Ok, so if you have been following my blog or even just browsed through it today you can probably notice fairly quickly that I am “newbie” photographer. I got my first DSLR camera (a Nikon D3000) as a gift from my partner on Christmas and I started my Project 365 1 week later. Prior to that the only camera I had ever owned was a 3.2 megapixel camera phone. I have found the Project 365 is a great way to keep me motivated to try new things and keep using and exploring my camera. I thought I would compile a list of things that have been helping me along the way for any other aspiring photographers out there.
- If you do not have a Tripod go get one today.
Not only is it a must have tool but you will find that all those camera settings make more sense after you see the proper results. - Join Flickr even if you have your own blog.
It is a great community to be a part of and gain feedback from like minded people. The Live Flickr Comment Importer is a great plug-in that will allow you to import comments made on a Flickr photo into a WordPress post of your choice.
- Visit www.digital-photography-school.com for great tips and tutorials.
A good place to start for beginners is http://digital-photography-school.com/digital-photography-tips-for-beginners - Google Picasa.
I have Macromedia Fireworks, Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.5. However as a beginner I have found the free Google Picasa to be invaluable. Not only have I linked the web albums to my website so that all I need to do is drop my photos into a folder to have them available on my site but it also has easy to use basic editing capabilities. - Do some reading.
Digital Photography Magazine is great in the UK and I also have Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Boxed Set, Volumes 1, 2, and 3 - Look at the world like it is a crime scene.
This way you check out all the different angles, the small details and the bigger picture before you walk away from a great opportunity. - Look at other professional photography sites and photo blogs to help inspire you.
- Most of all, Have Fun!
Some of my favourites are:
http://www.davehillphoto.com/
http://photos.jmleclercq.com/
http://dorisrudddesigns.wordpress.com/
http://greg365.mcmull.in/
http://dazzoblog.com/
GREAT LIST! I couldn’t have put it better myself. I especially like how you cited things that, I thought, weren’t THAT well known, but that I absolutely love. I love the digital-photography-school site, as well as Digital SLR Photography (UK Mag). The best mags are UK mags. Flickr is an absolute must for anyone with a camera.
The only thing I would add is that, when people are ready to learn about lighting, that they head on over to strobist.com
Thank you for the feedback. I am about to start looking into lighting so I will check out that website. Cheers!
I agree with every single point. Even if I am a bit slack about following point 1.
Thanks for the plug!
Thanks for the link to my photo blog! I look forward to seeing all of your wonderful photos. I love your tip #6. I’ve never thought about the crime scene approach, but I like it. I’ll keep that in mind. The devil is in the details, they say.