Here is my 2021 guide to help other photographers find photography related resources. Now I do frequent many more sites than these, but theses are the top ones I would recommend. As always, I am no way affiliated with any of these people and these recommendations are based purely off what I use personally. What I’ll do is break this down into different categories to make it easier
Video Reviews
Here are some of the channels I prefer to watch when it comes to reviews. I watch a broad range but these 3 are the top ones that I would usually make my purchasing decision from. I prefer more real world based reviews and not pure brick walls and test charts which is why I like these channels.
Jared Polin aka FroKnowsPhoto is one of my preferred sources for reviews. He does real world based reviews and doesn’t focus on stuff like test charts or brick walls. Because of this, many of his reviews do turn out the same. Is this a bad thing? No, because he pretty much proves it’s all about skill each time.
Dustin Abbott
If you like more technical natured reviews, Dustin Abbott is a great choice. He reviews Canon, Sony, Fuji and all sort of third party gear. I find Dustin always calls it down the middle and he does both shorter and more in depth videos for those who prefer one over the other.
Gordon Laing
Admittedly I hadn’t subscribed to Gordon until last year which I wish I had done sooner. Although I had watched his videos from time to time, it was when he started doing pure photography reviews with no mention of video is when he really caught my attention.
Editing Tutorials
There’s an overwhelming amount of editing tutorials form a lot of different channels on YouTube but below is the top two that will cover almost everything there is to learn.
If you were to ask the majority of photographers what is one of the first names that come to mind when you say Photoshop, Phlearn would be one of those names. Aaron Nace has great tutorials that are easy to understand. If there’s something you are looking to learn, I’m sure Phlearn has a tutorial on it.
Piximperfect
Just like the above, Piximperfect is another name that is Synonymous with Photoshop. Unmesh takes his time to explain each process and goes into detail so you can really understand how each feature works. If you really want to learn a technique inside and out, watch a tutorial from both these guys and you’ll be an expert in no time.
Beginner Orientated Tutorials
The following sites may be better for those new on their photography journey. When I first started out, I would read almost every single article they posted daily and it really helped me grow my skills.
Digital Photography School
Although I don’t frequent this site as much as I used to, it’s a very valuable site. When I first started photography I would read all the articles daily in order to learn and improve. If you’re someone starting out in photography, this is one of the websites you need to bookmark and check daily. DPS also have weekly themed activities to help keep you shooting and learning.
Picture Correct
Just like Digital Photography School, a lot of my photography knowledge came from reading Picture correct. Their articles can vary from tutorials to inspiration based topics to get you shooting more. I would definitely recommend reading their articles daily if you want to learn something new, get inspired or even refine your skills and knowledge.
News and Discussion
These sites usually are more revolved around news and opinion pieces. They do feature reviews and tutorials from time to time and I tend to frequent them daily.
PetaPixel
PetaPixel is easiest the largest photography news site period. Although we are in no way affiliated, they have been kind enough to repost a few of my articles over the years. You won’t find as many tutorials on here but if you want to keep up to date with the latest news, it’s definitely worth a bookmark.
Fstoppers
This website is similar to Petapixel but has their own twist. Fstoppers has their own community and allow you to create your own portfolio. They also sell tutorials for those wanting to learn. You will sometimes see the same articles as you would on PetPixel but they have a lot of great original content.
Other Tools
These tools are a little different and may not be widely known but definitely have their use.
DOF Simulator
This site has been around for a few years now and is very useful. It lets you simulate what the depth of field of a lens looks like under different situations. I use this lens to compare different focal lengths to see what an image would look like. You can even select how many aperture blades the lens has to help further simulate what the bokeh of this lens will look like. If you want to check out this website you can visit it here.
Pixel Peeper
In comparison to the previous suggestions, this one helps you through actual images. You can search for different lenses for most brands and even select images by body combination or aperture. This site isn’t perfect of course, it doesn’t have every lens ever made. I find it will also put different lenses into the same category too. As an example there’s the original Canon EF 35mm f/2 and a new version with IS.
If you want to know what kind of images a lens of body can produce, this is a great tool to utilize.
Podcasts
Aside from The Photography Enthusiast podcast, there are a few others I enjoy listening to that are worth checking out. This list was actually a lot longer but I’ve found a lot of the ones I previously enjoyed aren’t recorded any more.
Master Photography Podcast
This is probably the photography podcast I’ve been listening to longer than any others. Each week a different topic is covered which can be anything from different techniques to experience using certain gear. This show is released weekly, goes for about an hour and I would say is well worth checking out.
Photo Geek Weekly
Another podcast I regularly listen to and quite enjoy. This podcast usually discusses recent photography based news topics that can range from new releases to the ethics of the art of photography. The main host is macro photographer Don Komarechka and he usually features a different guest each episode.
Written Reviews
These days I admittedly don’t read one source for written reviews as much as I used to. When I want to see reviews for lenses/bodies, I tend to just search Google for the smaller blogs (like this one) as I find they are more real word performance based and not so focused on test charts. In saying that, there’s still one site I do like to check for reviews.
The Digital Picture
If you shoot Sony or Canon (sorry Nikon users) then you’ve likely come across this site before. Bryan has been writing reviews for a long time and goes into a lot of detail. If there’s a lens you are looking to buy, there’s a VERY good chance you’ll find a review for it on here.
Have Suggestions?
If you have any sites that you recommend I check out I’d love to hear them in the comments below. If you enjoy posts like these, please subscribe to be notified of future posts.
Leave a Reply