uses, and even better, he has coupon codes to get a reduction in price for anything you might be interested in purchasing.
Pioneer Woman Photography
Ree Drummond hosts the wildly popular blog called The Pioneer Woman. She is a transplanted city girl, now living on a cattle ranch/farm. Her wit and humor are wonderful and the number of her followers is huge. She has several sections to her blog including cooking, home schooling, etc., but this link is to her photography page. She often has guest bloggers, and contests where followers submit their photos of a specific subject. The photos that get submitted are truly inspiring. But the most important part of this blog for me is that she has made available, free of charge, two different Action Sets for Photoshop you can download. I use them all the time.
Strobist
I don't know about you, but one of the trickiest and confusing aspects of photography is lighting. How to use artificial light, or artificial light combined with ambient light to produce an image with just the right amount of light and shadows in just the right places. This blog is all about the light.
Pixsylated
This blog is a photography magazine with a wealth of information about all aspects of photography. You can sign up for a free newsletter.
Digital Photography School
One of my favorites!!! This site gives all sorts of practical tips, tutorials, information. I've signed up for their daily email, which gives just enough valuable information to take in on a daily basis. This one is a must.
Leggnet
For any of you thinking about the world of stock photography, this blog is worth following. He is local to where I live and successfully switched from full time Realtor to full time stock photographer. In a few short years he is at the top of his trade.
Beyond Megapixels
Another photography magazine type blog with a wealth of information about all aspects of photography.
Photographybay
This is another photography magazine. I've signed up for their daily newsletter. It often has reviews of various cameras and all other photography equipment.
Friday Photo School
This website hosts online live seminars about learning photography. After the live event you can download the seminar. Both for a modest fee.
If you are in need of some inspiration, I hope this gets you started. Of course this list only scratches the surface of the vast amount of information available. There is no excuse for someone who really wants to learn about photography and has access to a computer and the internet. So much is available right at your fingertips!! (And if you have a favorite inspiration/educational website/blog you love, please let is all know!!)
Next week I'll post my favorite photography computer programs, plugins, actions, and the websites/blogs where they are available.
