“To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge”- Socrates

Recently I have been getting asked a lot where I get my knowledge, why do I go on courses even though I am where I am professionally and so on and so on.

I have always been taught by my Dad (the most intelligent man I have ever known) that knowledge is power and reading a window to the soul. There are an unlimited amount of things you can learn from reading be it books, blogs, articles, magazines…..You can never stop learning. Some find it easier to read books more then others and others find it easier to absorb from training courses then some. It is all about how you learn personally that shapes your experience of knowledge.

If you are an Auditory learner, podcasts, seminars, webinars and youtube videos are amazing places to gain knowledge about photography both technically as well as from a marketing and branding aspect. If you are a Visual learner you are best going on training days, taking part in 121’s or group events and again youtube videos or even DVDs are the way to go as you can stop and replay again and again to absorb what is being said. If you are like me and you are a Kinaesthetic learner (i.e. learn by doing) training days, taking part in 121’s or group events, youtube videos and self teaching are going to be your best friends! You can be a mixture of all three but identifying how you learn best will be the key to your success!!

Trust me, i’ve been to university for my BA and my PGCE and in the end (and after £25,000 of student loan and course fees) learned a lot more from attending Aspire Photography Training Workshops, 1-2-1 Training with Kate Hopewell Smith and courses with Bret Harkness and Nicola Selby.

So this leads me to the below list of links. This is a completion of resources, books (aka paper iPads), blogs, websites, social media links that I have found helped me get to where I am at the moment and hopefully help you develop your business too.

Recommended Books: (Worth every penny!)

The Design Aglow posing guide for Family Portrait Photography by Lena Hyde. – Has helped me with my interaction with families during shooting. I can also highly recommend courses with Kate Hopewell Smith for Family and Children Lifestyle photography!!

Love Tanya by Tanya Burr- I purchased this to give me help and guidance with blogging as I never know what to write half the time. It is mostly beauty based but the general guidance is easily transferable to the creative art of photography. Its also easy to read as it is meant for tweens.

The Art of Boudoir Photography- How to create stunning photographs of women by Christa Meola- Another book I have just started to read as the boudoir part of the business is taking off, especially with brides of mine. Its a great source of reference for the do’s and donuts when it comes to posing and hints and tips for interaction and prep for the client. I have also attended a course with…..you guessed it, Kate Hopewell Smith who is renowned for her amazing boudoir photography eye.

Fine Art Wedding by Jose Villa & Jeff Kent- Only just started reading this book but it seems like it is going to be a great resource for me when I want to mix it up a bit this year with my couples. I have attended a few courses on this subject, the best being with Stu Cooper and Lisa Aldersley at Aspire.

The Design Aglow posing guide for wedding photography by Lena Hyde- Great resource for posing in a more natural way. Helping you to interact with your couples and get the best a and most romantic side out of them.

Websites/ Social Media/ Blogs: 

Design Aglow- This amazing resource for photographers also has an amazing blog!! Great to visit when you want to use their resources to the best you can but need a little bit of guidance as to how.

http://www.designaglow.com/blogs/design-aglow

Jasmie Star- This world wide renowned photographer is someone who I very much aspire to as a professional. Her work is stunning but she is also an outstanding Photography business mentor, giving advise on both shoot skills and business skills via her blogs, social media posts, training courses and youtube videos. She is defiantly worth a follow on Facebook and her store jasminestarstore.com is full of amazing resources to help guide you to being the perfect photographer when interacting with clients.

https://www.facebook.com/JasmineStarPage

www.jasminestar.com

www.jasminestarblog.com

The Joy of Marketing-  This amazing Facebook page teaches photographers of all backgrounds how to make a living doing what they love with online marketing, both with website and using all forms of social media. You’ll find inspiration, products and programs for your professional photography business. Here website is www.joyofmarketing.com but you can also follow her on Facebook…

https://www.facebook.com/thejoyofmarketing?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser

Flothemes- My Blog section of my website is a Flothemes page (design by Melissa Love @ the Design Co) and I absolutely LOVE it! This Facebook page is great for when I have a question about my blog theme be it wanting to change something small to a very big ooopsie I may caused! Check out their site for amazing WordPress compatible themes.

https://www.facebook.com/Flothemes?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser

Design Aglow (Facebook)- I use their Facebook page for inspiration and to check up on the latest offers and advice without having to go to the main website. Always a good idea to follow a page, that way they are always on your news feed and will be hard to forget about.

https://www.facebook.com/designaglow?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser

The Photography Parlour- This is an online community for aspiring professionals, hosted by Rosie Parsons at www.thephotographyparlour.com. Professional photographers are guest bloggers who share their advice, and tot is also a place where togs can enjoy viewing the work of others as well as nattering and showcasing your work!

https://www.facebook.com/thephotographyparlour/info?tab=page_info

Aspire Webinars- An amazing online webinar (aka online seminar) to help guide you in the right direction with your photography business on the business and marketing side of things. A vibrant and friendly community where like minded individuals of all levels of learning can get together and ask advice from each other and the team from Aspire, the UK’s award winning, top photography training facility.

https://www.facebook.com/aspirephotographytraining

Resources: 

Design Aglow- I use Design Aglow for several little things. I have purchased in the past the Social media marketing templates, form templates and even storyboards. What I do love however is the Studio Planner and Business Planner which have helped me organise and maintain my goals for the year so far. You can adjust them as you wish to your business/the year. A great resource for any creative business.

http://www.designaglow.com/pages/templates-resources-splashpage
Eddies Store- I have bought some amazing Lightroom Presets from Eddies. They bring a lush sheen and crispness to my images.
http://www.eddiesstore.co.uk

Florabella- Photoshop Actions and Lightroom products for Photographers which are easy to install and use. They have an amazing set of actions and presets to apply to your images and give them an amazing and unique look once you have tweeted them to your liking.

Showit- All I can say is that Showit is the best drag and drop custom website builder for creative professionals. I have never been able to get the site I always wanted. I was always changing things and wanting to develop more which meant wasting money on web designers. Then when I found Showit it gave me the freedom and flexibility to do what I wanted and change anything at any time. The support is amazing with live web chats and messaging service with the guys.

https://www.facebook.com/Showit