Photography is a passion as is photography equipment. Film cameras, Digital DSLRs, Rangefinders…love it all. Apparently a common passion because there are innumerable websites devoted to it. Some of the ones I visit regularly are below.
Daily Reads
Visual Science Lab: This is the Kirk Tuck’s blog. Kirk is a photographer from my hometown about Austin, Texas. Kirk’s easy writing style about a variety of photography topics ranging from equipment reviews, photography techniques his awesome son Ben combined by photos of my favorite town draw me in everyday. A caution, reading this blog can cost you! I’ve bought more equipment as a result of the blog than any other. Kirk likes to experiment with different equipment. The difference between me and him—he knows how to sell of the equipment at the right time. I don’t.
The Online Photographer (aka T.O.P): I’ve been reading Mike Johnston on photography since he wrote for Luminous Landscape and Photo.net (two more of my favorite blogs). Mike is the editor, organizer and primary writer for T.O.P. It is well written, with a definite style and opinion. He is the former editor of PHOTO Techniques magazine. Guest authors such as Ctein have a long history in the industry and a depth of knowledge.
Petapixel: Petapixel is a site that curates photography related stories from around the web. It’s always worth a quick scan to catch up on the stories across the internet.
fStoppers: Fstoppers is another community based photography news website featuring the latest industry news and original articles. I frequently find out about the best photography deals on this site.
Photography Subreddit: Reddit can be a bit juvenile and sometimes downright offensive—so if you’re easily offended likely best to skip it. The photography sub-reddit is a much milder place and another place to ask questions, discover new resources and now and then find awesome content.
Weekly Reads
The Luminous Landscape: The Luminous Landscape was one of the early photography blogs on the web—founded in 1999. As it’s names indicates this web site focuses on nature photography (I still want to go on one of the Antarctica tours—anyone want to fund me?). The site also sells tutorials, has great articles on the art of photography (composition, color, etc.) and has equipment reviews.
Photo.net: Phillip Greenspan started Photo.net in 1993—even before Lulu. It is the largest and most active online community of photographers. Need a question answered? Want to start a discussion on a topic that’s vexing you? Check out their extensive forums. Post a picture to get a critique. Look for equipment reviews (though honestly you can find more in depth reviews elsewhere). I’ve been going to the site long enough to remember Phil’s samoyed Alex and when he sold of his company to Red Hat.
Now and Then
The Digital Picture: Another long time site (established over 10 years ago). It’s my go to place to figure out what lens I need to buy for a particular situation. They started by doing reviews of Canon optics but have broadened out to a variety of different manufacturers. In addition to lens reviews you can find reviews of DSLRs and photography accessories.
Photoquotations: Looking for that perfect quote for your photography article? Perhaps a quote to inspire you? Check out Photoquotations.com.
DPreview: Need a detailed review of that newest digital camera? DPreview will give you the most comprehensive review of photography equipment, news from photo shows, as well as industry rumors. Independently run for years, it is now owned by mega-vendor Amazon.
Stuck in Customs: You have to like HDR to like Trey Ratcliff’s photography travelogue. Arguably the person who popularized the genre. Trey was an Austinite who moved to New Zealand. I met him because I noticed a lot of his pictures were in our little neighborhood. Turns out he lived right up the street from me and was a true gentleman when we met for coffee. Trey has also turned into a designer and marketer for equipment (Peak Design’s messenger camera bag), software and tutorials.
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