We thought it would be helpful to put together a list of resources that photographers generally use and how they use them. This is a bit of a “living document” so expect new things to appear and old things to fall off. Do note that a lot of these links (not all) are referral links. That means that we get a commission if you buy through them (at no extra cost to you). We still think these companies and websites rock or we wouldn't mention them at all.

How to Take Better Photographs

Here is a categorized list of photography websites and resources to help you take better photographs.

Photography Tutorial Websites

Light Stalking – Yup – we like to think we have a pretty good resource right here!

Digital Photography School – One of the biggest and best, this great resource is run by Darren Rowse. It is the standard by which all photography blogs are measured.

The Photo Argus – A great site by Bill Jones that deals with similar tutorials to Light Stalking.

PictureCorrect – A great tutorials site with some great writers.

ePhotoZine – A great site from the UK that has fantastic tutorials and a friendly community.

Photography Books and eBooks

There are also some books that you might like to have in your library. These are more “reference” and never really go out of date.

Photography Magazines

If you like to keep up with the latest in photography techniques and fashionable styles, then magazines are a must. There are a few you should consider.

Specializing in a Photography Niche

At some point, you're going to come to the realisation that you are simply better at a certain type of photography or would like to specialise. At that point, you might want to look at some of the following resources.

Portrait Photography

Travel Photography

Sites:

Everything Everywhere – While this is nominally a travel blog, Gary Arndt is actually a full time travel photographer.

Stuck in Customs – Trey Ratcliffe travels the world spreading the gospel of HDR photography. Well worth a read.

Books:

Rabari – Encounters With the Nomadic Tribe by Mitchell Kanashkavich is published here at Light Stalking and takes you through the process of how Mitchell took these amazing travel portraits.

Digital Masters: Travel Photography: Documenting the World's People & Places – A perfect read before you go on your next trip.

Outdoor, Landscape and Nature Photography

Sites:

Outdoor Photographer – Started as a magazine, but has an amazing website for outdoor photography too.

Sheen's Nature Photography – Sheen Watkins who writes for Light Stalking also has a very useful site dedicated to nature photography.

Books:

Macro Photography

Extreme Macro – This site by Johan Ingles-Le Nobel rocks. If you love macro (especially bugs) then you will want to see his wonderful shots and tips.

Urban and Street Photography

Street Photographers – A cool collective of photographers.

Studio Photography and Using Artificial Light

Sites:

Strobist – David Hobby's site is the measure by which other studio lighting websites are judged.

Smoking Strobes – A very cool resource for artificial light shooting.

Books:

Home Studio Photography – If budget is a big concern for you, then this is the book that you want. It will teach you how to make a lot of the stuff you need for studio photography on the cheap (and how you want it).

Trick Photography

Trick Photography by Evan Sharbonneau – An extremely popular ebook and video course on all types of trick shots.

Getting Feedback on Your Photography

Light Stalking Shark Tank – The only place we know of that you get actual constructive criticism. Only constructive negative feedback is allowed.

Flickr – The photo sharing site by which all others are mentioned. Make sure you post to the forums to start getting feedback.

500Px – A gorgeous site to share your photographs.



Image by Daniel Zedda, on Flickr

Staying Up to Date

Photography News

If you want to keep up with day-today happenings in the world of photography, then check out these great sites:

Photography Blogger – A very cool site for amateurs and enthusiasts alike.

Petapixel – Probably the biggest photography news site around at the moment.

FStoppers – Concentrates mainly on photo news, but they also share a lot of videos about improving your photography.

Photography Equipment

Camera Gear Reviews and News

DPReview – A great site for the gear nut.

Nikon Rumours – What's coming up from Nikon.

Canon Rumours – What's coming up from Canon.

Online Camera Gear Suppliers

These are the three biggest supplies at the moment online.

Photography Software

Photography Workflow

Lightroom – The industry standard for photographic workflow. (You can also get the cloud version for a monthly subscription).

Aperture – A very good Lightroom rival from Apple.

Dark TableOpen source (free) workflow software.

Photography Manipulation

Photoshop – The industry standard for image manipulation.

Photoshop Elements – A limited functionality version of Photoshop.

GIMP – An open source (free) image manipulation program, similar to Photoshop.

The Nik Collection – Great software for image manipulation. The company was bought by Google.

PhotoMatix – The most popular HDR software for photographers.

While this is a long list, it is by no means exhaustive. If you think we have left something out – a resource or even a whole sections, then let us know in the comments and we will update the list. (Note: We will only link to quality resources that have been around longer than a few years and update regularly).