Where’d You Learn That?

Please welcome Molly Denson of Simply M Photography! 

She is a Family and Portrait Photographer from Middle Tennessee, 

lover of peanut butter M &M's and oldies music.

Where’d You Learn That?

I was recently asked how I’ve learned photography – what resources did I
use? Did someone teach me? Did I magically wake up one day and know my way
around Photoshop, marketing, and shooting in Manual? (Answer: Heck no!)
Though I am still learning new things basically every week, I want to
share my favorite “learning” places. I hope they can help you, too!

1 – Twitter. Though it’s the perfect place to read up on what your
favorite celebrities are eating for lunch, it’s also one of the most
valuable sites to learn about everything photography. Depending on who you
“follow”, you can easily be connected to blogs discussing that lighting
trick you’ve been trying to master, contests to win a coveted workshop
seat, and photography sites for creative inspiration. Almost every day, I
find a link on Twitter that teaches me something completely new, or helps
me brush up on the basics. If you don’t have an account, and you’re into
photography, I highly recommend getting one. Follow me, too! @SimplyMPhoto

2 – CreativeLive. This site is simply a can’t-miss if you’re trying to
learn the business. I came across it through, you guessed it, Twitter!
It’s a “creative classroom”, offering many free webinars every month. At
times, you can enter to win a seat to these great events – a friend just
did and said it was an amazing experience! I’ve recently watched Bambi
Cantrell discuss posing, and I can’t wait to hear Zack Arias on the
“Foundations of a Working Photographer” at the end of this month! Check it
out: http://www.creativelive.com

3 – Go{4}Pro. I am in love with this page and the encouraging message they
send out. They discuss a little of everything for those wanting to “Go
Pro” in photography, as well as those seasoned professionals just looking
for new ideas. You can learn about effective branding (Leah Remillet, the
founder and creator, does some beautiful designing), budgeting, finding
your style, and drooling over others’ studios – a favorite pastime of
mine! If you need an uplifting place to find your way through the business
side of the field, this is it. Here is the link: http://www.go4prophotos.com/blog/ 

4 – “Meet Up” Groups. We live in the most “connected” century to date!
It’s easier than ever to find other like-minded people and talk shop.
Facebook has been the perfect place for me to join local interest groups
and meet other photographers. Pictage User Group (PUG) is a great
country-wide one; I locally enjoy Fast Track Nashville and SmugMug. These
all meet at least once a month and bring together local photographers to
discuss a certain topic of interest...but it’s fun to get off track, too!
Perfect for networking and making new friends that join you in swooning
over the new 85mm 1.4 lens you just bought. Here’s a link to get you
started: http://photo.meetup.com/

5 – Good old fashioned books...no, seriously! The library is a fantastic
resource you may have forgotten about. Find your local branch, get a card,
and go peruse until your heart’s content. You may want to have some topics
in mind to ask the librarian about, in case the fact that all this
wonderful info is completely FREE becomes a little overwhelming 

Thank you for reading my first guest post! What are your favorite
photography resources? I’d love to hear!

                     Molly Denson
                     Simply M Photography

Like me: http://www.facebook.com/simplymphotography?ref=ts

Follow me: http://twitter.com/#!/SimplyMPhoto

Read all about it: http://www.simpyMphotography.com