It's hard these days not to get sucked into the Internet. Before you know it you've wasted a day when instead you could be out shooting.
But it's not all bad and the Internet can also make our lives easier as well as proving to be an invaluable tool for the photography business owner with a desire to stay up-to-date with all the latest trends affecting his or her business.
So if I had to choose four useful websites for photographers and block all the rest, which would be the ones of most value to me as a professional photographer?
(Please note I do not include Twitter or Google as I don't quite consider them websites as such, although I do spend a lot of time using both.)
1 - Petapixel
It's hard to deny that Petapixel have all the information about the photography world.
It's fresh, exciting and diverse, written by many different voices which is key to hearing different opinions to make-up your own.
While there are many others out there, I have found many just repeat old content over and over again and many are too scared to upset their sponsors to give real honest opinions (yes... you know who you are).
If anything happens in the photography world, Petapixel writes about it, most of the rest repeat it.
And you don't need to be a gear obsessed freak to love their website, it's simply full of very valuable info and key if you want to be ahead of trends which in turn is key if you work with big demanding clients.
Many international publications have published my photography and articles, but I don't think it gets better than Petapixel.
Read these articles:
PETAPIXEL - "The Best Lens For Street Photography"
PETAPIXEL - "Street Photography Ethics and Respect"
PETAPIXEL - "Why Photography Matters To Me"
2 - Canva.com
I'm sure not many of you have heard of it or used it. It's a simple and free graphic design website full of free bits and pieces to illustrate blog posts, social media posts and websites.
I use it all the time, a real life saver.
3 - WeTransfer.com
I'm constantly having to send clients files and for anything over 25mb or which can't fit into an email. With WeTransfer.com it's simple as long as you keep it under 2GB or you have to upgrade from free to paid subscription.
4 - Social Media Examiner
Social media has always been key to my success in launching my photography business and I highly recommend you don't dismiss it too quickly.
At first sight this is a pretty horrendous website to look at, kinda stuck in another decade and full of really annoying pop-ups.
And yet, like a moth to a flame, I keep going back to it because the articles are in-fact very good.
It's all about social media marketing news and the latest trends.
If not this website, do make it a habit to visit at least one top digital marketing news website regularly.
Digital marketing may seem boring if your interest is photography but how do you expect to market your work with no clue about how to get people to see it?
I hope you'll find these useful too!
What do you think are great photography resources or other resources valuable to any photography business owner?
Let us know, please leave a comment!
Nico