barbara_lucas_wilson Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 I was looking around and found DWF (Digital Wedding Forum), it costs $129 a yearto participate and claims to have 5000 wedding photography professionals thatare active members. I got to look at some of the archives and it seems like itmight be useful, but I'm not sure about the cost and if it's really worth it.Does anyone here have experience with this forum?They also have a deal where you can spend a little more and be listed on Wedfog,a resource for recommendations for bride's.Again, not sure if it's worth it. I already advertise on a local weddingresource website (which has given us several clients). Any opinions?TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devoted Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 You'll get out of it what you put into it; the same holds for any community. For myself, the investment has paid for itself every year I have been a member, and that's without Wedfog. The networking alone has been absolutely priceless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l_e Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 It is absolutely worth it. I am not knocking photo.net or anyone who contributes to photo.net, but when I read the DWF I realized it was a whole different level. Mainly you don't get the 'critique my website' and the 'shooting my first wedding' questions. You still get the website stuff, but it is usually from people who are making minor adjustments to their already established and professional looking websites. Photo.net is a great place to start and keeping visiting, but DWF is a great place to go for expanding on your foundation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meldell Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 I tried DWF but found myself more comfortable at OSP. Plus its free. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbara_lucas_wilson Posted April 3, 2008 Author Share Posted April 3, 2008 OK, now I feel dumb, what's OSP? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l_e Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 OSP is Open Soure Photo. It is David Jay's pet project. David Jay is a highly regarding wedding photographer who will admit he is not the best wedding photographer just really good at marketing. I like OSP as well but you end up with two mildly annoying things - David Jay groupies and the underlying theme that you should by David Jay products. Some of the products are good and a few are a waste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l_e Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Of course when I wrote '...should by David...' I meant 'buy'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colleendonovan Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 I disagree that the underlying theme of OSP is that you have to buy David Jay products. That is simply not true at all and is obvious if you spend any sort of time there at all. OSP is the coolest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djphoto Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 I've been a member of the DWF since 2003. (And a member of photo.net since 1996.) Even though I've been photographing weddings since 1972,I learn things that save me the cost of my membership fee every month or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andre_t1 Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 I just joined in March...and love it. Photo.net was great when I was starting out but DWF is were all the pros/high budget photogs and iv learned soo much. I have nothing against photo.net, i loved it when i was starting out and didn't know what I'd do if i hadn't found it. But once your out of the newbie stage, DWF is the way to go IMHO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbara_lucas_wilson Posted April 3, 2008 Author Share Posted April 3, 2008 Thanks for the input, it really has helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick rosen Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 It all depends on what you want to get out of a forum experience. DWF is frequented by many of the most successful wedding photographers. There is probably a lot of good information there (I don't know as I am not a subscriber) but I have heard that it can be a very brutal place for newcomers who ask questions. I think the egos are running too rampant over there. OSP is a David Jay love fest populated mostly by rank newcomers. There is more "lovecat support" than real, solid information there. If you are looking for comments like "your work is AWESOME!!!" and support when you screw up then it's a good place for that. Screw up at a wedding and you will post about it and get responses like "We all make mistakes!" rather than solid information about how not to screw up again. Going past that, I don't think there is much real information there. As for OSP being a resource for selling his products, I was banned by Jay for mentioning a competing slideshow program to his ShowIt. Draw your own conclusions. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt antonino Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 DWF is like DPReview. Harsh "honesty" (ITHO) - I skipped out of there a few yrs ago after a "trial" period and it turned me off to the "old school pros" because the people you'd expect to be helpful are usually some of the meaner ones. OSP is friendlier, but you do get a lot more new photographers since it's free & open. You can also get a lot of info on there as there are sometimes over 1,000 photographers online at the same time. More to weed through but great info if you are looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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