Photography
Here are some links to my favourite photography websites. On these links you will find useful information on technique, equipment reviews and see some great photos.
The internet’s most widely read writer on all things photographic. Ken’s writing style is a shoot from the hip, take no prisoner’s approach. At times he can be controversial, funny and opinionated, all of which make for a great read. On his site there are tons of great tips on improving your photography, equipment reviews and related articles.
An authoritative site that reviews equipment, features news, a forum and more. In recent years, it is the site most people visit when contemplating a purchase of a new camera. The tests are thorough and systematic. If you are looking to buy used equipment, you can likely find an archived review and find out if you are buying junk or a gem.
Another well-read equipment review and news site that should be consulted before you buy new gear. The reviews are based are based more on user experience instead of empirical data and graphs. After all, cameras are about people taking pictures and not just resolution charts and ISO noise measurements.
A site targeted at users and fans of micro four-thirds cameras from Olympus and Panasonic. In the last two years, mirrorless micro 4/3 cameras are taking a big bite of the DSLR market. As the micro 4/3 landscape is changing weekly, you can get the latest and greatest news and rumors here. Additionally, there’s a forum, user reviews, galleries and more.
An online showcase of photos taken with classic 4/3 and micro 4/3 cameras. There some very talented amateur photographers posting to this site and it is worth checking out weekly to get some inspiration and beauty in your life. It also shows you that your camera does not matter.
The de-facto independent site for fans of Pentax cameras. Here you will find a decent forum, news, rumors, reviews, galleries and more.
A Olympus centric blog from Malaysian based photographer Robin Wong. His photos have a lot of heart and do a wonderful job of providing a window into his corner of the world. He is passionate about street photography and just going out to shoot for the love of it which he calls “shutter therapy”.
A general photographic website created by Toronto photographer Michael Reichmann. One of the oldest and most comprehensive photo sites on the Internet. Lots of great reference materials and tutorials here and a very active forum.
Fro Knows Photo
A different kind of blog and learning site from pro-photographer Jared Polin. If you want to hone your editing skills in Lightroom and learn more about the art of photography, Jared has created an impressive library of video tutorials. He is also a passionate RAW format advocate and even sells a line if “I Shoot RAW” apparel. His afro is damned impressive too.
Astronomy
Follow these links to see some incredible astrophotography, learn more about astronomy and check out some good places to buy telescopes and more.
Astronomy Magazine’s home site. It’s the world’s most ready astronomy publication and this site is good starting point to enter into the world of astronomy.
Physican Dr. Robert Gendler is perhaps the world’s most accomplished and published amateur astrophotographer. His photos have been published in a number of books as well as PBS TV special on astronomy. All I can say is wow! What Dr. Gendler can do with his talent and equipment is nothing short of breathtaking. He is truly a master of his craft.
NASA’s astro photo of the day. Each day a new astronomy related photo from professional and amateur astronomers.
Durham Regional Astronomy Association
Durham Regional Astronomy Association. I am a member of this club that meets monthly in Whitby, Ontario.
A good site to visit on cloudy nights when you cannot observe outside. A full featured site with a wealth of information for amateur astronomers and astrophotographers.
EfstonScience – The Science and Astronomy Superstore
A science and astronomy themed store in Toronto, Ontario. When it comes to astronomy, they have very diverse showroom of all sizes of telescopes and related equipment. If you are a science geek or looking for educational toys, this is your candy store. It is also where I’ve bought some of my scopes.
Another recommended astronomy store based in Kitchener, Ontario. I get a lot of my stuff there because they cater to astrophotographers and it’s also a good excuse to ride my Harley for a few hours.
A new astronomy and birding store that opened up in Pickering, Ontario. Just minutes from my house.
Craig Stark’s site features his affordable and excellent software for astrophotographers. If you are looking for image capture and autoguiding software, you owe to yourself to visit this site. I use his free PhD autoguiding solution and purchased his Nebulosity image capture and processing software to make the astro photos on this site. He also has several good articles on astrophotography technique and theory.