Yesterday I talked about 5 Reasons why Every Photographer Should be on Google+, today as promised is a suggested list of photographers you may want to follow (circle) to get started. You'll notice that the list is split into two groups. The first is a list of some of the top photographers, educators, leaders in the industry, people I follow and that inspire me. The second is a list of lesser known folks, up and comers, people that have awesome work and need to be seen, as well and many of whom I've met or hungout with in person or on a Hangout. You'll also notice that I've included a couple of photography groups to follow as well, some have projects, contests, challenges, weekly online talk shows and other great ways to connect with people.
Caveat: this is MY list of who I follow and you may have others that you recommend. That's awesome! I haven't intentionally left anyone off the list, these are just ones that I personally follow. If you have some others you'd suggest, please add their names or link to their profile in the comments section below so we can check them out!
List #1 in no particular order
- Trey Ratcliff
- HDR guru, world traveller. He posts a photo a day on his site and G+ and has a weekly Variety Hour on Google+ Monday evenings that is usually entertaining and interesting.
- RC Conception
- NAPP instructor and one of “The Photoshop Guys”
- Brian Matiash
- from OnOne software, great photographer of “Urbanex” urban grunge
- Nicole S. Young
- Photoshop help desk question answerer and writer for NAPP magazine. Food photographer.
- Scott Kelby
- founder of NAPP and Kelby Training.com, writer, educator, conference creator, sports shooter , etc. – thanks Scott!
Matt showing how to do a composite image - Matt Kloskowski
- Photoshop Guy, writer, Lightroom guru (follow him if you want to learn LR)
- David duChemin
- humanitarian photographer, workshop leader, Craft and Vision ebook creator, world traveller, writer, mentor and guy I follow daily. I relate a lot to how he writes, what he writes and model my style after his a little (with my own twist of course)
- Pawel Tomaszewicz
- HDR photography consistently puts out amazing images
- Chase Jarvis
- commercial photographer, very popular blog
- Photo Talk Plus
- a weekly show, live every Wednesday night talking about the hottest topics in photography
- Chrystal Rae's Photography Scavenger Hunt
- a fun way to get creative and get out shooting, there's a new challenge each month
- Colby Brown
- Professional Fine Art Landscape, Travel and Humanitarian Photographer, Educator and Author
- Klaus Herrmann
- HDR photographer and maker of vertoramas (vertical panoramic images) that blow my mind! If you haven't seen this guy's work go look!
- Jeremy Cowart
- Photographer. Artist. Humanitarian. App Creator. Teacher. Founder of Help-Portrait (provides free portraits to people that could never afford one)
- Scott Jarvie
- wedding photographer, funny guy, self professed hangout-er
- Michael Sutton
- Australian professional photographer, seems to have created or at least perfected the “steel wool” technique (you'll have to go to his page to see what that means)
- Moose Peterson
- wildlife photographer, educator
- Joe McNally
- National Geographic photographer for 25 years, lighting master, educator, and damn funny guy (thisis directly from his profile “Loose cannon. Professional numnuts”)
- Thomas Hawk
- another one of the most followed photographers on Google+ and for good reason, the guy does good work! He hosts a weekly photo talk (#10 above), photowalks, and this week is sharing his circle of 2000 photographers HE follows.
Erik in action at the location shoot demo - Alex Koloskov
- commercial photographer, self professed Lighting Magician
- Catherine Hall
- portrait and lifestyle photographer and educator TWiT Photo host and producer
- Erik Valind
- commercial and lifestyle photographer
- Karen Hutton
- interesting and really nice lady, she is also the voice of Trey Ratcliff's “Stuck on Earth” iPad app
- Lotus Carroll
- not sure how to describe her, other than she's creative and unique
- Behind the Lens
- a photo critique circle, how to tag your images to get a critique and help improve your photography
List #2 up and comers, people I've met, just darn neat photographers
Again in no particular order so don't get all excited if you're first or upset if you're last. You're on the list! I'll start with the first people I met at the photo walk.
- Sly Vegas
- fairly new photographer in the San Francisco/Bay area that really kicks some ass! Planned our photowalk route, assisted Trey, AND lent me his tripod inside the Hyatt so I could do a long exposure.
Some of the other photographers working with Charli on Trey's photowalk - Jonathan Goody
- super nice guy and another Californian
- Jacques Cloutier
- a fellow Canadian from Quebec! Good thing you did not leave your new monopod at Starbucks!
- Nastia Rodionova
- staying on the east coast, a New Yorker and writer also
- Faran Najafi
- who most graciously gave me a ride to my accommodation after the wine and cheese party, a true gentleman!
- Joette Wangsgard
- was on the photowalk with me and was picked as one of the prize winners by Trey
- Keith Cuddeback
- walker/prize winner also
- Omar AlQabandi
- walker/winner #3
- Joe Ercoli
- walker/winner #4 and mute hangout-er guy
- Dave Bell
- last walker/winner
- Michael Benton
- without whom I wouldn't have even known where to go for the walk (long story, but many thanks!)
- Noah Katz
- who took a photo of me with Trey when I didn't have a flash on my camera, and actually sent it to me when he said he would! Another gentleman
- Toby Harriman
- who we decide that I had underwear older than he is (funny story, really)
Elizabeth, she has a profile pic that makes you wanna look again - Ryan Turner
- who's pretty funny even though he's NOT Canadian!
- Elizabeth Hahn
- VP of photowalks and the hangout queen, invited me to my very first hangout and it was a blast!
- Matt Leitholt
- mentioned him yesterday as this young guy that is just making moves! Somehow during the conference (the same one we were all at) he managed to get a position assisting Scott Kelby during the location photo shoot. Next thing you know he's getting private portfolio reviews from pretty much ALL the instructors. After that he took portraits of most of them too. If you got to try out the Google Glass and went on the walk with Sergey I'll be really choked Matt! Did you? This guy fears nothing, obviously just goes and does without worrying about getting a NO and he WILL go places, mark my words.
- Karen Hutton
- whom I first met on the photowalk and who selected some of my images to show during Trey's Variety Hour #37 about the walks the week after. Thanks for sending me some love Karen! Hope you're loving your Sony NEX now too.
- Brian Rose
- and THE moustache, which is apparently owned by Google now and he has to shave it and hand it to them if he ever quits. Brian was nice enough to take the time to answer some of my questions about Google+, and we managed to get locked out of the building at dinner hour, with his stuff inside. Then he was also nice enough to pose in the photo booth with me too. He's a Google guy, but he's also a photographer and gentleman #3! (not that all you guys aren't though!)
- Christ Nielsen
- who I met when she yelled me name at the end of a seminar (after we chatted using Google+'s live chat feature IN the seminar), then joined me and 20 other people for lunch. Good luck with the people photography Christi. I'm doing a workshop up here in Alberta in September (in Drumheller, more on that later), wanna come? Gonna have live models one day.
- Jim Goldstein
- whom I met when I photographed the back of his head with my iPhone and he saw it like minutes later on Google+. Turns out he's with Borrowlenses.com (you're welcome for the link 😉 and has like 1.5 million followers! Seems he's kind of an important guy it turns out. I'll photograph the back of your head any time, just ring!
- Peter Adams
- who did our photowalk group shot and let me use it everywhere, thanks Peter! He also did a mini session at the conference on WordPress and has a new ebook out with Flatbooks– check it out!
- Ryan MacLean
- another Canadian and guy with really big glasses
Image me – face Petra Cross - Petra Cross
- photographer, Googler, ex-model and gorgeous person, maker of stop-motion videos (really cool check it out on her Google+ stream) She also let me photograph her in the Google+ lounge at the conference, she's the stunning blonde right after the big round chair thingy.
- Charli Blake
- our model for the photowalk and Sly's other half. Fitting her and Petra are one after the other.
- Teri Lou Dantzler
- who I didn't get to meet in person but everyone was talking about her and her iphoneography. Trey even said he signed her up to write an ebook for his company Flatbooks. Her work is amazing, all shot on an iPhone and edited on an iPad and you'd never know by looking at it.
There are so many others this list just touches the surface. I hope to continue having great conversations with all these people, meet up again and maybe do some more hangouts and photowalks. I'll be in Portland for July 4-5th folks – who wants to do a walk??? Meet me there!
The article from yesterday 5 Reasons why Every Photographer Should be on Google+ has gotten a lot of comments and attention on Google+ already today. That is how it's done people. You engage, and people engage with you back. You show interest in them, they show it back to you. It's all about sharing the love gang.
Today's Action Plan
Okay so if you read yesterday's article and actually followed the steps at the end, you are not on Google+ and have a few people circled. This is what I'd suggest you do today (note I said today, not tomorrow or sometime later when you get time – today)
Share Circle
First of all go through my list and circle any and all of the great people listed above. If you did your homework from yesterday you should now be a Google+ member. If so I've made it easy for you to follow all 50 at once with one click. Go to my profile on Google+ and look for this post (screen capture left):
Click on either “Add circle” or “View shared circle”. If you click “add” it will automatically add all 50 (plus me) to your circles. You can add them to an existing one or make a new one. By viewing it you can pick and choose but the whole list is there with one click. See how easy and fun Google+ is? Then next:
- go look at your new friends' images and posts
- add some comments and +1's to things you like or have questions about
- reshare a few posts that really grabs you that you think other people will want to see. It doesn't matter if you only have 3 people circling (following) you it's the thought that counts
- Caution: don't go overly crazy and share and +1 everything, proceed with moderation as with every good thing there is a such thing as too much
- if you're brave, start a hangout or join one, just to see how it works – that's how I got on my first one and it was a great experience
- then come back here and share your comments with us so those that haven't taken action yet will get it!
Ready . . .
Set . . .
Google!
