Introduction

Twitter is a very powerful tool for reaching thousands of people in an instant, but like most, before I started, I didn’t really get it. It’s hard to find quality people to follow at times so I’ve put together this little list of 20 people (in no particular order), who I like to follow. Twitter a great way of reaching someone personally and interacting with them with very little effort – it’s more than just a feed of updates about breakfast, it’s a great resource to replace your RSS feed and put all of your favourite people together.

The List

@MichaelZelbel - Michael Zelbel

“I tweet about photography. I do love artistic nude photography. Ask me anything via @MichaelZelbel, I never check DM’s.”

I follow Michael because not only does he share lots of photos and interesting links and reviews, but he’s willing to answer anyones questions, and publicly at that. Questions that you didn’t even know you wanted answered are being revealed to you, right in your Twitter feed. There’s a mixture of personal thoughts and daily anecdotes thrown into the mix as well, so it feels like more than just talking to a computer screen; you’re actually interacting with a widely respected photographer.

@LIFE - LIFE.com

“LIFE.com – the most comprehensive and iconic collection of professional photography on the web.”

It says it all in their blurb really; LIFE have one of the world’s largest image collections and they share them regularly to well over 1.4 million followers. They seem to post about 10 times a day so you don’t have to worry about missing out on some awesomely inspiring photos and articles, as they’re shared quite regularly. There’s a lot to be learnt from just looking at photography and this is one of the best resources for that.

@photojack – Jack Hollingsworth

“world, travel, lifestyle, stock photographer. Social Media coach and consultant to photographers. Husband. Father. Austinite”

Jack is a professional photographer who narrates parts of his life through the use of Twitter. He shares words of wisdom, inspiring quotes, useful links, and little nuggets of information about what a professional photographer gets up to. I find it interesting to see how other photographers work and Twitter is a great way to see their thought process. Jack’s got some awesome photography and is well worth a follow. 

@YouArentaPhotog - You Are Not a Photog

“Notice the plethora of bad professional photographers these days? We’re Mary Anne and Ginger and we provide the snark around here.”

This is one of my favourite Tweeters to waste my time with because they offer up a source of amusement for me and many other photographers. They find a wide variety of fauxtographers and shame them without naming them, by showing their work to people all over the world. It’s pretty amusing to see what people try to consider photography, and that’s why it’s so popular, but I’m sure there’s a large group of us just staying tuned to make sure our work isn’t put on there!

@Photocritic - Haje Jan Kamps

“Photographer, author, blogger, motorcyclist, technonaut, geek, Apple-fanatic, pan-european import-Londoner”

Haje is the owner of photocritic.org which takes you to Pixiq.com, where you’ll see his articles which he has written as one of their experts. Like all good Tweeters on this list, he can be reached through his Twitter fairly easily and interacts with users daily, with a mix of photo related goodness and personal updates on the life of a photographer.

@LightStalking - Light Stalking

“Light Stalking is all about beautiful photography and getting the word out about the talented people that produce it. We try to impart a little knowledge too.”

Light Stalking have been absent from my lists in the past, but that all changes here. They produce some of the best photography tutorials on the internet, but don’t use their feed to constantly try to encourage you to visit their website; they also share some really interesting links from across the internet. Even though they have over 300,000 followers on Twitter, they manage to keep their Twitter feeling a lot more personal by posting phone photos and interacting with random users.

@1854 - BJP (British Journal of Photography)- 1854

“Breaking news about photography from the editors of the British Journal of Photography, monthly magazine for professional photographers.”

These guys made it onto my list of top 20 photography websites in the past because they share some of the best links and articles on the internet when it comes to photography news. Their Twitter page is no different, in fact, it may even be a little bit better as they follow the rule of interacting with their photographers at any chance they can get. If you’re interested in photography news, then these guys are a must follow.

@davecross – Dave Cross

“Author, Trainer, Photoshop Guy. Avid Photographer, Owner of Dave Cross Workshops in Tampa”

This is just a small part of Dave’s about section on his website: “Over the last 12 years, Dave has taught Photoshop in every state in the United States, throughout Canada and in Europe, consistently earning rave reviews. Dave is well-known for his engaging style, his humor and his ability to make complex topics easy to understand. In 2009 Dave was inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame.” If that’s not enough to make you want to follow him, then I don’t know what is!

@jimgoldstein - Jim Goldstein

“Professional Photographer / Web Strategist: Capturing the worlds beauty one photo at a time. Photographer of landscapes, nature and anything beautiful”

Jim Goldstein is a full-time professional photographer, based out of San Francisco, California who specializes in outdoor and nature photography. Passionate about nature and the environment Jim infuses elements of the natural world into his commercial and editorial work, which he kindly shares through his Twitter.

@Photojojo – PhotoJoJo

“We make photography (more) awesome! • As seen in The New York Times, ReadyMade, Wall Street Journal, & CBS Early Show!”

If you’ve ever visited photojojo.com, you’ll be familiar with their ethos – to do one thing and to do it very, very well. They find the best photography related links from the internet and share them with anyone who visits their website, Facebook or Twitter, and I have to say, they do do it very, very well. With lots of updates each day, you never have to wait too long to find something to distract yourself with.

@nicolesy - Nicole S. Young

“Photographer, author … poet, dreamer. I enjoy long walks with my camera, pushing pixels in Photoshop & talking geek by a crackling fire. Art makes me happy.”

Nicole is a food and lifestyle photographer and her Twitter feed is full of useful little tips and photos, which are shared with nearly 10,000 followers. Photography blogging seems to be somewhat dominated by men, so it’s nice to see a female’s take on it all, and Nicole provides us with anything from help for followers to organising photo-walks and sharing her amazing photography – it’s all in a days Tweeting.

@AmazingPics – Amazing Photography

“only the best photos – handpicked & filtered for you – from pro and amateur photogs – out of a love for photography.”

This another great resource for finding amazing images to inspire your photography. These guys handpick only the best photos, which is by no means an easy job – there’s some amazing photography out there and even more bad photography! They don’t just link to their own site either, they share links to different websites and retweet other users, which helps you to find even more original content to find inspiration from.

@stevesimon – Steven Simon

“Obsessed with documentary photography and all things photographic”

Some of you may be familiar with Steve has he’s got a pretty strong reputation for quality and passionate photography, and his Twitter is no different. Writing on his Twitter appears to be a walk in the park after the books that he’s written and unlike a lot of photographers on this list, his updates tend to remain very photography orientated, making him one of my favourite Twitter users on this list.

@magnumphotos – Magnum Photos

“Magnum Photos is a photographic cooperative of great diversity and distinction owned by its photographer members.”

“Magnum is a community of thought, a shared human quality, a curiosity about what is going on in the world, a respect for what is going on and a desire to transcribe it visually.” -Henri Cartier-Bresson. The Magnum Photos library is a living archive updated daily with new work from across the globe. The library houses all the work produced by Magnum photographers and some special collections by non-members. There are approximately one million photographs in both print and transparency in the physical library, with over 500,000 images available online – These are images that you get to see everyday through their Twitter.

@strobist - David Hobby

“Professional Flasher”

David is currently the only person to make it onto three lists on my website; “Top 20 Photography Website”, “Top 20 Most Influential Photographer Bloggers” and now this. With a huge on-line monthly readership of over 300,000 photographers from 175 countries, David has built himself up quite a following by being the master of his niche – lighting. From my experience, he’s always been happy to help out his 50,000+ followers with questions, as well as providing amusing responses for the stupid ones.

@cameragearguide - CGG

“The premier resource for photography enthusiasts. We review, report, and follow the best in digital cameras, photo gear, and camera news.”

This is a really awesome resource which provides up to date new and reviews related to photography. Whenever I hear something new that’s going on in photography, there’s a good chance that I heard it here first. They have just the right mix of interesting links, relevant reviews and fun rumours to keep my entertained while I’m supposed to be working.

@NAPP_news - Photoshop User

“We are the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (led by Scott Kelby), the leading worldwide resource for Photoshop training.”

If you’re into learning about Photoshop, then you would have heard of Scott Kelby before – he’s kind of a big deal when it comes to post production. This is the national association for Photoshop professionals and the Twitter account serves up some great tips and tutorials as well as what’s new in the world of post production.

@featureshoot – Featureshoot.com

“Showcases work from emerging photographers alongside established photographers who have completed a new project.”

These guys are another one of those great Twitter users who share the work of others, in an effort to inspire many people. Only, they do it a little bit differently. They don’t just share photos from the past that have been shown a thousand times before, they will share work from emerging photographers alongside established photographers who have completed a new project. The site and Twitter covers commercial and fine art photography, and is a resource through which photo editors, art directors, art buyers, and people with an interest in photography can discover new talent.

@chromasia - David J. Nightingale

“Editorial, fine art and commercial photographer, photoblogger, photoshop fiend, and husband to the wonderful @libby_chromasia“

David started out as a fine art photographer, but in the past few years has also moved into photography and photoshop training in the form of face-to-face sessions and online tutorials. The reason that I follow David is not only because I want to learn something from him, but because of tweets like this “@michalfanta The more I teach photography (shooting & PP) the more I realise that the tools aren’t v. important. It’s how you use them & why”.

@PhotoJosh – Expert Photography

“I teach expert knowledge and techniques for beginner to advanced photographers. Follow me, i’ll follow you back in 24 hrs. www.expertphotography.com”

I do my best to share what I consider to be the best tutorials and links on the internet, as well as retweeting other people that I find interesting. This is also a great way of getting a hold of me, and I’m more than willing to answer any questions that you may have. Bigger questions go to Facebook as 140 characters can be a bit of a pain, but if I can help, then I certainly will. I stive to make learning as easy as possible with the content that I write, with the use of lots of photos, detailed explanations and well structured tutorials. If I can help you with anything, then come by Twitter or Facebook and let me know!