There’s an old saying. If you’re looking to improve your photography, you need to constantly be shooting. Like every day. To the point where you’re sick of it and you’re re-thinking your commitment to it. Shooting a lot is the fastest, most cost effective way to learn about your craft. (Assuming you’re sooting digital) But just like any other endeavor worth pursuing, photography can be draining when you’re paying dues before you’ve “made it” (whatever that is for you). So you know you need to shoot more, and have that work critically reviewed by family, friends and professionals in the field, but the question is, what do you shoot? What do you do when your inspiration has run dry and everything around you looks grey. Challenge yourself!!
One great way to further your craft is to step outside your box and shoot things you’re normally not use to. And that also means trying new techniques you were once scared or unwilling to try. What are these techniques you speak of, Thanassi? And where can I learn about them? Google. Duh. But wait, before you start searching, I’ve done a lot of the leg work for you already. The following is a list of sites that you should check out if you haven’t already done so. Each of these sites is not only a wealth of information on the subject of photography, but they hold dozens of contests each week.
Digital Photography Review: www.dpreview.com
DPR has been around longer than your oldest pet and its constantly being refined as one of the web’s leading go-to sources for new and upcoming dSLR equipment news. Their camera and lens reviews are so extensive and geeky, you might need a PhD to take it all in sometimes, but the pretty graphs and side-by-side comparisons are very useful and informative. Their forum community is also very robust and chances are, if you have a specific question related to anything photographic, it’s likely already been answered in their archives. But what I like most about DPR is their shooting challenge section. There is literally one opening up every day, so no matter what your skill level, there’s bound to be something that challenges and interests you also.
Digital Photography School www.digital-photography-school.com
As the name might suggest, this is another great source of learning for everything photography. Period. They also post challenges every so often.
Strobist: www.strobist.com
If you hadn’t heard of David Hobby (aka The Strobist) in the past, chances are you may be hearing about him now. Hobby was a photographer for the Baltimore Sun for about twenty years shooting editorials. a few years ago he started the strobist blog to spread the knowledge of off-camera flash. This is one area of photography that scares the bejesus out of many new shutterbugs. Take it from me, its not that scary. It’s not rocket science. In fact, if you check the blog’s archives, you’ll be greeted by such entries as “Lighting 101”, etc. Over the years, Hobby has crafted a collection of written work that can begin to teach someone with limited or little knowledge of lighting, and eventually introduce them to the advanced techniques that Hobby uses in his daily workflow.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting David Hobby as well as Joe McNally at the New York City Flashbus Tour. Together they are the world’s foremost educators on off-camera flash. Joe has published some great books on the subject including The Hot Shoe Diaries and The Moment It Clicks, both of which are excellent reads. David has recently released his second set of educational DVDs Lighting In Layers. If you’re thinking at all about stepping into the off-camera flash waters, look no further than these two masters for a great way to step up your game. If you’re considering or already own a couple off-camera flashes, search the site for the assignments to challenge yourself.
FStoppers: fstoppers.com
Wanna see how the pros do it first hand? Fstoppers has you covered. This site was started pretty recently by a couple of guys who hardly knew how to hold a camera. They had a tremendous interest in learning, and documenting the interesting and often technical aspects of the behind-the-scenes at photo shoots. They now showcase established and successful photographers from all over the globe, as well as daily news, tips and tricks. FStoppers holds a monthly photo contest where prizes are also awarded. The winner is chosen by the previous month’s winner and gets his website’s banner displayed on their Fstoppers.com which generates hundreds of thousands of hits a day. Not a bad deal. Got what it takes?
Of course there are dozens more sites and books to plow through, but these are a great starting point for any beginner or serious enthusiast looking to improve their photography. Keep shooting!