113
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I am beginner and looking for sites/blogs.

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5
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    \$\begingroup\$ Maybe make this a community wiki? \$\endgroup\$
    – Wayne
    Jul 16, 2010 at 0:11
  • 2
    \$\begingroup\$ Also one blog per answer would be a good stipulation. \$\endgroup\$
    – NickAldwin
    Jul 16, 2010 at 0:14
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    \$\begingroup\$ Please make questions that ask for a list of answers (i.e. polls or list-of-X questions) community wiki. While there not exactly the type of questions this system was designed for, at the very least the author should make them community wiki. I converted this question. \$\endgroup\$ Jul 17, 2010 at 3:47
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Robert I am not convinced that this should be community wiki. \$\endgroup\$ Jul 17, 2010 at 5:34
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ — it kind of has to be, as there's no single answer. Even answers which try to summarize the whole Internet can't be complete, and could be disagreed with by a reasonable person. \$\endgroup\$
    – mattdm
    Apr 4, 2011 at 18:48

29 Answers 29

69
votes
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I love Digital Photography School. It has a variety of tips and interviews and challenges. Beginners and pros alike should check it out.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Digital Photography School (as the name implies) is a good place to learn about photography. \$\endgroup\$
    – Sam
    Jul 16, 2010 at 0:23
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    \$\begingroup\$ DPS is awesome, been reading it since I bought my SLR and it has taught me a lot. Love the little challenges too, although need to think more about entering them! Some nice shots on display as well, great for inspiration \$\endgroup\$
    – user17
    Jul 16, 2010 at 14:07
  • \$\begingroup\$ Nice link! I didn't know about DPS. \$\endgroup\$
    – Carles
    Jul 25, 2010 at 15:11
53
votes
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For lighting, Strobist is a must-read. Check out Lighting 101 series for introduction into off-camera flash, and then Lighting 102 with detailed overview of properties of various properties and ways you can alter them. There's also an index of all the entries.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I think Strobist is great, but make sure you fully understand the basics first such as aperture and exposure. \$\endgroup\$
    – matt burns
    Jul 16, 2010 at 10:23
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    \$\begingroup\$ Strobist is simply indispensable. Make sure you check out the archives! \$\endgroup\$ Jul 19, 2010 at 11:19
27
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Count me in as another Thom Hogan fan. I also like Ken Rockwell's blog/site. They are both fairly Nikon focused, though Ken does some Canon reviews.

For camera/lens reviews, I also like http://dpreview.com/, which also has pretty decent forums.

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    \$\begingroup\$ People should be aware that Ken Rockwell is frequently insane. But I enjoy reading his stuff, if only to see what the latest absurdity is. \$\endgroup\$
    – Reid
    Jul 19, 2010 at 18:23
  • \$\begingroup\$ Ken is a bit odd, but for a new person coming into the DSLR world, his guide to the D5000 was really great. He walks through all the menus, explains what each setting is for and recommends a value. \$\endgroup\$ Jul 20, 2010 at 21:23
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    \$\begingroup\$ +1 for Ken... maybe I'm insane too, but I like his perspective. \$\endgroup\$
    – Nick
    Jul 28, 2010 at 21:30
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    \$\begingroup\$ Ken is a straight up, tell-it-like-he-sees-it person and I like that attitude. If he's reviewing a $1000 lens but he reckons it's not worth it over another $150 one instead, he'll say so. It doesn't matter if he's right or not (you don't have to agree with his sometimes-unusual statements) but you can appreciate his perspective. \$\endgroup\$ Feb 9, 2011 at 2:42
26
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PhotoFocus

Personally, I read PhotoFocus at http://photofocus.com/
It's run by a photographer called Scott Bourne, and I have found it a very rich source of ideas, information, news, technique and just plain thought-provoking stuff.

He also publishes a podcast (same URL), which I also enjoy. The podcast is all Q&A, often with famous photographers as guests.

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1
  • \$\begingroup\$ IF you can put up with Scott Bourne! \$\endgroup\$
    – dpollitt
    Jun 14, 2011 at 2:35
18
votes
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Luminous Landscape (http://luminous-landscape.com/). As the name suggests - strong orientation towards landscape photography and also equipment.

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15
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One of my favorites is The Online Photographer: http://theonlinephotographer.com/

I'm also a big fan of Thom Hogan, though his site isn't exactly a blog. He does tweet occasionally, though. He has a strong Nikon focus. http://bythom.com/

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    \$\begingroup\$ The Online Photographer is one of the very few places that does not mutter about equipment all the time. Recommended. \$\endgroup\$
    – Karel
    Jul 16, 2010 at 19:49
15
votes
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Chase Jarvis is an excellent resource for pro behind-the-scenes stuff, lots of excellent material available as a podcast.

I would also recommend The Art of Adventure Photography, Bruce Percy is a marvellous photographer with an amazing way of capturing the light.

Martin Bailey is an amazingly dedicated blogger and podcaster who is also worth checking out.

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14
votes
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When I was a brand new photographer, Cambridge In Color was extremely helpful. Great articles, not too long, and not too technical (but they do cover technical concepts.)

Another great site, although much more loaded with content and a little harder to find specifics, is Digital Photography School. Beautifully designed site (as an ex graphic designer, I find this site a wonderful piece of work), it has plenty of information for any photographer.

As a nature photographer, I have always found NatureScapes.net's articles to be helpful. I am not sure if nature photography is an interest for you, but there is still a lot of useful general photography information in some of their articles.

Another great site, although again more geared towards nature, is ND Magazine. One of the main editors is one of my favorite photographers, Andy Mumford. It was after reading some of his articles on this site that I started following his work. Some excellent tips here on how to be an excellent photographer.

Another site that I frequently use is The Digital Picture. This site has EXCELLENT lens reviews. It was primarily a Canon site, but the author has started reviewing Nikon gear as well. Brand and off-brand lenses are covered in great detail by someone who has had extensive use of all the equipment reviewed.

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2
  • \$\begingroup\$ I agree with you about Cambridge In Colour \$\endgroup\$
    – labnut
    Dec 16, 2010 at 9:11
  • \$\begingroup\$ ...And about Digital Photography School... \$\endgroup\$ Apr 11, 2012 at 3:49
14
votes
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Scott Kelby

I also follow Scott Kelby at http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/

I find that (apart from promoting his own training and books - which is not a bad thing) Scott gives a good load of news, and has a weekly guest blogger section, where another famous photographer writes an entry. These can be very thought-provoking and inspirational.
I personally found John Wright's entry extremely encouraging.

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11
votes
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DIY Photography

If you enjoy Strobist then you might also enjoy DIY Photography at http://www.diyphotography.net/

I find it's a bit varied, but there are some total gems when it comes to home-made photo gear and accessories.

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10
votes
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Strobist is a great resource for all things flash-related. In addition to their excellent 101 series, they have great anecdotes and tips to help with tricky lighting situations.

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10
votes
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Check out photo.net. It's probably among the oldest photography sites on the web. I've learned plenty from visiting it.

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9
votes
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TWiP

This Week in Photography is a weekly podcast discussing all things photo-related with a number of regular and guest professional and serious-amateur photographers, mainly from the US. Their new website, http://www.thisweekinphoto.com/, contains show-notes from all of the episodes they've recorded, plus articles written by the hosts on a range of photographical topics.

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9
votes
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Nick Miners.com

Nick is a friend of mine who posts articles on his blog covering a range of photography topics. All posts are photography related, and cover a range of subjects, from beginner's-guide style overviews of the zonal system, to comments on new versions of software.

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7
votes
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I really love Petavoxel. He uses his extensive knowledge of physics and photography to explain in very clear language how different camera manufacturer's choices lead to better or worse photographs. In particular, he specializes in myth-busting. For example, "back side illumination" isn't all that it's cracked up to be. And he's constantly focusing on sensor size and light sensitivity.

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1
  • \$\begingroup\$ Very good blog, one of the best I've ever read. I highly recommend everyone goes through his entire blog archive as there is a lot to be learned. Unfortunately he doesn't update his blog too often. \$\endgroup\$ Feb 9, 2011 at 2:44
4
votes
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I have been blogging photography tips for 3 years or so, much of it is aimed at true beginners who are using Auto mode or just beginning to learn about manual controls, but other topics like image editing with Gimp are covered as well: http://blog.muddyboots.org/

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4
votes
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I am surprised that Petapixel has not been suggested yet

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3
votes
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I would recommend:

http://froknowsphoto.com/

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0
3
votes
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I have enjoyed Tangents by Neil van Niekirk for its articles on lighting, especially about using on-camera flash for getting good light fast (essential on indoor events).

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3
votes
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The "Digital Rev TV" Youtube Channel is always worth a visit. Not so much for technical advice, although they are testing gear all the time (admittedly in their own way). This one is rather for remembering what photography should be foremost, beginners in particular: A bucket full of fun!

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2
votes
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PhotoQuotes.com

My site has more than 3000 quotations about photography - http://www.PhotoQuotes.com - you can learn a lot by reading those quotes.

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1
vote
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Jonathan Cherry "Mull It Over". Every week or so, he interviews an emerging photographer and links to his/her gallery. A great way to discover new talents. At the end of the day, the path to be a better photographer goes through watching A LOT of other people pictures.

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1
vote
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Don't forget to subscribe to the D-Town TV podcast as well.

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1
vote
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It's not much of a blog, but National Geographic has some truly inspirational photos worth watching.

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1
vote
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Photo equipment distributor Manfrotto has what they call an "on-line school", the Manfrotto School of Excellence. This has a series of articles from professional photographers and writers, including Michael Freeman, and apparently Scott Kelby is signed up for 2011. There's several sections of the site; some are overtly related to Manfrotto products and promotion, but others are general-interest photography. Particularly interesting sections are:

and

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1
vote
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Read Ming Thein at http://blog.mingthein.com. He writes frequently and I love the pictures he includes with every blog post. Start by reading the "Technique" section at http://blog.mingthein.com/technique to begin with. Also, he answers questions on his blog quite quickly.

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0
votes
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Photocritic photography school

In order to learn step by step enroll yourself as a student in the free photography classes conducted by Photocritic at school.photocritic.org

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0
votes
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DPReview.com is a daily visit. Also known as Digital Photography Review, this is the standard of all photo gear review sites.

While not a photography learning site, we photographers spend much time, well, obsessing over cameras, lenses and other bits. Knowing your gear is an essential part of having a good shoot.

DPReview.com also has a very active forum where photography is discussed.

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