Steph's Pick - Photography Resources

I've had a handful of people ask me about photography resources that I'd recommend. I'll be the first to admit - I really don't know a lot about photography. Actually - there are nearly 2,000,000 folks out there that know way more than I do. But - I'm learning. I bought my first digital SLR camera (Nikon D90) about 9 months ago and quickly dove into the twisted, confusing and wonderful labyrinth that is Photography. I've taken more bad shots than there are grains of sand but I've also taken a handful of photos that I've loved - and they keep me going. And thankfully with the help of some incredible resources I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere.

The first resource is what I'd consider a must-have for any photographer. Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure was recommended to me by a coworker (who happens to be a MUCH better photographer than I will ever be) and it truly has been the most influential read for me. After reading this I feel so much more confident shooting in manual mode.

Next - a couple mom blogs. It's amazing the free resources available online. If I had more time I could pretty much find everything I'd need to know about photography on the internet. Thankfully I've stumbled upon a couple of great blogs that have helped me tremendously.

Check out Becoming Mom and The Pioneer Woman (who also happens to have a great looking cookbook out now too!)

Last - Adobe Photoshop - in any form really. I have the CS3 version and am seriously considering using my husbands current student status to purchase the CS4 version. This program performs miracles (maybe not the Jesus type miracles but photography miracles).