Top 10 Resources for Freelance Photographers
Do you want to know the top resources for freelance photographers? We’ve got you covered.
Smart photographers do not only rely on what they know and how they do their craft. Smart photographers are always on the lookout for trends, new ideas, and technical workarounds to help them be on top of their game. With freelance photography being one of the biggest industries in the gig economy, it definitely has its pros and cons.
As a freelance photographer, you should very well know by now how competitive the market is. If you are not quick to adapt, you will get left behind. Fortunately, because it is such a huge market, developers are creating useful apps and software for you to use. The extensive photography community also opens big opportunities for online magazines and photography-specific website subscriptions, so there are a lot of resources out there.
Master Your Photography Style
As there are thousands of apps, software, websites, and online magazines available to photographers, you have to choose the best program or reading material wisely. Before spending endless nights reading and comparing software, you have to first know your photography style. This will limit your options to more practical apps and relevant websites.
For example, if you are a portrait photographer, you wouldn’t waste your time reading on websites that discuss wildlife or landscape photography. Or, if you are into shooting products, you have to know the proper lighting styles and equipment. There are particular resources for freelance photographers too that are into aerial photography. So know your style so you can choose the right resources.
Remember that the main purpose of having these resources is to help you become more efficient. These apps, software, or reading materials that you can utilize in perfecting your photography technique can be truly handy. Here are the top 10 smart resources for freelance photographers that you may explore to help make your profession easier and of course, your photographs, sellable.
Smart Resources for Freelance Photographers
1. Professional Photographer
Professional Photographer is a digital magazine run by the Professional Photographers of America. The magazine has been in circulation (first published in print as Abel’s Photographic Weekly) since 1907. Imagine the archives they have on issues from years, way, way back! The magazine features articles about tech and gears, reviews, and photography news. The magazine is also known for providing business tips and advice from industry experts.
Because Professional Photography is published by the Professional Photographers of America, expect a lot of the photography pros’ insights and inside information about the craft. Don’t think that the magazine covers only the United States, though. No, they actually feature a lot of profiles and stories from international photographers too.
2. Digital Camera World
What’s nice about Digital Camera World is that it is not only a good photography website but also an app. Download it on your smart devices so you can have a ready guide even if you are outdoors. If you love reading articles and news about photography, the Digital Camera World app is perfect for you because you can read through it wherever you are, using your smartphone or tablet. Have a quiet alone time in the coffee shop and just read, read, read.
The app is fully interactive with video tutorials, a gallery of images, and web links. It prides itself as an SLR photography magazine that mainly highlights expert techniques for digital cameras. They provide reviews on cameras and photography gear, market prices, and buying guides to help you make a wise decision before buying one. The latest news about photography is also published on it.
Being updated in the photography world through digital magazines like Professional Photographer and Digital Camera World is one of the smartest moves you can make as a photographer. You’ll be surprised by the ideas you will get from these.
3. Resources for Starting Your Business
It is important to know that there are resources for freelance photographers that will help you start a business. Of course, when starting your freelance photography profession, you want to stand out from the rest right away, right? So why not have your own domain name? With Uniregistry, you can get a domain name specific to your photography business (.pics or .photo). If you intend to put your freelance work on LinkedIn and other job boards, think about what a .photo or .pics in your domain name will look like. It will look great. Uniregistry boasts of its millions of satisfied users and a 2-factor authentication feature for security. Its drag-drop-done feature makes exploring the website and creating your domain easy and fast.
Take into consideration too to have a project management tool like Kosmo so you can run your business more efficiently. Project management platforms take care of the admin side of your gig, like drafting contracts, issuing invoices, and tracking time. You may be a photographer on the go and do not have the luxury of having either a studio or a home office to keep and update your records. Project management platforms will definitely make your life easier.
As a photographer, it is obvious that you need to have a website. Squarespace is one of the top website builders for photographers because they offer amazing templates for presenting your photos. Squarespace is mobile-optimized, which means it adapts to smartphones and tablets. So you are sure that your portfolio is showcased perfectly on whatever device it was viewed.
4. Photzy
Photzy has a library of over 250+ downloadable photography tutorials. The downloadable PDF files include tutorials on different styles of photography like Landscape and Portraiture, Flash Photography, and Post-Processing Fundamentals. Started in 2012, Photzy is an online photography school with over 200,000 students. The site offers free photography ebooks and photography cheat sheets!
5. 500px
500px is an online photography community and probably one of the more complete resources for freelance photographers. Not only do you get to look at over 6 million photos for inspiration, but you can also make your own profile and post your own photos. 500px uses Pulse algorithm that surfaces new photos uploaded, so you can be sure your photos are seen by the community. Other members of the community can provide feedback on your pictures so you can improve your work. 500px also helps you sell your work by earning royalty rates and allowing you to post availability for work in your profile.
6. The Luxe Lens
The Luxe Lens offers presets compatible with Photoshop, Illustrator, and Lightroom. The site has a wide category of presets to choose from, from portraits to food to black and white. Luxe Lens also offers actions, overlays, and LUTs. What sets Luxe Lens apart from other preset resource sites is that you can also get design templates and watch some video courses on the website. Be on the lookout for their Bundle and Save packages too!
7. DIY Photography
Don’t have the budget to buy everything you need in photography? Go to diyphotography.net and learn how to make your own gear! This site has a whole page dedicated to DIYs and how-to videos like how to create fake window light sources using mirror and gaffer tape.
The articles in DIY Photography mainly focus on the specifications and reviews of gadgets and camera kits, and other photography tools and equipment. What’s interesting to note is that industry experts write the reviews and news articles on this website. So if you are looking for or are interested in different photography tools and equipment, this is definitely the site to go to.
8. Cambridge in Colour
Cambridge in Colour is one of the most comprehensive resources for freelance photographers. The website offers digital photography tutorials in concepts and terminology, using camera equipment, editing and post-processing, color management and printing, and photo techniques and styles.
The site also has photography tools like calculators for measuring timing and location, depth of field and resolution, subject size and speed, macro and close-up, and photo stitching and panoramas.
If you are new to photography or want to learn how to improve your skill, you’ve hit the jackpot with Cambridge in Colour.
9. Strobist
Lighting 101. That is Strobist. Strobist is a very simple, straightforward learning platform. It is learning how to use light. The online lighting courses are very helpful whether you are new to lighting or already have experience, use DIY lighting, or have expensive equipment.
As a photographer, you will be getting projects that vary in scenery or arrangements. These will require different lighting setups. Strobist offers tutorials on what are the appropriate lighting styles and equipment to use in different scenarios.
10. Lightstalking
What sets Lighstalking apart from the other photography resource sites is its very active forum. There are thousands of topics posted on the forum page so you can definitely get tips and guides there. The forum has discussions about different styles of photography, deals, post-production, photography challenges, and some even talk about business.
This is definitely the place to go when you want to know the latest trends, other photographers’ problems and how they have resolved them, and almost any discussion about photography. Want to know first-hand photography experiences? Go to the Lightstalking forum page.
Conclusion
If you will browse the world wide web, you will see tons of photography resources. There are reading materials like magazines and newsletters, and there are tutorials on anything and everything photography. You will come across multiple photography communities and forums. Some are focused on specific photography techniques, while some focus on the gears.
You will need to keep up with the times and always look out for the top resources for freelance photographers to help you work smart, learn from experts, and get fresh new ideas.
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