I don't know about other photographers, but since I joined Dreamstime and started to receive sales, my outlook on my photography has changed drastically.

Before Dreamstime (BDT!) I would describe my approach to my photos as being 'impulsive'. If we were out somewhere, say a safari park, I would snap away taking pictures, maybe looking for shots which may look good on the wall, but more often than not I would just be recording the day. 'This is where we went, this is what we saw...' etc. etc.

After Dreamstime (ADT) this approach changed completely... and arguably not for the best. To explain, I was now struggling to look at taking any pictures OTHER than those suitable for DT. Where before I would take shots with people in the frame without a second ...

Try visiting strobist

I find this site particularly inspiring, and it is one of those sites which makes you want to grab your camera and get shooting.

The idea is basically about using hotshoe flashes as strobes, by adding stands, remote triggers and various ingenious additions to create various creative lighting effects. There is a guy who contributes to the site's Flickr images who takes shots of expensive designer watches using this kind of setup, and the results are fantastic.

I'm still struggling to get my head around the setup of equipment required, as the 'creator' of the concept is using all Nikon equipment, and adapting this to suit my Canon stuff seems to be a little more complex... ...

Whenever I want to check out some new items of equipment, be it lenses, flashes, tripods or bags, my first port of call on the internet is always fredmiranda.com

I like this site because it is not just about lab testing the equipment, it is all about personal opinions of many users, all of whom use the kit in different ways and therefore can give you a good spectrum of experience on how it performs.

All items are scored for several different criteria and often people post comments and sometimes example images. Also, the average price paid and overall rating are excellent quick indicators of items which are proving to be particularly popular or disappointing.

I recommend having a look over it when considering a new purchase, especially ...