Thank You Fellow Bloggers - My Favorite Blogs - Part 2

This post is the second of a two-part post regarding some of our favorite blogs.  In part 1, we thanked some well-known blogs.  In this part, I would like to put the spotlight on some blogs that we regularly read, including some that are not as well known but just as informative and entertaining as some of the more well-known blogs.

 

First, a Public Service Announcement :) - Just like mshafik, I follow a lot of photography-related blogs and feeds, about 125 at last count.  I could not possibly keep up with all of them except through Google Reader.  If you do use Google Reader, please take a moment to subscribe to our blog (it's anonymous and free - just use the search box to look for BetterFamilyPhotos).  If you don't use Google Reader, you should consider it.  It instantly shows me new items (so that I don't have to visit every page to check for new posts), shows me how often a page is updated (so I know when it is abandoned), organizes the posts, allows me to mark posts as favorites, and makes it easy to search for posts.  Besides Google Reader, another way to keep up with photo news is through the smartphone app Photoverse (reviewed here).

 

Anyway here are some of my favorite photo-related feeds, grouped roughly in three categories: information, instruction and inspiration.  I didn't list any site that has over 1,000 Google Reader subscribers on the assumption that they're well known enough that I don't need to mention them.

 

INFORMATION

• Lighting Rumours.  This site publishes news and reviews about the latest lighting gadgets.  If you're passionate about lighting, you'll enjoy reading (or drooling over) Lighting Rumours.
• Speedlights.net.  This site focuses on speedlights and speedlites.  They have some of the most extensive tests on speedlights.  I like how their site is well-organized and thus serves as a useful reference when checking information on speedlights.

INSTRUCTION

• Lighten Up and Shoot by Mikey and Andy.  Mikey and Andy are photographers who shoot mostly fashion photos.  They advocate the use of strobist-style off-camera lighting with reasonable amounts of equipment, teaching with a light-hearted approach.  They shoot with speedlights as well as Alien Bee monolights and battery-powered strobes.  I love their images, and they explain their images in detail.  More importantly, their techniques and setups are generally simple enough to be within the reach of amateurs like us.  Look for our upcoming review of their "V-Book."
• The Slanted Lens by Jay Morgan.  I love Jay Morgan's amazing images with fantastic special effects.  The site also has videos showing how some of the spectacular shots were done.
• Imagine That by Aloha Lavina.  Aloha Lavina is an editorial, fashion and travel photographer.  Her site discusses general photography techniques.  Although she doesn't usually go into technical detail like how exactly she lit her images, I like her site because I find her images inspiring.
• Through the Looking Glass by Louis Stein.  Lou Stein is an amateur strobist-style photographer.  What I like about Lou's site is that he is at a stage of his photographic career that we amateurs can easily relate to.  He knows his technical stuff and he has some gear, and he uses them to take portraits of his friends, and the occasional paid shoot.  He discusses his photos in a friendly, down-to-earth way.

INSPIRATION

Sometimes I feel I have soaked up pretty much everything I need to know technically, and just need some inspiration to get me off my butt and shoot.  That's why I follow these blogs and feeds:

• Ryan Brenizer (weddings).
• Louis Pang (weddings and portraits).  Includes some tutorials.
• John Keatley (advertising and celebrity portraits).
• Gill Maheu (weddings and portraits).  I've mentioned Gill on this blog before.  I continue to be amazed at her photography.  Gill is an example of an amateur who successfully turned pro not so long ago.
• Kristi Hedberg Photography (weddings and portraits).
• Matthew Priestley's Flickr photostream (fashion).  Yes, you can add a subscription to someone's Flickr photostream.  Matt Priestley is one of my favorite fashion photographers and is an inspiration to me.