Everyone is a photographer these days.  But some just end up with much better photos than others.  Most of the time, there’s a bunch of good reasons for that.

I had a chance to connect with Matt Johnson, who seems to have a permanent attachment to his body — his personal DSLR.   And his photos look just smashing.

I asked him to share with me some of the places where he spends his time learning new photography skills, tactics and tips.  Here’s a guest post sharing some of his wisdom with us.

With the cost of DSLR drastically dropping more and more people have access to better equipment, but most never take the time to learn how to use it.
Shooting in pre-sets should never be an option.

As a photographer your job is to, as Bono says, Dare to fail!

The best way to do this is to look, look, look.

As a photographer your eyes should be on others’ work daily. From photos to tutorials. From camera reviews to lighting setups.

You should be constantly pushing yourself to learn more.

Here are my top 3 photography sites for doing just this.

  • Photo.Tuts (http://photo.tutsplus.com/) – With a wide verity of tutorials from Photoshop use to setup. This website has something for everyone.
  • Digital Photography School (http://www.digital-photography-school.com/) – With gear reviews, photography tips, and post production techniques; this place has it all. Make sure to checkout the community forms.
  • My Shutter Space (http://www.myshutterspace.com/ ) – This community offers the best of the web in one place. User’s re-post tutorials from around the web. The forum here is also a great place to learn.

Challenge yourself this week!

Pick one tutorial that is out of your comfort zone and try it. Make this a weekly goal and you will be amazed!

headshot-matt-johnsonMatt Johnson – Social media guru, with a love for connecting with people around the world.  His passion for food and photography are evident in his two personal blogs BibleDogMan.com and NoGrilledOnion.com