I started photography only two years ago, but my real first steps in graphic design holds their roots in eighth grade, about five years ago. My parents owned a local newspaper, so we were in no short supply of the Adobe® products. Prowling about the Internet, I came across some Photoshop® tutorial websites and went to town—doing only what is natural to young boys, of course, turning (photos of) family members into zombies!

I found this to be great fun and also realized in myself a certain knack for design, though I was troubled at first with this. I’m no practiced painter or drawer, so finding my way in the graphics design world seemed at first a dead end, until I met photography. Since it took me some time to find my way, I thought I may speed the process for any budding photo artists and list some of the resources I came across. I’ll also list some more generic Photoshop® resources, just because there is so much overlap.

Outside of the following list, I want to pay special mention to the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), Larry Becker in particular. I won’t go into details, but he helped me find my way in the intricate world of design. If you are at all into design, highly consider membership with NAPP—the benefits are well worth it.

The list as promised, in no particular order:

• Photoshop® Insider, the blog of Scott Kelby, president of NAPP
• Photoshop® User TV, a fantastic, informative, and hilarious show. I’ve watched it evolve over the years and the quality and content have only grown richer.
• Layers Magazine, for everything Adobe®
• Photoshop® Lightroom Killer Tips (the world’s best presets?)
• Strobist, for providing advice that makes your lighting otherworldly
• and, This Week in Photo, another great way of staying up-to-date in the photography world

If I had to pick only ten websites to visit again, those would definitely be at the top. For purposes of shameless plug, but also out of all truthfulness, I’d count Accentuate.us and Spearhead Development in that list too :)