If you like nikons (that is what I have) then one of the best forums is
NikonCafe.com - Powered by vBulletin
NikonCafe.com - Powered by vBulletin
Best photography forum?
- Thread starter Yash
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Definitely Digital Camera Reviews and News: Digital Photography Review: Forums, Glossary, FAQ for technical stuff. For everyday stuff I agree with those the have already recommended Digital camera photo galleries, gallery database, info and forums. This is by far my #1 site to go to. I have also been to PhotoCamel - Your Friendly Photo Forum to collect info as well.
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I'll try not to trash Nikonians, but there's a fee for basic membership (which I find ridiculous) and I've heard it's not worth the money. NikonCafe has a lot of experienced photographers, and as a whole, they're a helpful bunch.
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I can vouch for the friendly and extremely helpful people there. They even have an IRC channel for extra help with Smugmug stuff. I like Smugmug but find their web interface too "all over the place". I'm not even talking about the customization, just the basic stuff is confusing as well and a bit backward. Thinking of moving over to Zenfolio at this point.
The Nikon Cafe is freegin' awesome. Amazing bunch of people who are honest, but never mean and will go out of their way to help. They host tons of weekly, monthly and 365 projects, get togethers (outings) competitions (in a way) and we also like to share photographic equipment (as in give away for free) which we are no longer using. Not only that, but we do things like pass around equipment from person to person such as monitor calibration tools, books and even lenses!
In fact, one member there was cool enough to start a little fun with his manual focus 35mm f2 AI Nikon, which wound up going to people all around the world! It started out in the States, then made its way to Europe, Australia, NZ and then back to the states for a "part 2". I got to use it in Hungary and just recently again (almost a year later) here in NYC.
Meh@ DPReview. Most people there are obsessed with absolute nonsense such as charts and graphs, not actual photography. In fact, too many people there think that pixel peeping at brick walls is a great way to spend their time. Clowns in that tent I tell ya...
Well then let me trash them for you... Some people there are just downright nasty. IMO, this stems from how management treats the members. And as for having to pay for basic membership, well... let's just say that they are absolutely freegin' NUTS to think that they offer anything so special as to demand money for hosting space.
It would have been one thing to "ask" members to help out with costs, but to flat out tell people they have to pay in order to maintain things OTHER than basic costs (they of course don't say what it's for)f for hosting is just disgusting. Moreover, I find a lot of people there to be a bit full of hot air. Again, likely due to how management calls shots. (and did I just say a bit full? How the heck do you get a "bit" full? I need to stop drinking now... )
Great forum. Great people. Lots of awesome info and help. I'd call it the Canon version of the Nikon Cafe. Oh, and you don't have to be a Nikon shooter at the Nikon Cafe either. We have lots of Canon shooters, Film shooters of all brands, and a bunch of other topics not related to Nikon.
Lastly, the Fred Miranda forums are top notch. There are some incredibly talented photographers lurking and posting there.
Doug
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I would have to say it's a hard picking to find a good photog community sometimes. Many forums are plagued with people that can't get over which is better.. Nikon or Canon. Kind of like Mac vs PC.. it gets rather tiresome at times. Then you also have to deal with the resident "know-it-all" that really just blows steam up your hoohah because you're new.
I would say Flickr is a good resource, many people don't realize but there's a whole social side to flickr. If you join some groups that pertain to your equipment, in your case the D40, you can join in on discussions, look for tips, and even publish your photos to the group pool of images. This can help you gain exposure and also grow as a photographer. This can however have it's downsides as well. Some of the groups aren't very active as far as the discussion goes. You just kind of have to hunt around for them, but there are some good ones on flickr.
I would say, if you're new to photography, you should check out Fro Knows Photo. Jared Polin is a pretty cool dude and the people on their forum are pretty relaxed. They are very practical and not as pretentious as other forums can be. There's tons of resources for newbies and there's even a dedicated area for various levels of photography knowledge. They also have periodical photo assignments that you can join in on and have fun with.
I think they are or were doing one on aperture a couple weeks ago, now I think they are doing one on back lighting. It's pretty fun and interesting and I would definitely recommend fro knows photo over some of the others listed. Mostly because it's very active and you can really get a hands on to see what photography is like as a profession and you can really let your knowledge and abilities grow.
Oh! and they also have weekly RAW edits too which are pretty sweet, user submitted RAW images are uploaded and then Jared and a guest will edit the image on video via youtube and then upload the unedited RAW file for you to download and tinker with, you can then submit your edits to their flickr group and to the forum.
Best of all, it's all free.
Check it out: Categories - FroKnowsPhoto
I would say Flickr is a good resource, many people don't realize but there's a whole social side to flickr. If you join some groups that pertain to your equipment, in your case the D40, you can join in on discussions, look for tips, and even publish your photos to the group pool of images. This can help you gain exposure and also grow as a photographer. This can however have it's downsides as well. Some of the groups aren't very active as far as the discussion goes. You just kind of have to hunt around for them, but there are some good ones on flickr.
I would say, if you're new to photography, you should check out Fro Knows Photo. Jared Polin is a pretty cool dude and the people on their forum are pretty relaxed. They are very practical and not as pretentious as other forums can be. There's tons of resources for newbies and there's even a dedicated area for various levels of photography knowledge. They also have periodical photo assignments that you can join in on and have fun with.
I think they are or were doing one on aperture a couple weeks ago, now I think they are doing one on back lighting. It's pretty fun and interesting and I would definitely recommend fro knows photo over some of the others listed. Mostly because it's very active and you can really get a hands on to see what photography is like as a profession and you can really let your knowledge and abilities grow.
Oh! and they also have weekly RAW edits too which are pretty sweet, user submitted RAW images are uploaded and then Jared and a guest will edit the image on video via youtube and then upload the unedited RAW file for you to download and tinker with, you can then submit your edits to their flickr group and to the forum.
Best of all, it's all free.
Check it out: Categories - FroKnowsPhoto
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I used to frequent a lot of different photo forums over the last few years. In my personal experience, it got to where "if you don't scratch my back, I wont scratch yours" and the actual value of the discussions was through the toilet. Most came down to fights over gear differences or ego-stroking over photos. It got to the point that if any technical critique was offered, the person giving the critique was blasted.
I have since stopped going to them. I dont need my ego stroked and when I post a photo I will either say "Please give Technical Critique" or "For Viewing Only." And that is ONLY on the forums for my local photo club.
Art is too subjective and there is too much emotion (in general) to get any REAL discussion on the internet.
I have since stopped going to them. I dont need my ego stroked and when I post a photo I will either say "Please give Technical Critique" or "For Viewing Only." And that is ONLY on the forums for my local photo club.
Art is too subjective and there is too much emotion (in general) to get any REAL discussion on the internet.
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