Since I am a self-taught photographer, much of what I know has come from hours of reading, hours out practicing, and lots of hours stumbling through trial and error in order to learn business practices, shooting and editing techniques, etc. Unfortunately, sometimes what takes the longest is sifting through all of the ‘meh’ articles and videos out there to find the ones that will truly be helpful.

In order to save you some of that time that I know is so precious, I have compiled some resources and a few of my favorite photographers below, hopefully you’ll find a couple of them beneficial and inspirational. If you do, I would love to know which ones you end up using in the comments below!

RESOURCES:

 Lynda.com is one of my favorite resources. This one does cost for membership, but it has a whole little world full of training for everything, from photography to design, editing, business, marketing and beyond. The courses are often very intensive and detailed so it takes some solid, dedicated time, but I am in love with it so far and can’t wait to learn EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYTHING!! Sometimes local libraries offer free membership to Lynda with a library card so be sure to check with yours just in case!

BP4U has amazing resources that can help both your photography and business skills. For example, check out these awesome marketing templates! If you sign up for their email newsletter, they send out lots of discounts and you can stay in the loop on all the most recent items.

The Modern Tog has awesome business and marketing articles for photography.

CreativeLive has a lot of great classes, unfortunately they’re mostly only free if you are able to watch them while they’re live streaming (sorry for those with darn 8-5 jobs, I feel your pain!).

Photography Concentrate is all about photography (obviously) and the business behind it. They have such a cute story and do a great job creating readable, understandable content that is truly helpful.

PhotoShelter has lots of great free guides that they share when you sign up for their email list.

Mastin Labs Lightroom Presets – These are the best Lightroom presets I have found that help me achieve my style. I also use the Abby Waller presets on occasion.

Laura Lee Creative – workflow and efficiency genius! Follow her and join her newsletter to learn how to streamline your systems speed up your post-production to save time for LIFE.

INSPIRATION:

One of my very favorite wedding photographers is Katelyn James Photography. She has an amazing e-newsletter and is as good with the business side of the industry as she is with actually taking photographs! I also love how much of her personal life she shares through her photography: her home, husband, the most adorable puppy, time with friends, etc. It’s fun that I feel like I know her and yet, I’ve obviously never met her. Her business embodies the idea for photography that “you are your brand” and she has a consistent look and feel that compliments that. Her website and blog are also absolutely incredible and interactive…I could spend hours on there!

Julie Paisley Photography – consistently gorgeous work, and also she has perfect hair. She shoots film and is amazing at it!

Beyond the Wanderlust – photography blog where they share a lot of different people’s work. It has great inspiration and I love the collaborative feel – it’s like a little community!

Trevor Dayley Photography – professional and consistent and knows what he’s talking about (you can find a lot of his trainings on places like CreativeLive, which is also a great resource). He has a darker style than most people 

Amy & Jordan – This amazing wedding photography couple is as passionate about education as they are about photographing clients, so they give out so much helpful information and ideas! 

Jasmine Star, Jenna Kutcher… mostly for business & marketing training… I could just go on forever.

Who are some of YOUR favorite photographers or favorite photography/business resources? I am always looking for more creatives to follow and be inspired by!

Don’t forget to join the Kira Whitney Education Facebook group to make connections and learn from / grow with each other!

Let me know if you fell in love with anything listed here too, I would love to know which ones helped you.

**Kira Whitney