At the risk of stating the obvious, the Internet is the place to go for information—on anything. The amount of knowledge being shared is infinite, especially on photography and illustration. Of course, you’ll find lots of information here in Insight, but there are also other online resources like blogs and forums. As an information junkie, I can’t get enough of this stuff, so I thought I would share some of my favorite online resources with you. These are blogs and forums where advice and ideas are shared by experts and can help you stay up on issues affecting you as an artist.

In putting together this list of resources, I realized a couple of things. Firstly, I subscribe to FAR too many blogs! Secondly, I have so many useful links to share that I will need to write 2 articles. So in this first part, I’ll talk about resources specific to our industry and in my next article I’ll share some great places to go for general marketing information that can help.

Blog Roll...Please!

I’ve selected some of the best industry blogs; ones that I think share great information and provide varying perspectives. Some of these you may already be aware of, and some may be new to you. Either way, I hope you’ll find a couple that you can add to your regular web reading.

A Photo Editor: Photographers, most of you are already aware this one. It’s written by the former director of photography for Men’s Journal and Outside magazines, Rob Haggart. He writes on important legislation such as Orphan Works and copyright and also provides insightful interviews with industry players. Plus, given his experience, he also gives his opinion on effective artist marketing. And the comments sometimes get quite heated, which can be fun to follow!

An Art Producer’s Perspective: Everyone’s got their own take on this industry and here is another point-of-view that can provide some insight. Caitlin Tierney has worked as an art buyer/art producer for some big name brands like VW and McDonalds. She covers photography and illustration as well as showcasing some great artists. Get advice on what to put into your portfolio and get a better idea of what art buyers are looking for from talent.

Cedric’s Blog-a-rama: Cedric Hohnstadt is a fantastic illustrator who really understands how to run his business. He shares this expertise, as well as showcasing his work and latest projects. His is a great example of what you can do with an artist blog, and I highly recommend you check out his posts on the business of freelancing.

Dan Heller’s Photography Business Blog: In addition to being the author of books like "A Digital Photographer’s guide to Model Releases" and "How to Make Money with Photography", Dan is also a photographer and a blogger. His posts are lengthy but full of insightful analysis of key industry issues, mostly focusing on the selling of stock photography. If you license your own stock, check out Dan's blog.

Heather Morton Art Buyer: This Canadian freelance art buyer writes one of my favorite blogs. Aided by 3 photo editors, she gets into the real nitty-gritty of art buying and artist promotion. Her series "Ask an Art Buyer" has amazing information on portfolios, marketing pieces, licensing, and copyright. She also showcases the work of artists she likes. In my opinion, this blog is a must-read!

PDN Pulse: A great blog from the editors of PDN Magazine. Reporting on a variety of photo-related news, this blog provides some great editorial coverage on industry issues as well as general interest stories.

Photo Business News: This one’s very popular, so you’re probably already aware of it. But in case you aren’t, photographer John Harrington’s blog provides photo business advice, covering everything from estimating, marketing, licensing, professional conduct and more. He also wrote my favorite industry book: "Best Business Practices for Photographers".

Strictly Business: A new addition to the blogosphere from ASMP. Featuring video from last year’s Strictly Business 2 conference, as well as advice from contributors like Susan Carr, Blake Discher and Peter Krough, this blog provides lots of information on social media, being creative, Internet marketing and more.

Going Beyond Blogs

When it comes to online information, don’t limit yourself to just blogs; there are some active and information-rich forums you can participate in. Here are my favorites:

APAnet: This forum sticks strictly to its purpose of the business of advertising photography and is a great place to go for advice from professionals, consultants, reps and others special guests. It’s very active, with threads on pricing, estimating, portfolios, marketing, and more. And you don’t have to be an APA member to join, it's open to everyone.

ASMPproAdvice: Although ASMP states that this forum is for students and emerging photographers, there’s enough information on commercial photography for people of all experience levels. Catering to photographers who shoot for publications (brochures, annual reports, magazines, web), this forum is focused on the business—not technical—aspects of running your business. And it's open to all photographers, not just ASMP members.

IllustrationMundo: I just discovered this site and the forums are absolutely full of great resources for illustrators. With separate forums for inspiration and creativity, I recommend you check out the "Ask a Pro" and "Advice" forums if you’re looking for help with marketing, pricing and contracts, invoicing, getting rep…the list goes on.

Now...Get Learning

These various blogs and forums are the best place for you to start looking for answers to your questions. Not only are they regularly updated with new insight and info, the archives are full of great posts, comments and discussions. And if you want to recommend any of your faves to me, send me an email to insight@adbase.com. In my next article I’ll share my favorite online places to go for marketing tips and techniques that can help you improve your understanding and efforts. Make sure you don’t miss it! Sign-up for the Insight newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox.