10 Great Web Resources for Photographers
There are tons of great online resources out there for photographers, and if you’ve spent any time at all looking, you know that the number can be overwhelming. Sure, everyone knows about places like Flickr, but cutting through the crowd to find equally helpful but less popular sites takes some work. With that in mind, here are ten fantastic tools no modern shooter should be without:
1. Splashup: Online photo editing programs can be a great way to work on the go and archive your images online, which is what makes Splashup (formerly Fauxto) such a help. Edit your images with different layer and brush effects, then share with sites like Facebook and Flickr.
2. Photocritic: Their tagline is “Doing cool stuff with photography,” and it’s hard to argue. The site is designed to provide tips and criticisms for photographers at all levels, providing a peer interface that can lead to stimulating conversations and discoveries.
3. Moo: One of the best ways for a photographer to drum up business or just do some networking is to promote their work, and that’s where Moo comes in. The site is designed to help you make custom business cards using their images or some of your own, and you can import pics directly from Flickr to use on your business cards as a way to show clients right away what you can do.
4. Shutterfly: Shutterfly lets you make a variety of products with your images, from photo books to an assortment of cards and stationery. You can also use them to create a site to share specific photos and videos with friends and family.
5. Professional Photographer: The magazine Professional Photographer has an online home with tons of articles and resources, as well as web-only exclusives. A must-bookmark for photographers.
6. ImageShack: One of the biggest and best photo-hosting sites out there. You can upload pics up to 1.5MB in size and embed them on any site.
7. World Press Photo: This is required reading for photojournalists or anyone looking to use their images to capture the events of the world around them. It includes photo archives, contests, and more.
8. Depth of Field Master: Every photographer deals with depth of field issues, so Depth of Field Master has a host of tools designed to help you master this part of the art. Featuring software, phone apps, and online calculators, DOF Master can help you get the hang of using different lenses to utilize different depths of field.
9. Canon Professional Network and Nikon Digitutor: Two of the biggest names in cameras and lenses also offer branded tutorials online that will help you get the most out of your images. The sites are stocked with interviews, lessons, galleries, and plenty more.
10. Photopreneur: Making art can seem easy next to the struggle to make a living. Photopreneur is a solid guide to emerging techniques and trends with an eye on maximizing your exposure and turning your hobby and passion into a legitimate occupation or business.
