Photofocus

I’ve written about Twitter before. But since then, I have decided that Twitter is quickly becoming one of the most important tools the working photographer can have. It’s important for three reasons…

1. It’s a great place to quickly share your work and your projects
2. It’s a great place to keep tabs on people in the photo industry
3. It’s a great place to do research and ask questions of photography industry thought leaders

So, now that you know you should be using Twitter, who should you follow? Every Friday, there’s a Twitter phenominum called #FollowFriday. This means you suggest some of your favorite people on Twitter for others to follow. I’ll be doing that today by linking to this post.

My list isn’t based on people simply being well-known. There are plenty of photographers you may decide to follow because they are famous. But if they’re not active on Twitter, you might consider these folks who are active and who provide valuable content on Twitter.

Also note that like any such list, my list is biased toward my interests, specifically business of photography, podcasters, stock shooters, teachers, photo industry, etc. If I were more of an artsy type, this list may simply contain 10 inspirational photographers who’s work moved me, whether or not they did much on Twitter. In other words, your mileage may vary.

To follow any of these people, simply click their name below and then click on the word “Follow” under their icon. Or, you can type in the URL: http://www.twitter.com/XXXXX

where XXXXX is the name (minus the @ sign) on the list. Example,

http://www.twitter.com/scottbourne

then click on the word “Follow” underneath the person’s icon. If you don’t have a Twitter account, go to
http://www.twitter.com
and sign up for free.

In no particular order, here’s my suggested list of photographers to follow on Twitter – and yes, my name is on the list :)

1. @pixelatedimage / David duChemin
Great photographic writer and author of a new book I am really looking forward to called Within the Frame

2. @Microsoft_Photo
If you know me, you know I am an Apple Aperture guy and I use Macs. That said, the Microsoft Pro Photo community team is promoting contests, sharing mentor talks and then there’s Photosynth. You can’t ignore that. (HINT! I wish Apple had an Aperture account on Twitter, full of useful info on Aperture :))

3. @photopreneur
A collective (according to their blog) of photographers who know that the business and marketing side of photography is very important.

4. @aphotoeditor / Rob Haggart
Rob is the former Director of Photography for Men’s Journal and Outside Magazine. If you want editorial photography work, who better to follow than a guy who used to be a photo editor?

5. @thomashawk / Thomas Hawk
Thomas Hawk is a well-known photowalker and one of the most passionate photographers I’ve ever met. He’s on the front wave of photography and social media. He’s CEO at Zooomer and generally involved in lots of photo stuff that happens online.

6. @nicolesy / Nicole Young
Nicole Young is what we call a “natural.” In my 37 years of serious photography, I can’t name many people with more “natural” photo talent than Nicole. She’s got great passion, a great work ethic, huge passion and is a great, teacher. She’s a superstar over at iStockPhoto and with that growing praise you may not be surprised to know I’ve tapped her as a contributor to Photofocus.

7.@pdnonline / Photo District News
If you’re interested in the New York photo scene, professional photography in general, issues of photo Copyright, photography legal issues, stock photo markets or pretty much anything else related to the business of photography, these are some good folks to keep tabs on.

8. @MartinBailey / Martin Bailey
Martin is the host of the popular Martin Bailey Photography Podcast. He’s a guy from the UK living in Japan and spends plenty of time talking about how he sees photography on his blog, his podcast and on Twitter. He’s a source for inspiration and photographic philosophy.

9. @scottbourne / Scott Bourne
Yes I am on the list because well, I think I can offer some photographic help from time-to-time. I answer photo questions in Twitter. I post links to the stuff we publish related to photography on various sites like Photofocus.com and MYDL.ME. I’m a frequent guest on several podcasts and oh yeah, I often (and I do mean often) give stuff away like Lensbaby Composers, Drobos, ThinkTank Photo bags, photo books and more. (I have to admit, I also put myself on my own list because it will drive my haters crazy!)

OK – so you’re saying – “But hey, how come this guy’s not on the list?” I almost didn’t write this post because I know some people might feel slighted because I didn’t put them (or their favorites) on my list. Remember, I am not saying these are the top 10 photographers online. I am saying that these are 10 people I think worth following on Twitter – mostly because of the volume and type of content they publish ON TWITTER.

There are other photographers who I follow. They may not make my top 10 list, (that would be impossible since there are many more of them than 10!) but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth a look. They are on my personal Twitter Following list because I think they have something important to offer. Some of the people on that list are there because they are great photographers, they’re people I respect or they are connected with important photography resources. You can see that list by clicking on my profile on Twitter and clicking on the word “Following.”

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