It really came to me that the resources that professional photographers use, might not be readily available to all the beginner photographers.
And these aren’t resources you cannot have access to, just sites I like to use for inspiration and information.
I think you’ll find them helpful.
1. Picter.com
I’ve used Picter for ages to remind me of any open calls or prizes I want to apply to, and it’s easy to navigate. You’ll immediately be able to see whether a competition has a fee for the application process and whether your work fits their criteria.
2. Magnum Photos
Every now and then when I’m looking for inspiration or feel more compelled to research a certain topic, I go back to see what has already be done. And what’s a better place than the Magnum photographers archives.
3. It’s Nice That
This was one of the first websites I religiously followed in the beginning of my journey as a photographer. Such intriguing articles on the way photographers create their work accompanied with exquisite imagery.
4. British Journal Of Photography
I always found it to be intriguing to hear how other photographers have started and what kind of education they had, and especially if they had any. BJOP has great interviews on new and upcoming photographers.
5. Format
This platform has really upgraded from having loads of helpful articles to also having templates, an online portfolio and a photo storage for photographers. I mainly loved reading the features that can be found on their site.
6. Foam
Foam has been my favourite photo museum of all time, and especially when I lived in the Netherlands. If you’re ever around, I highly recommend checking it out. But if you are struggling to finding interesting and inspiring artists that work with same themes as you, their archive will be helpful for you. You can search themes and photo series by keywords.
7. Creative Cloud
Way back when Canva was not yet a thing, I loved using Photoshop and Indesign for everything that needed to be done when editing images and creating layouts for publications. It’s still one of the softwares many professional photographers use to this day, but there has been great competitors with fraction of the price.
8. Open Calls
This platform provides opportunities for photographers and artists on other fields around the world. So if you’re looking for tangible opportunities such as open calls and awards, you’ll be able to find them here.
9. Call For Entires
This platform is similar to the Open Calls – platform, but consists more formal open calls for exhibitions and competitions. They’re mostly based in the UK, the US and Canada.
10. Art Jobs
As their name implies, Art Jobs is a platform for artist jobs on any and every field. You can even post your own proposal there. Notice you need to select the section ‘Photography’ to have photography related open calls and jobs to show up.
11. I-D
I’ve read this magazine way beck when the internet wasn’t a thing and it still has pretty interesting articles on topics around photography. Reading their features immediately impacts my creative flow.
12. Meet Photo
This is a new addition to platforms I regularly follow and I find this concept to be tremendously helpful for both professional and beginner photographers. Their platform connects you with a corresponding expert on the field you feel is the most connected to your work. And it all happens online, so anyone can be a part of it. There are multiple representatives from festivals, museums and and journals.
13. Squarespace Website Templates
My first website was built on Squarespace, it was easy and templates cost $15 back then. Now they have 14 days free trial where you can build your site and if it looks like you once you’re finished and you feel like publishing it, get monthly subscription.
14. Aperture
Aperture has a broad selection of photography books and educational material, and everything looks good too. Always enjoy scrolling through and finding the latest picks on books – I love collecting them and find inspiration. I especially loved this article on Diane Arbus.
15. Noice Magazine
Photography magazine and community for photographers and artists alike. In it’s simplicity, Noice brings spectacular photographer features to it’s readers – extensive amount of interviews to inspire your creative side, I always like to snoop a bit to catch the latest new photographers to follow.
