So why pay to join a site like this?

Nikongear.com has been running a forum for over 5 years and in that time we've learned a LOT about how to do it properly. Joining us is all about joining...

A GREAT PHOTOGRAPHER'S COMMUNITY

Here are some of the reasons why over 1000 members have already decided to take out paid membership with us. There are also some suggestions on how you can get full access without paying anything, or get full Charter membership for life, so please read on.


We Have Very Friendly & Helpful People Here

On our boards you won't find the kind of "swarm mentality" that plagues many bigger online communities. What you'll find instead is a place where people are friendly, open to discussion on just about anything, but at the same time respectful of the right of others to have a contrasting opinion to their own. Our Code Of Conduct serves as a kind of "constitution" for our members to abide by and we very seldom have to do any moderating here. We don't allow flaming or trolling and spammers are immediately banned (and taken round the back for a good walloping!).


We're A Truly Global Community

A lot of the time you'll find that online forums gravitate to one particular geographic region. Not the case on NG. We have members from well over 150 different countries and not more than 30% of our traffic comes from any one region. Not many photography sites can lay claim to a statistic like that.

There are a few regional boards that our members can subscribe to if they would like to share information that is more specific to their region. So far we have boards for Aussies, Brazilians, Canadians, Dutchies, Germans, the Nordic lands, South Africans, Americans and citizens of Her Majesty, The Queen (UK). These boards are free to join.


We're Committed To Improving Your Photography

When you post an image to one of Nikongear.com's boards you are not always going to get the kind of "attaboy" response that you will find on many other photo sharing sites. Every image that gets posted here is open to constructive critique from the other members. If we like what you've done we'll say so, but we might also add a bit of "what if" to the mix. Sometimes an image might not get any comments, but our staff are working on changing that.

NG is definitely not the place to post photos of your pets or kids, unless of course you've gone to great lengths to make them look exceptional. :-)


We Have Masters & Beginners Here

When you join up you will encounter a wide range of photography skills amongst our members. Sometimes this is a bit intimidating for beginners, but one thing you will notice about our experts is that they want to help you improve, and the best way of doing that is to show them what you're trying to do photographically.

Post your images, absorb the feedback you get and build on that. Everybody was a beginner at some point, so there is no reason to be afraid to post your shots and ask for help.


We Build Lasting Friendships Across Borders

Many of the members here have become very good friends outside of the forum and that is something that we're extremely proud of. When you're a full member you'll be able to read about the get togethers our members plan in the General Discussion board.


We're Not Only About Nikon

Sure, the name of the site is a bit of a misnomer. We started out as a site dedicated to collecting info about Nikon gear, but over the years we've become much more about photography in general. You'll see that we have boards about software and video and lighting and also about other cameras! [shock! horror!]


Well, that's all great. But what else do you get?

Read on...