27 Resources to Open Up a Whole New Photography 2.0 World

Ok, so you own a digital camera and you’ve taken more shots then you can count, and you’ve filled up more space on your hard drive than you have free.

You say you’re going to organize your files but you never quite get around to it, and you sure as hell never print out any images to put in an album or a frame.
The problem: your beautiful, thought-provoking work sits on your computer and never sees the light of day. It never gets admired, wins awards, brings joy or breaks hearts. And this really is a problem!
The solution: take advantage of the amazing sites/resources that the latest version of the web has to offer and enter the world of photography 2.0.
What can you do in photography 2.0?

1. Share your images

The best thing about the web today is that it’s focused on connecting and sharing. And sharing is caring! By putting your work in the public domain, you can get feedback, inspiration and ideas. There are hundreds of image sharing sites out there. Some of the more popular ones are:

• Flickr
• Photo Bucket
• Picasa
• Deviant Art

2. Create a portfolio

If you want to be taken seriously as a photographer, you need to have a portfolio. Select your best images and showcase them through a portfolio site. A good idea is to share your images on one of the sites above and get some opinions on your work. Then, create your portfolio based on this feedback. Also, check out the portfolios of other photographers to see how they select and arrange their images. There are a plethora of portfolio building sites available, but the main ones are:

• Livebooks
• Carbonmade
• Zenfolio
• Wix
• Bludomain

3. Make a slideshow

Turn your images into a slideshow with music, transitions, titles and effects. Photomontage videos are an engaging, entertaining way of presenting your images. They help you stand out from the crowd and get your images seen. You can create a slideshow at:

• Slide
• Animoto

Then share it on:

• YouTube
• Vimeo
• Daily Motion

4. Meet other photographers

Join a photography network and meet like-minded people. Share your experiences and learn from others – you might even make some new friends! Sign up to a photography specific network:

• Shuttrr
• Picture
• My Modern Metropolis
• Behance

Or connect with photographers on general social networks:

• Facebook
• Twitter

5. Get inspired

The best artists always have a keen awareness of the work of others in their field. After all, you can’t push the boundaries without knowing them first! There is endless inspiration on the web, but some great places to begin are:

• StumbleUpon
• ffffound
• Colorlovers
• The Photography Blog

6. Start a blog

A blog let’s you bring all of this together. You can share your work (images and videos), your inspiration and your thoughts/ideas all in the one place. You can connect with other photographers by commenting on their blogs and by adding them to your blogroll, and you can join photography blogging communities. Check out these sites to get started:

• Wordpress
• Tumblr
• Blogger