It was a warm summers day when I first starting taking pictures... (too far?) ... but soon afterwards, I joined a Nature Photography forum (naturescapes.net).. I had very little knowledge about bird photography, and poured over the forums on a daily (or even hourly) basis. I think they may have been more popular at the time (at least for long-time photographers) and there was a treasure of information I could pull from.
I learned some styles, I learned what individuals were able to take, with the equipment they used, where they got the photos etc. I started posting photos of my own, and received limited responses until I finally figured out what made for a "good" photo.
So, in short, I learned quite a bit from the forums, and I figure most people could probably learn a lot as well!
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At the same time, I think I fell into a trap, where I started to think that "popular" photos were always the best. Eventually, I was barely taking photos because I didn't have the energy (or desire?) to do the ultimate "set ups" to control everything and make the photos exactly as I wanted. (or cloned in/out enough things)
In my opinion, Alan Murphy has a huge collection of the best bird photos in North America:
http://alanmurphyphotography.com/blog/
But I eventually had to break free of the "nature photography forum" mind set, and realize that it wasn't the photography I wanted to do, and I would still be extremely happy taking the birds "where they land"...
Doesn't seem like an earth shattering personal discovery, but it was amazing how much I had fallen into the mindset.
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Now, I hardly look at the forum. Yet I don't think I would be taking the photos I take today, without the things I learned there about the technical side of photography. There are a handful of forums that I know, that I could write a quick biased opinion of:
http://www.naturescapes.net/phpBB3/index.php
Naturescapes was the forum I was talking about! I'm not 100% sure how things have changed, but I'm sure it's still a great place to learn. Post photos for critique, and try to not argue! Just take whatever you need from it to make the photos you want down the road. Probably not something they'd like to hear, but I'd recommend not paying for a membership (at least for a while? I never have...) and use an online web service to host your photos (flickr, picasa) if needed.
Keep an open mind about what people say, yet pick and chose the things you want to apply to your own work. Also remember all o these places are a bit of a "pat eachnother on the back" kind of place, and the number of comments don't always reflect the quality of photo!
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Next:
This is a forum I check from time to time, but could be an example of a generic "local forum" to use as a resource... You'll learn a fair bit, especially local locations for photography. I've now graduated to trying to find places WITHOUT people for photography, but that wasn't the case for 5+ years at the start. (and isn't always the case now)
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http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=vg1&ns=1
A forum I've never really taken part of, but it looks great. A huge website, with lots of people taking part. I never want to pay for anything, and the "non-paying" option for the forum is pretty limited... But I've always been pretty impressed with some of the photos that turn up there.
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BirdPhotographers.net
http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/forum.php?s=ddffc9b46f5ebb0a2c78ad21a2de60ac
I'll keep this one short. Obviously a popular forum for bird photographers... I joined up when it was first created. After reading several posts from some of the owners saying "Ok, I've just given you my opinion, now you should buy a membership since you profited from my wisdom" ... or "I don't critique photos unless you're a paying member" I eventually got into a spat with a few of them, and was handed down a 30 day ban and never returned :P
May seem like a bit of a personal experience, but I know of several others who have had similar experiences (including two of the OWNERS of the site) have since left because they don't really agree with how it's run (or have been banned)....
I'm sure you could learn a fair bit here, but I wouldn't exactly recommend it! I think the $$$ is bigger here than all the others combined.
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So there you have it! My personal feelings about naturephotography forums. Yes, they'll tell you to remove every single stick from the background of your bird pictures, clone out feeders, use small rodents as bait etc. etc. etc. But you'll just have to pick and choose the stuff you want to use in your own photography! Then, it's just a great tool to add to your arsenal of photography goodness.
(an old set up of mine.. Used tapes, a stand, cut the branch and duct taped it in place).. But I really like it!
(A 100% natural image, with a *spark* I could never have planned, even if I wanted to)
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