How Twitter can Make you a Better Photographer
In this post naturalist, photographer, and computer scientist Steve Berardi from PhotoNaturalist explains how Twitter can make you a better photographer.?
If you’re not on Twitter yet, then you might think it’s just a place for people to talk about what they had for dinner. Although there’s plenty of that going around on there, Twitter can also be a great tool for networking with other photographers and expanding your knowledge.
It’s always hard to explain exactly what Twitter is, but basically it allows you to create a never-ending conversation about the things you love.
For example, I love nature and photography, so I choose to follow anyone else who loves nature or photography. I’ve built a conversation of people who love to share their great stories, photographs, useful links, and their wonderful stores of knowledge.
So, here are at least five ways Twitter can make you a better photographer:
1 – Meet new photographers
Twitter is all about networking with other people and creating a conversation with them (you choose to follow people, and others choose to follow you). Naturally, you’ll meet a lot of great people with a lot of great stuff to share.
2 – Stay up to date with photography news
Twitter is often explained as a real-time social network, and as a result it quickly covers news stories. For example, it can help make you one of the first people to know about the release of a new camera, or Canon’s release of the new 5D Mk II firmware.
3 – Instant feedback on your photos
One of the best ways to improve your photography is to continually seek honest feedback on your photos. Flickr is great for this, but Twitter is even better because you get instant results. Just post a link to one of your photos on Twitter, and ask your followers what they think (it works best when you ask a specific question, like “do you think this shot is underexposed?”).
4 – Ask questions, and get answers
Although there are plenty of great photography forums out there where you can ask your questions, Twitter helps you get instant answers (if you have enough followers). This usually works best with short questions that also have short answers, like “can anyone recommend a good tripod?”
5 – Teaches you to be concise
As you might already know, each tweet (or message) you post on Twitter needs to be 140 characters or less. This forces you to be concise.
How does this make you a better photographer? Well, one of the most important lessons you’ll learn in photography is to reduce your subject or scene to its most essential elements. When you’re constantly forced to do this on Twitter, the habit will often overflow to other aspects of your life, like photography :)
The secret to getting the most out of Twitter: give before you receive
Twitter isn’t just about receiving though. In fact, it’s much more about giving. No one will pay attention to you or follow you if you don’t engage with other tweeters (or tweeple – people who use Twitter), and help others out. So, share what you know or find, and join the conversation–don’t just sit and listen!
How to Get Started with Twitter
- Signup for an account at www.twitter.com
- Look for photographers to follow, here are a few to get you started: @digitalps (our DPS account)/ @artwolfe / @chasejarvis / @jeremycowart / @neilcreek / @jimgoldstein / @ricksammon / @scottbourne / @zarias / @strobist.
- Start tweeting! Share useful links you find, photos you took, reply to other tweets, answer questions, etc.?
PS from Darren: Also check out the comments of this post where over 500 other DPS readers have left their Twitter usernames. Add as many of them as you can and you’ll be connecting with other DPS readers and photography enthusiasts on Twitter. Don’t forget to leave your own username in the comments on that post so others can find you too!
Also check out TwiTip Twitter Tips – another site that I run. It contains hundreds of twitter tips for those starting out with the medium.
About the Author: Steve Berardi is a naturalist, photographer, and computer scientist. You can usually find him hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains or the Mojave Desert, both located in the beautiful state of California.
Read more of his articles on nature photography at the PhotoNaturalist and follow him on Twitter – @photonaturalist.
Tags: Twitter
55 Responses to “How Twitter can Make you a Better Photographer” - Add Yours
July 9th, 2009 at 8:53 am
twitter.com/claunch
July 9th, 2009 at 9:46 am
I have a Twitter account, but I have to confess I don’t really get Twitter. I don’t have a lot of interest in tweeting (I also gave up blogging a long time ago). When I read the tweets of others, it seems a lot like hearing snippets of conversations at a crowded party — too much background noise going on to really get some substance out of what someone is saying.
I think the 140 character limitation is at the heart of what doesn’t make Twitter appealing to me. I’d rather read a blog post with some depth than 100 tweets that can only skim the surface.
July 9th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Sorry about the bold above — the typing fingers left the “r” out of the break tag, and presto! You get bold. :)
July 9th, 2009 at 10:05 am
I guess it may help some but this definitely does not target everyone. I personally dislike twitter, reading through i.e.: this website, gives me much more insight then anything else. DeviantArt also helps when recommended critics are enabled. Just my two cents.
Regards,
July 9th, 2009 at 10:14 am
I get twitter, I use it daily to communicate with other #photogs – feel free to add me on twitter if you have any questions about the dPS Forums or just want to connect and chat. I tweet mainly about music photography
Sime.
July 9th, 2009 at 10:16 am
I’m not so sure why everyone rants against people who share what they had for dinner. Some people happen to be foodies interested in such. I also happen to be exploring food photography and sharing that on Twitter as well. Please don’t dismiss “dinner” as a valid conversation topic.
On Point #3, note that you can now post straight from Flickr to Twitter, hence being able to expand your exposure and get rapid feedback. Look for adding a blog, then select “Twitter” as the option, under the Flickr settings.
@vavroom
July 9th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Cool. I always want to learn how to take a nice photo. Currently I am in China now. I will follow you guys soon.
@ivanteoh
July 9th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Agreed with Nic. Just because a particular topic is of no interest to you doesn’t mean all of Twitter is irrelevant. If you don’t want to hear about people discussing what they had for dinner- don’t follow them! That’s the beauty of Twitter. Unlike that crowded party, you can decide who to listen in on and who to ignore.
The 140 character limit is by no means a real limitation. Twitter is designed for passing information quickly, and the entry limit forces you to make sure what you say is to the point without the fluff. Many people promote their blog entries on Twitter so you can go to their site to see an in-depth discussion on whatever topic they’re pushing and interact with it as you would anything else you normally prefer reading.
I’ve met quite a few photographers from around the world on Twitter and enjoy seeing what they have to say about photography and hope that I add value to the network of those that follow me.
@elbirth
July 9th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Thanks for mentioning me in your article on Twitter.
July 9th, 2009 at 11:42 am
I too am a Twit…follow me at http://www.twitter.com/aznicktwit
July 9th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Aloha,
I fell in love with photography on a trip to Maui, and have been hooked ever since. Now, Twitter has allowed me to connect with people 4,200 miles that I might not have ever met otherwise. I’ve also been using Flickr for 3 years, and as Nic points out, you can now post directly from Flickr to Twitter, which has now replaced my use of TwitPic.
I have already met some great Hawaii photographers on Twitter, and hope to met more of you from elsewhere around the globe.
See you online,
- Kris
On Twitter as @webnelly and @MauiByPhoto
July 9th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
fell in love with photography after our wedding. at that point, i knew i had to get a dslr. the wife’s been complaining about the costs incurred, but hey, it’s been a real worthwhile experience. now with our little baby boy as a new addition to the family, she’s not complaining anymore when she sees the pictures i take!
on twitter too – i’m @adrianhow
July 9th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
I AM ANTI SOCIAL MAYBE I AM NOT CUT OUT TO BE A PHOTOGRAPHER. OPPS CAPS
July 9th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Sorry to hear that Kathy doesn’t ‘get’ Twitter. I find it a massive help and can honestly say that it’s helped me in many ways, making contact with people with a common interest. The key is to choose who you ‘follow’ with care. Don’t just madly dash around ticking the follow box, take a look to see if they’re tweeting stuff that interests you. My followers list is probably smaller than many, but I value the people on it as much as my mailing list.
I’m at @neillwatson
July 9th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
I agree with the above. I’m a photographer and I love Twitter… but I would also include the caveat that there is no substiution for being out and about with a camera. A lot of us photogs have the tendancy to pixel peep and sit around on the computer all day. I submit that the best way to be a better photographer is to get out and shoot shoot shoot!
July 9th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
There’s a good amount of tips also on twitter… i’m @adityakuber and @fotoflock
July 9th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
6. …waste all of your expensive time so that you not finish your project, because you are trapped in the twitter-window all day long.
Len
July 9th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Great tips, thanks.
I am about 1.5 years into photography but fresh in Twitter. I’d be happy to exchange comments about photography and photos with you there.
@borsuuk
July 9th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
That’s a great tip! Never signed up on twitter first of this date, now I’m a twitter too! ;)
Thank you for your advices, I really love your posts here on DPS and also love your posts on photo naturalist!
follom me on twitter @lorenzoreffo
July 9th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Great Article, great insights! I tweet!
Only 12 updates so far but i can keep in touch with fellow photo nuts,marketing gurus and the like, you learn so much about what is happening in this exciting industry.
We need more aussies though on twitter, as we have so much talent here too!!!!
@samhickscomau
July 9th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
That’s a nice article there! I’m slowly getting into photography!
I’m also on twitter @mrqwest
July 9th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
I always love lists of twitter photogs.
But I totally agree with this article: A fellow twitterer literally posted an HDR attempt 5 minutes ago, and within a minute or two, I was able to provide feedback and insight. Then, about 5 others did. Getting immediate feedback is the key to growing and enhancing our photography skills and knowledge, and twitter is our tool to do that!
July 10th, 2009 at 3:46 am
Okay, enough about Twitter! I know they must have a good PR department, because I hear stories about Twitter EVERYWHERE.
Twitter is a flash-in-the-pan company that, just like MySpace, will soon be just a blip in the history of the internets. There are much better social outlets that help you do all that your article claims and then some. Please stop being a shill for Twitter, it just makes you look like a douche.
July 10th, 2009 at 3:48 am
Sorry for my strong words above. I really appreciate DPS and I just get frustrated when people don’t really know the technology they are advertising for. Twitter is not the be-all-end-all of social media outlets. There are much better sites out there with better services.
July 10th, 2009 at 3:49 am
Hey Jody, Are you saying you don’t use Twitter? I can’t quite tell…
Oh, and MySpace is still valued at just over 600Mill… I hope that one day I have a Flash in the Pan company like that?….
hehe
July 10th, 2009 at 3:50 am
I would also recommend following PDN (Photo District News) @pdnonline who are a great source for breaking news in the photo world.
July 10th, 2009 at 3:51 am
“I just get frustrated when people don’t really know the technology they are advertising for”
I really don’t understand what you’re saying?… How do you mean?…
It’s just like texting all your friends at once “I just uploaded a new photo, check it out” …What’s wrong with that?
S
July 10th, 2009 at 3:54 am
Hi Sime, I’ve tried twitter. But, look at how many people say they use twitter, but don’t understand it. I really think that means, “I am using this because everyone says it’s cool, but I don’t know what is cool about it.”
I am not saying that Twitter and MySpace aren’t valuable companies, but they aren’t going to be relevant in the next 3-5 years.
July 10th, 2009 at 3:55 am
Jody, I think you’re arguing with yourself. You seem to be the one that doesn’t understand Twitter and its use. For the record, the Twitter team hasn’t spent a lot of time and money on PR to get their name out. It’s been around for years, but is only showing up now in the mainstream media because more celebrities like Oprah are finding out about it and talking about it.
No one ever said Twitter is the “be-all-end-all of social media outlet”. It’s simply another form of communication and collaboration.
If you don’t understand it and aren’t going to take the time to try, what’s the purpose in coming here to complain about it instead of just ignoring it? It’s simple to just move on when you see the word “Twitter” mentioned the first time.
July 10th, 2009 at 4:03 am
Daniel, Why do you think Oprah started using Twitter? I work in PR. I know how it works. If you don’t think that the Twitter team has spent a lot of time and capital on getting celebrities to use and endorse it’s product, you need a serious reality check.
I am not trying to be a troll here (I really do regret the “douche” comment above, really, Steve Berardi’s work is awesome), I will take your advice and just remain quiet on this subject.
July 10th, 2009 at 4:10 am
How Oprah found out about Twitter and started using it is irrelevant, since she’s only 1 celebrity in the mix. Since its beginning, Twitter has had no money-making model.. I know you hate reading about Twitter, but there’s plenty of discussion on it. They’ve only recently began developing one, so it’s entirely possible that they plugged the idea to her team.
How it got in the media isn’t important at this point anyway. The fact remains that Twitter has been around for quite a few years and it has done just fine. For you to say that it’s not going to be relevant in the next 3-5 years shows ignorance on your part. I’m not calling you an idiot or anything, but you’re not looking at the big picture. Most people want information handed to them quickly and concisely, and that’s what Twitter is good for. The people that treat it as only an IM client are the ones that are lost.
If you work in PR, I would suggest using it to find like-minded people in your field to collaborate with and then re-evaluate how you think about it after a few weeks.
July 10th, 2009 at 4:20 am
Thanks for the tips! As an amateur photographer, connecting with others who are more experienced in their craft is invaluable. I’ve used my photographs on romance book covers (for myself and others), and I am always looking for new ideas, lighting, exposure, etc.
Love twittering, too!
Cassidy McKay
Twitter Username:
Cassidy_McKay
July 10th, 2009 at 4:59 am
I have a twitter! http://twitter.com/ashlie_rainey I never did use it to ‘critque’ on my pictures, but now I think I will….but I do use it like it’s mostly used for so beware ><
July 10th, 2009 at 5:37 am
How Oprah and other celebrities started using Twitter is not irrelevant. It is an already over-inflated property that keeps getting hyped like it’s the greatest social Web site EVER. It may have been around since the beginning of the Web, or the beginning of time for that matter, but not many people knew about it and few used it, isn’t that the definition of non-relavance? Now, everyone knows about it, but few understand it and it’s purpose (you yourself have admitted that there are people who only use it as an IM client, but there are a lot of people who use it that way anyway). The writer of the article wrote, “It’s always hard to explain exactly what Twitter is . . .” If it’s hard to explain what it is, and people use it without knowing what it’s good for, isn’t that a recipe for disaster? I said that it will not be relevant in the next 3-5 years because, right now, it is becoming more and more faddish. People aren’t using Twitter because they think it’s useful, they are using it because everyone else is using it. That would lead me to beleive that those same people will stop using it once the next big internet sensation hits . . . in about 3-5 years.
I am sorry for hijacking, and being a little trollish. This is my last post for this article. I apologize.
July 10th, 2009 at 5:47 am
I never cared much for Twitter and wondered what all the hooplah was about. So yes, this passage was really helpful info., for whenever I decide to join the Twitter clan. Thanks
July 10th, 2009 at 6:13 am
Here’s another photographer on twitter to follow:
http://twitter.com/reidrolls
July 10th, 2009 at 6:41 am
Twitter’s purpose is whatever its users define, no matter what its architects intentions may have been. Whether it’s transmitting your dietary habits, political beliefs, or photos, each is equally valid. There’s too much arrogance in people who think they, and only they, “get it,” and may dictate appropriate functionality for the technology.
This article did an excellent job in recommending ways in which Twitter can help photographers, just one particular group from which it’s obvious this audience is derived. Try not to let your preconceived biases translate to how others should value the tool.
July 10th, 2009 at 8:42 am
almost forgot my twitter tag!
@KrisSzupa
July 10th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Have absolutely no interest in being the first to find out about a new camera.
Only want to know about a camera until it has been tried and tested or reviewed for over a year.
Have no interest in having a lot of very short conversations, I’d rather have one long one quality conversation about photography. Go to a Photo Club, see all their shots and talk about them with the person who created them. If I want fast feedback about my photos, can get about as fast on forums like in PhotoCamel.com. Where I can pick the forum I choose, post a photo and have responses sent to me in email. Many times as soon as I get back to reading email. Many times carrying on meaningful conversations about everyone’s work. Having others grab my image and modify it posting it back to show me a different version or do the same to show them.
Everything from Animals to Weddings and more.
July 10th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Thanks everyone for your comments, and thanks to all those who tweeted or retweeted this article :)
First, I’d like to say that I have nothing against people who tweet about their dinner. I love Twitter, and believe there’s an infinite amount of ways to use it. And, actually sometimes I like hearing about people’s dinner (some of you have some pretty cool meals!).
My target audience for this article was people not already on Twitter, so the reason I mentioned the whole dinner thing is because the #1 complaint I hear from people who don’t like Twitter is: “I don’t get it.. why do I care what my friends are having for dinner?” To reach these people, I knew I had to immediately dispel this myth about Twitter.
Twitter can be used for a lot of things, and in this article I just wanted to mention some of the ways it’s helped me as a photographer.
@Kathy – I agree that sometimes twitter is like reading snippets of conversations at a crowded party.. it’s hard to keep up with a large amount of friends, but thankfully there’s great tools like TweetDeck and Tweetie to help that problem :)
@Nic – I totally forgot about that awesome new Flickr feature that helps you post images to twitter, thanks for mentioning it!
@daniel – “Unlike that crowded party, you can decide who to listen in on and who to ignore.” <— beautiful statement!!
@Scott – no problem! thanks for being such an inspiration!
@Matt – I definitely agree that the best way to learn photography is to get out and take photographs. But, I think twitter, flickr, and other social networking tools can be used to help complement that. I think we can learn a lot by meeting new photographers, hearing their perspective, and seeing through their eyes by the photos they take. I think it’s hard, if not impossible to do it all by yourself.
@lennard – I think twitter can actually help you complete projects.. if you run into a problem or need advice on something, I think friends are great people to turn to :)
@Lorenzo – glad to see you’re on twitter now! And, thanks so much for your nice comments on my articles!
@Kristopher – “Getting immediate feedback is the key to growing and enhancing our photography skills and knowledge, and twitter is our tool to do that!” <– beautiful :)
@Jody – I definitely do not believe that Twitter is “the be-all-end-all of social media outlets” and I apologize if this article made it look that way.. Twitter has been a great tool for me though, and I’ve met a lot of great people by using it.
July 10th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
The reason why twitter is hard to “get” is I think twofold: It’s a very new way of communicating. One to many communication with almost zero barriers is something completely new. Second, Twitter is more of a “platform” than anything else. It’s a way of communicating and it doesn’t impose any restrictions or guidelines on its users, except for the 140 character limit. It’s like showing a young kid a sandbox for the first time and saying “have fun”. The sand is just clean dirt – what you do with it is up to your imagination, and that can be bemusing.
I believe that you get out of twitter what you’re willing to put into it, and that’s the golden twitter rule I follow. When I participate and contribute, I usually find that good things soon happen back. Think of it like Karma :)
I also want to make the point that I have made real money from twitter. As a photographer it’s vital to get my name known, and by interacting with people via twitter, and offline at meets, I’ve been able to make bookings that wouldn’t have existed if not for twitter. I wrote about this on my blog: MeetHeads – Promoting my Business at a Tweetup
Finally I want to thank Steve very much for including me as one of his recommended photographers on Twitter. Since this post went live, I’ve met hundreds of new people, and already I’m enjoying fulfilling interactions with some of them.
Neil
@neilcreek
July 10th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Thanks Steve.
As I am very new to Twitter I have learned something new from your thorough post. I haven’t been good enough to interact with other photographers and likeminded on Twitter – need to get the feeling better ? for the style etc. and of cause we always have the time constrains against our conversation – just think of the time being consumed for our emails, reading and replying.
But anyway I will be happy to joint the photo conversation on Twitter with other photographers.
Best wishes for the photographer community on Twitter
Soren Breiting
Denmark
Follow me on Twitter @SorenBreiting alias http://www.twitter.com/sorenbreiting
July 10th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Why only twitter.com?
i mean facebook doing the same thing, i think it just depends what kinda photographer or people u lookin for..
July 11th, 2009 at 5:10 am
I have always been to lazy to create a twitter, but after reading this post, I decided to create one.
Really liking it so far!
I’m @zach_houston
July 11th, 2009 at 10:58 am
I have found lots of fellow photographers on twitter. Follow me if you like at @kb7rut The best tweet to follow if you are a wedding photographer is @thebschool great advice, articles, and links to whats going on at the [b] schoool.
July 11th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
twitter.com/rickscheibner
July 11th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
@taransa on Twitter. Just joined.
July 11th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
I’m a new twitter man, and i think it’s very useful to improve my photos viewing and discover some TOP topics on photography ans other websites like DPS.
Thanks for this explain !!
Follow me on @latelier12 !
(sorry for my english)
July 11th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
follow me on twitter
http://twitter.com/nyinyimyanmar
July 11th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
@mamma_christine
July 11th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Amateur photographer with a keen interest to learn as hobby! Follow me on twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/shafrazthawfeek
July 12th, 2009 at 4:24 am
@thechannelc
Nice article. I have to agree I learned a lot from other photographers who are on twitter and another less known place called friendfeed. Photographers are everywhere, I’d say go where you feel comfortable.
July 16th, 2009 at 7:27 am
Wow, hot topic. I’ve been trying to follow everyone who listed here. You can follow me at http://twitter.com/alinabradford
August 5th, 2009 at 7:22 am
I’m @JLynnPro on Twitter. I enjoy it, but I don’t log in every single day. I’ve met lots of neat people that way and found numerous wonderful blogs.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:46 am
Twitter is really a great invention, but I think blogging is even more important to create some traffic. But I can use some of the tips.
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