Take The Time To Check Out Shutterbug.com

George Schaub, February, 2007

While I am very proud of the job we do here at Shutterbug magazine, there’s another aspect of our work that I’d like to call to your attention—our website at www.shutterbug.com. I was reminded of what we offer when I recently met a Shutterbug reader at a photo show. After we talked for a bit about the state of affairs in the photo world he asked me if we had ever done a review of the Sony Alpha A100, as he was considering it as his next D-SLR. Sure, I answered, and if you don’t have the issue in which it appeared just check out the review on our website. You post reviews? he asked, and we walked over to an Internet terminal and I typed the Sony model into the Search box and up it popped. What about other D-SLRs? Well, simply done, you can either type in the name of the camera model you are seeking in the Search box or click on our D-SLR links, and all the D-SLRs we’ve reviewed come up in list form. Pretty neat, he admitted, and I have to agree.

In fact, just about every story we’ve ever done since about 1999 can be sourced in that fashion. That’s quite a bit of information for one site, and did I mention it’s all for free? You can do your research through our Search box or simply click on the link that leads you to a number of groupings, including Lighting, Printers, Scanners, Lenses, and so forth. Do you have a favorite writer, like David Brooks or Joe Farace? Just type their name into the same box. Indeed, we have archived every one of Brooks’ very popular Digital Help columns, which taken together is an amazing resource for all matters digital.

While equipment reviews are a very popular aspect of our site, we also feature a vast array of articles covering techniques. You can pick up a lot of information spanning everything from basics (with our refresher courses) to advanced techniques for printing, scanning, lighting, and even color management.

We also have an Instant Links section, which can serve as a supplement to our magazine articles. That’s where we often publish full specs on gear reviewed in the magazine, provide clickable contacts for manufacturers and distributors and any additional material that will help you get even more from the articles in Shutterbug. We organize that section according to issue date and article.

Our Forums were started last year, and the Shutterbug Forum community has grown ever since. We have been joined by experts from around the globe in these Forums, as well as have regular visits from Shutterbug writers and contributors. We emphasize a positive, helpful dialog and welcome questions as well as responses; you can also begin your own Thread, or pose possible new Forums to add to the already impressive list. We also have added “chat” rooms where you can write directly to our contributors. Comment on their articles, do follow-up tech questions, and find out about their books, workshops, and more.

Check out our Gallery, where you are welcome to upload your images, discuss other photographers’ images, and even get comments from other Shutterbug Gallery participants. All you need do to get involved with the Forums and Galleries is to go to www.shutterbug.com and register—again, it’s all for free.

And last but not least there’s our News Desk, where we post fresh news reports each and every day.

Our site wouldn’t be what it is today without our Web Administrator Jill Rahn, Publisher Ron Leach, who oversaw much of initial reorganization, and Webmaster Jon Iverson. I salute them all for their great work. There’s plenty more to tell you, but the best way to see all that’s offered is to pay the site a visit and to check out its amazing array of services and information.