I used to share the links on a Monday to propel people with fresh info for the week. I was always a bit uneasy with doing that because I myself liked information on a Friday so that I could read it over the weekend.   This past Friday, I shared these links without our newsletter.  Our loyal and awesome subscribers got access to the inspiring links nice and early, along with a great photography tip too.

Inspiration for doing this over 13 weeks ago, came from Mitch Joel.  He shares 6 links worthy of your attention ever week, but in a bit different format.  Another other part of the inspiration for this came from Kristi Hines.  She shares a resource mashup every friday that is very detailed and I check it out every Friday!

Hope you find this set up interesting and that you consider jumping into the newsletter to get the links, photography tips, and more on Fridays.

Does this photograph look like it’s following the rules? The exposure is off, and parts of the sky are blown out. The biggest problem to someone might be this is an HDR image.  Hasn’t HDR Photography died already?

HDR isn’t dying and Adobe is actually making the process easier.  The process of photography is getting simplified at a faster pace than ever. Hardcore photographers are talking about this issue and becoming a bit nervous. If these pros aren’t a bit worried, they are hopefully becoming aware of the ease at which amateurs are rocking out amazing images.

With the ease of digital photography, advancement of camera technology, and the advancement of software and computing is allowing us to forget about following the rules of photography.  You are not going to see me reading a technical guide to photography.  I tried reading a book on lighting and it’s collecting so much dust (man I need to dust).  Sure, I could be looking at the book as I’m practicing with the strobe but there is something so much more fulfilling when experimenting with the equipment and creating whatever you truly desire.

If you were continually following the rules within the textbook, you’d be striving for a pseudo perfection instead of a look you want to create.  Drop the rules and you can enter into flow because you’re playing.  You’re not working!

Have fun with photography instead of constantly trying to learn the rules.  Don’t let some negative comments on flickr hold you back (hopefully you haven’t had too many).   Oh but, hey, if you love learning the rules instead of actually using the camera to take pictures that’s okay too.  The problem is when you never take the pictures with your expensive DSLR.

When do you have the most fun with your photography? I’d like to hear, if you don’t mind.

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This HDR Photo is available in only 5 limited edition canvas prints – Buy Now

View More London Ontario Photography!

I find inspiration from all over the place.  I wanted to highlight 5 inspirational blogs that you can also find amazing amounts of inspiration and value deep down within blog post comments.  I know there are a lot of people, I do it too, that will read a post and then comment.  But we might not take a few more minutes and read some of the 100+ comments on the post.  People just like me are making valuable comments that add to the conversation.  I’ve come across amazing sites just from these comments.

I’m just sending out a reminder that comments are amazing.  I love leaving comments as my own digital footprint, but I encourage all of you to make more comments on these kinds of blogs.  It doesn’t take much time and it just shows appreciation.  You might not have time to write a very long comment but it’s not always necessary.   I’ve left comments telling the person that their post has inspired me to write my own blog post in response and that I’ll like to them when I get around to it.  So I’ll create the content on my site for them to read later. It goes back to the idea I had about video posts to save time and build blog relationships.

1. Problogger

Yes, the infamous Daren Rowse blog – Problogger.net is included in these 5 inspirational blogs. I admit that I’m not a daily visitor. Some people are tired of hearing about this website too.  There is something special here.  When I do visit I make it a point to skim and read over the comments though.  You might be surprised by the value deep down in some of those posts that have 150 comments.  If you’re going to start a blog or finding your blog is struggling, get over to Problogger and you’ll be okay.

2. Happy Lotus

The Happy Lotus is an outstanding blog with amazing content. Nadia brings content centred around Happiness and Spirituality and I always get inspired by her writing.  If you check out the blog, you’ll quickly notice she gets a huge number of comments for each blog post.  The reason for this is because she responds to her commenters directly.  If you read them over, you’ll see her direct the reply to the person too.  If I leave a comment, I can come back 100% confident that she’ll have left a response to my comment.  She’s adding so much value there and the other readers are as well.  I’ve had times where I get inspired by a commenter on the subject. Definitely check this place out to get in touch.

3. Tim Ferris – 4HWW

Experiments in lifestyle design! You know Tim Ferriss brings about amazing content.  I love his random videos with Kevin Rose and the latest video has 243 comments. Yes, 243!!!  And the inspiration you get from the commenting is just as awesome as the video.  People are sharing tips related to Vitamin D, dark chocolate, links to stuff mentioned in the video, their resolutions, etc.  It’s like being able to quickly scan another 200 blogs in no time.  This happens on all of his posts as well.  Tim is brilliant and I know this guy cannot only work 4 hours a week!   I’m excited for his next book and I hope it’s out soon so that I can use the info to prepare for my own wedding.  Check this guy out and make sure to take a few extra moments to find more inspiration from his readers!

4. Chris Brogan

I hope to meet this guy some day.  Chris Brogan is all about the conversation so it’s no surprise that I’ve included his blog here.  His blog posts that are usually about social media and gaining trust, actually do spark conversation within the comments and even podcasts.  It’s special to hear Chris’ initial thoughts on the subject and then hear what others are saying in response.  You can find inspiration in anything today.  Read over the comments next time and leave your own response.

5. Ittybiz

Naomi Dunford is special.  She is in the same city as myself and I hope to meet her sometime. She writes so well and so down to earth.  He blog gathers people and they love to comment! There is a lot of discussion within the comments and it’s nice to know that you don’t have to “Agree” with everything. If you’re a blogger, or starting a small business, you’ve got to be keeping your eyes on  her website.  I also recommend reading SEO School for an awesome understanding on search engine optimization.  It’s written just like her blog and it’s like your chatting with a friend.  It brought me a lot of “a-ha” moments because I finally understood.  So much inspiration in the blog and value especially deep in those comments.