Thinking about signing up for Clickin Moms but not sure what you’ll find when you do? Take a peek inside!
Forums Overview
When you first log in, a large and active collection of forums greets you. The top level forums include:
Clickin Moms Stuff
CMpro (by application only)
Tutorials and Articles
Photographers’ Chit Chat
Photography by Type
Business Matters
Products and Services
Show Us What You’ve Got
Contests, Challenges, and Exercises
Off Topic Chatter
CM Workshops
We’ll take a closer look at these areas below.
Personal Profile
Every member has a User Control Panel where she can upload a profile image (avatar), create a custom signature, link to her online presence (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, Website), include Name, Location, Photography Gear, and more!
Clickin Moms Stuff
This is the area for Announcements, Member Guides, the Help Desk, Suggestion Box, Brag Box (for sharing your accomplishments), and occasional community special projects. The Introduce Yourself subforum is also located here and is a great first stop for new members. This area also hosts the Quick Start Guides subforum, which includes subject-specific FAQs consolidate some of the most useful threads on the board.
CMpro
This area of the board is a smaller private forum for those who have applied and been accepted into CMpro, an affiliation within Clickin Moms that recognizes very advanced photographers whose work demonstrates creativity, vision, and artistic and technical excellence. CMpro is open to both those in business and those pursuing their artistic goals independently. More information about CMpro is available here.
Tutorials and Articles
One of our most popular areas, Tutorials and Articles features 300+ comprehensive how to guides, walk throughs, and informational articles. These posts are organized by subject area such as shooting, lighting, processing, color management, and business. A sample of our tutorials includes:
Learning to shoot Manual
The Basics of Skin Color Correction
The Un-Awful Family Portrait
Using curves to get that “creamy” skintone….
Natural light during the day
Making grass and colorful clothes POP!!!
Newborn Positioning
Fill Flash Outdoors
Masking Basics Tutorial
Calibrating Your Monitor with an i1Display2
Photographers’ Chit Chat
Just Clickin’ It is the place (and perhaps our busiest forum) for general photography musings, questions, and discussions. We also have a forum just for discussions of Personal/Artistic Development, as well as subject-specific forums to discuss Post Processing, Lighting, Color Management, and Computers and Hardware.
Also, don’t miss the Ask the Pros forum – where you can ask some of your favorite photographers questions about their shooting, processing, equipment, professional and artistic journeys – or anything else you can imagine!
Photography by Type
This forum is dedicated to discussing techniques, tips, and inspiration specific to various types of photography. It includes:
Newborns
Babies & Children
Families
Seniors
Couples/Engagement
Boudoir
Weddings & Events
Maternity
Birth Photography
Street & Urban
Landscapes & Nature
Pets & Wildlife
Macro Photography
Food Photography
Night & Low Light
Sports
Fine Art & Miscellaneous
Film
Black & White
Business Matters
Post in Your Photography Business about marketing, pricing, customer service, portfolio building, and more.If you’d like to request Logo Feedback, Site/Portfolio Critique, Blog Love, Facebook Fans, Contest votes, etc, post over in Cooperative Business Development. If you need business materials (including sample marketing materials and legal documents), check out the PIF section, or post requests for these materials in the Business Forums. Some members may be willing to share or help you get started. Many of our vendors also provide business related products and services for a fee.
Products and Services
Check out the Group Buys and Discounts forum as well as Vendor Row for special deals and other info about vendor products and services! Also check out the Product Reviews forum, where members talk about their favorite (and least favorite) products. And finally, don’t forget the Buy/Sell forum – where you can pick up some used equipment or sell your gently used photography gear yourself!
Interested in becoming a vendor within the Clickin Moms community? Request our advertising kit here.
Show Us What You’ve Got
This area is established specifically for sharing individual images when seeking assistance in evaluating or processing them. It includes subforums for Peer Critique, Before-and-Afters, Picture Play, and more! Just want to share your latest shot with everyone? We also have a non-critique area for Picture Share.
Contests, Challenges, and Exercises
We regularly feature Creativity Exercises to motivate you to get out there and work on your technical skills, artistic prowess, and more. Some of the exercises will be as simple as a one-word theme that is open to interpretation; others may be more extensive or provide more guidance.
We also host monthly challenges and games, plus events with major prizes / prize packages sponsored by our Awesome Vendors. These community events often run over an extended and include Clickin Moms Birthday Week (March), Clickin Moms Alphabet Challenge (April), Clickin Moms Scavenger Hunt (July), and our annual Clickin Walk across the globe (October).
Off Topic Chatter
Looking to make some new friends or just shoot the breeze? Spend a little time in the Break Room! Here you can discuss subjects unrelated to photography – from parenting advice to thought/prayer requests to … well, anything you want to chat about or share!
Is there an exciting event (photography related or otherwise) in your area? Moving to a new location? Want to meet other Clickin Moms nearby? Talk about it in Regional Chat!
CM Workshops
Clickin Moms Workshops provide personalized feedback, guidance, and inspiration to photographers of all levels. Each month, we work with well over one hundred photographers to refine skills, engage in business development, encourage a love of photographic arts, and more. Workshops are conducted in a private forum where you have an unlimited opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussion with the workshop instructor and fellow participants. You do not need to be online at any specified time to participate in most workshops. You can read, view and download lessons at your leisure. More information about our workshops is also available at CMuniversity.
