In an ideal world, I would be able to take photographs every day and make a living from it.

In the real world, I work part-time at Best Buy selling cameras, and do not have the chance to shoot every day (or make enough to live off of it).

As someone who thrives on taking photos every day, I found myself feeling lost and unfulfilled on the days I was not shooting. In order to try to feel fulfilled I attempted to take a photo everyday of anything (mostly things around my apartment or within walking distance). Unfortunately, this also burdened me with the feeling of unfulfillment, mainly because I was never happy with any of the photos I took.

Naturally I ditched the idea of trying to take photo everyday, because I never publish any work I’m not happy with. Ever. (Curse my perfectionist tendencies . . .)

Due to my work schedule I found the time between shoots was growing to an unacceptable distance. And surely enough, I felt this void inside of me, like I was missing out on something.

What I was missing out on was photography, and I knew it, but couldn’t find a way to fulfill it.

It wasn’t until this past week that I found a way to keep my photography sanity intact: blogs, blogs, blogs, and websites. And more blogs, of course!

All of the photography blogs and websites I encounter I make sure to immediately bookmark, so on days that I’m not taking photos I can check them out and see what’s new or learn about new techniques, etc. It’s a win-win situation, because I can remain productive with my photography even though I am not shooting.

For anyone else out there that may feel the same way I do, I wanted to share the list of blogs and websites I’ve collected. You’ll find my nifty little list below, and hopefully it’ll help another struggling photographer regain his sanity too.

  • DSLR Tips is exactly what you’d imagine it to be, a tips website. This website does so much more though, such as offering incredibly in-depth reviews on different cameras, lenses, etc. They also have a Youtube channel where you can find reviews and tips in the form of video.

  • Photofocus is a one-stop kind of blog. Ran by photographer Scott Bourne, he posts informative articles, podcasts, and reviews. He also posts fairly regularly, which is nice.

  • PIXIQ is an online community that is staffed by contributing professional photographers, bloggers, etc. They have a whole slew of different categories, such as photography news, reviews, and even a techniques section. Each category has a plethora of articles within it, so be sure to check them all out!

  • Black Star Rising is an informative website that features articles meant for all different levels of photographers. I find that the website is best suited for professional or (new) freelance photographers, since most of the articles cover business related issues. However there are a great majority of articles that do discuss creative blocks, etc.

  • Jasmine Star Photography Blog was one of the first blogs I discovered. And believe me, it’s so much more than just photography. Jasmine is not afraid to expose herself by writing about her mistakes, or posting personal photos of her husband and their adorable dog Polo. Jasmine is not only an amazing teacher through her blog, but she is a true inspiration. By the way, she also frequents creativeLIVE, which offers web workshops geared towards photographers (plus, it’s Seattle-based).

  • RAW is a blog moderated by photographer Tristan Jud. You’ll find reviews, interesting stories and post-production information here. I recently discovered this website, so I don’t have a great deal to say about it, but I definitely think it’s a worth-while resource.

Do you have any photography blogs or websites you enjoy? If so, feel free to let me know via comments below or reply to me on Twitter!
 

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