Where to post your photos. Where to post your photos? Look At Me explored alternative photo sharing platforms for personal and professional use and the communities that have developed around them.

Now we are talking with confidence about what needs to be done to get noticed, to get published; what “exposition” is worth; what topics can be called a “dead horse” and discarded, because everyone has just gotten worse from them for a long time.

We want to tell you about the most common mistakes that beginner and even advanced amateur photographers make when they start sharing their work on the Internet. Below are five of the most common ones. Do not do this if you want your work to be noticed and appreciated.

1. Overprotection

Sometimes aspiring photographers are overly adventurous when it comes to securing their work when uploading it online for the first time. They try so hard that any person who finds such pictures will not only not want to steal them, but will not even consider them.

Two main extra precautions:

large watermark
This is when you look at a photo, but it is difficult for you to see what is in it, because 50% of the surface of the image is occupied by an opaque logo or signature.

Tiny files
This is a passive-aggressive version of a massive watermark. Few things disappoint an editor more than when he finds beautiful photo, clicks on the picture and finds that the size of the full file is almost the same as the thumbnail.

Advice: When it comes to watermarks, less is usually more. As for the file size, never share an image smaller than 640px in width, but don't go over the 1280px limit.

Small rainbow parrot. Photo credit: J.J. Taylor

2. Wrong "color profile"

This is a common mistake that repeats itself over and over again, but it is easy to fix. When you're ready to share an image online, choose the right color profile.

We will not go into details now, why the picture looks perfect in the editor, and when you load it, you cringe from the colors you see. Exporting using an AdobeRGB or ProPhotoRGB color profile may look good at first, but depending on the browser/device, the photo will not display the colors you spent hours tweaking.

Advice: Export to AdobeRGB or ProPhotoRGB - for printing images; for online sharing, export as sRGB.

Who am I? Photo by: Elke Vogelsang

3. Jack of all trades (no masters)

There is nothing wrong with trying to test yourself in different genres of photography. Moreover, experiments in all areas of photography are welcome so that you can find your niche in your favorite direction.

If you want to draw attention to your work, then your work should look like YOUR work. All too often, profiles come across where you can find some landscapes, some portraits, and a selection of macro photos, among other things. It has nothing to grab on to.

Better define your genre or style that you love. You will start sticking to it and you will be able to develop in it until you achieve success, and then move on to something new when you feel that you have grown from where you started.

Finding a style and developing your abilities will take some time. But try not to waste your energy in all directions.

Advice: Don't spray every genre out there when it comes to shooting. Only a few photographers have established themselves in different directions and can be considered universal masters. Most amateur photographers who try to cover everything end up failing in any of the genres.

Just paparazzi at work. Photo by: John Wilhelm

4. Download everything that was filmed

Did you capture the amazing sunset yesterday? Or maybe you've found the perfect location to film the Milky Way and snapped a series of stunning photos? Wonderful. But don't share all the footage.

Posting 60 photos of the same sunset is like having your friends sit and watch a slideshow of photos of a family vacation in Turkey. The visitor has only half a minute to scroll down the page, and he will not see anything but the last photo shoot. And this contributes to forgetting your profile.

Advice: Upload one photo per day, or no more than five at a time. We all have a limited attention span. 1-3 great photos a day will enchant everyone, but 30 photos uploaded once a month will go unnoticed.

Shy meerkat. Photo credit: Matcenbox

5. Not sharing at all

This error manifests itself in two ways:

2. You are afraid to share photos. Horror rolls when you need to click the "publish" button.

The solution to the first challenge is to select multiple communities and networks - 500px, Instagram, Cameralabs - and consistently upload at least a few photos each week to all three sites. The development of a quality network takes time and close attention. The number of sites you sign up for should be balanced against the amount of time you can devote to them.

The solution to the second problem is to force yourself to overcome your fear of publishing by putting yourself on a rigid schedule. great way to do this is to start the 365 project and tell everyone about it in order to feel a commitment.

Vkontakte, My World, Odnoklassniki, Facebook, Google+ and many other services can be used to distribute photos, pictures and other graphic content.

Where can I post photos online?

In addition to social networks, there are a lot of services that accept pictures and photos. For example, you can use the Yandex.Fotki service. If your picture (photo) becomes the most popular, it will be presented on home page Yandex and it will be seen by millions of users.

You can also use the following resources:

1. Ipernity.com is one of the most popular sites in the world where Internet users post their photos. By using this resource, you can not only show photos to Internet users, but also free up space on your hard drive.
2. Fishup.ru is a popular photo community in RuNet where users share their own pictures. You can start making money on this site if you open your photography courses.
3. Lifeisphoto.ru is a less popular, but high-quality and interesting resource where you can also post all your photos and pictures.
4. Instagram.com- through this service, users share almost any photos, audio and video recordings. Today, this is one of the most popular sites, posting photos on it, you will show them to an audience of millions.
5. Gallery.ru is another photo community in Russia, which was created back in 2006. There are quite a lot of users, so your photos will be seen by a huge number of users.

If you are thinking about showing your photos, most likely you have a lot of high-quality and interesting pictures. Have you thought about selling them? This can be done thanks to photobanks.

Here is a list of the most popular projects where you can sell your photos:

• Shutterstock.com
• istockphoto.com
• Fotolia.com
• dreamtime.com

Before you publish your photos, think about where to upload them and set a specific goal. If you do not want to earn money, then post photos on social media. networks and other projects, helping them to develop.

I advise you to visit the following pages.

If you are a photographer, then building a portfolio is one of your primary concerns. With its help, you can show your work online, attract new clients, as well as more detailed and widely declare yourself as a professional.

Unfortunately, not all photographers have the technical skills needed to create a portfolio. Some people are put off by their lack of coding skills, while others find the process too complicated and time consuming.

The good news is that there are dedicated platforms online where you can create a portfolio online without any special skills and saving you valuable time.

1. Photoshelter

One of the most popular portfolio building platforms. you without special efforts You will be able to adjust fonts, your portfolio images and page layout.

The most attractive side of the site is the lack of coding required. Photoshelter not only offers tools for posting your work, but also helps you attract new clients. Integration of the platform with social networks and SEO provides positive influence for the development of your business.

2. Orosso

A tool for creating professional and amateur portfolios and further work with them. You do not have to spend a lot of time creating an online portfolio. With Orosso, this process is simple, unpretentious and takes a matter of minutes. Here you can create a portfolio that fully meets your tastes and needs.

Artists, designers and architects can use Orosso to post their work online. To get started, you can use the trial version (14 days) to decide whether it is worth paying for this program in the future.

3. Foliolink

An online portfolio building tool designed specifically for photographers and artists who want to sell their work online and with minimal time and effort. You don't need to be an expert in HTML or CSS coding to get started with Foliolink.

Fotolink offers iPad and iPhone versions, tools e-commerce and search engine optimization for your portfolio. You can create a free seven-day account to see which plan suits you best.

4. Zenfolio

Another tool that will help you quickly create amazing portfolios online. If you're a photographer looking to build your portfolio or get serious about selling your shots, this is definitely your option.

User-friendly point-and-click interface, ease of setup - these are the features that will allow you to create a site with your photos in the blink of an eye.

The minimum subscription cost per year is $30, but you can also use a trial free-premium account (you will not lose anything).

5. Folio HD

It is a resident platform for photographers, artists, architects, models and designers. It offers basic options for creating a website. FolioHD has three plans: basic, power and pro. The basic plan is free and includes 36 media downloads.

The pro and power plans, in turn, have a wider range of options, including Google Analytics, access to Fotomoto, and more. The only difference is the download volume, which is 1000 for power and 2000 for pro.

6. Folio Websites

Another website that will help your mobile or professional photos appear as a portfolio. It differs from its competitors primarily in its simple and uncluttered design.

They work through WordPress, which indicates the ability to adjust settings and use positive aspects SEO for search engine optimization and mobile compatibility. You can choose a premium account which costs $14.60 per month.

7. 1X

More like a social network or online community for photographers than a portfolio tool. One way or another, users can resort to his help so that as many people as possible on the network get acquainted with his work.

You will probably be interested in the fact that not every photo you upload is published in 1X. The fact is that this question (to publish or not) is decided by the curator. 1X has a dedicated community forum where professional designers discuss the projects they are working on and share useful tips. Your 1X account will cost you nothing.

8. 500px

A personalized portfolio building software and marketing platform where photographers can sell their work. With this platform, they can easily and quickly create an online portfolio.

With 500px you can design and control your website without having to deal with coding. Users get at their disposal such indispensable options as an advanced visitor tracking system, the ability to upload an unlimited number of files, a photo store, a custom domain name.

9. SmugMug

10. Pixpa

This is a portfolio site that allows photographers to share their work with other users. Here you will find hundreds of ready-made templates, among which there will no doubt be one that will catch your attention. The ability to change the font, color, background, menu is one of the few options that make creating a website a simple and enjoyable experience.

If you want to have your own domain name, then Pixpa can help you with that too. Among other things, you can sell your photos using the Fotomoto e-commerce platform. Get a free 15 day trial and build your own portfolio.

Image selection behind, headache ahead - where to put your portfolio? Photo sites are the first thing that comes to mind, but most of them are visited by colleagues: they also post, promote and update their portfolio. Likes, comments, acquaintances - you can probably calm yourself with this, but a stable income is more important than media exposure. If you think about it, even for a minute, you begin to understand that Behance is an excellent project, but in Russia, for life in the outback, it is completely unsuitable: a private customer prefers a “dress”; not against, or willing to search, but only within the issuance of search engines.

A printed portfolio is an asset, but only with personal contact. It is impossible to leave, expose, regard as passive advertising, a folder of photos or a photo book; and again the photographer has a problem - where to place your portfolio? Of course, you can “pull out one or two pages from the portfolio”, turn them into a banner, for example, but this is not a portfolio, but an advertisement, a single photo for review. Will anyone notice? Big question. The idea creeps in, and for a very long time, that the industry is arranged differently than it is commonly believed, and there is no doubt that promotion is self-deception, the photographer simply serves services and companies.

In the Internet

Search for a customer - the opportunity to work, create your own photo; income is a consequence and it is better to stop attempts to replace the result with promotion so as not to fall into the temptation - not of bread, but of glory. Social status- an unstable, meaningless goal, for the sake of which, to his own detriment, the photographer receives crusts, reviews, temporary recognition.

I’m afraid, but I’ll notice that a photographer can attribute himself to the intelligentsia, but it’s just that a lot will have to be changed, understood and corrected in oneself. After all, an intellectual is activity, education; It's not about the crust, but about the content of the person. There are few of them among photographers. Valery Plotnikov is the most significant and at the same time the least visible of all.

There are few of his works on the Internet, but in his portfolio the whole world of a bygone era is enough to pick up one of his books and turn the page; and further. A person works, honestly eats his bread and at the same time does not collect fame. Of course, the author's world is shaped by life, but who to be - this is "managed" by a person.

You can place your first portfolio online to test the tastes of local clients and adjust your online strategy. Social networks- not about the portfolio; the quality, like the format, has changed - everything is very sad and relaxed. Passive promotion is gone and leads have taken its place - track, help and lure. Works, but "eats" time.

Of the photo sites, PhotoVogue can be distinguished. In its format, the portfolio is a bet on the future: a direct partnership or the opportunity to present your work as part of the annual exhibition "101 photographers". Yes, the prospect is time, an investment, but Vogue quickly pays off the costs, and if you please the editors "there", then "here" the clientele will change, they will begin to "understand".

The main portfolio can be placed on the site and it is convenient, but costly, without comments and fame. It is not clear to another - why maintain your resource when everything around is free, and the cheese is sweeter from this. A personal site is a showcase: locals get used to it, a client finds it, and it helps to earn money if it is purposefully dealt with.

And beyond

Beyond the Internet - life. It will take another ten years and many will doubt it. May be. I do not want to get ahead of myself, I just look with interest at the possibilities:

• Foyer. Traditionally, it is decorated with paintings, but what prevents an agreement is to cite, as an example, the registry office, which has long been turned into a gallery, often a personal one.
• Books. Regions love themselves, they are flattered when a chronicle is published in small circulation: streets and facades of buildings, prominent figures and events of good years. Expensive, but forever!
• Calendars. Corporate - product and payment, social copyright - portfolio, in a sense - a pocket version. Pavel Apletin,

The best praise for a photographer is when their work is in demand. For those who are engaged in photography to order, the success criterion is real money from clients - for example, I filmed a wedding, received a fee, and that's another success. But not everyone can shoot weddings, and it’s not so easy to break into other genres of offline photography. And what about those who are just good at photographing nature, landscapes, animals? Or your friends, your children, for example? Have you ever thought about where to sell photos on the Internet? Of course it is possible. Such sites are called photobanks, or microstocks.

Photobank is an Internet agency that allows users to sell photos, videos, drawings, vector images online. Used daily in the world a large number of images that are printed in newspapers, magazines, brochures and other promotional products, as well as on websites. It is for this reason that the demand for photography is quite high. Photobank is the main source of illustrations, because it is much cheaper than ordering work from a professional photographer.

In general, there are many photobanks, and new ones appear every year. I will mention only the most famous ones.

1. . It is the undisputed leader among all photo agencies and the main objective for all beginner photo stockers. Got to Shutterstock - consider your career a success. 🙂 Here, many photographers start earning almost immediately after successful registration. Every day Shutterstock sells a huge number of photos, more than anywhere else. According to statistics, most of the users who cooperate with this microstock earn from 100 to 500 dollars a month, and the income of especially successful authors reaches 10, and 15 thousand dollars, and sometimes more. However, getting here is not easy, you need to pass an exam of 10 papers, and they pass it far from the first attempt.
2. . It is the oldest photo bank in the industry. There was a time when getting to Aystok was very prestigious. Now it is gradually losing ground under the pressure of young and energetic photo stocks, although it still remains one of the largest. To get started, you also need to pass an exam, and it is as difficult as on Shutter. It is believed that the overall portfolio on Istock is more artistic than on Shutter.
3. . Also popular with photographers. The photobank is one of the largest. The catalog contains more than twenty million photos and videos. The bank offers very favorable terms of cooperation. And what is important for beginners, when registering, it does not require documents, and you do not need to take an exam. Register, download and earn.
4. . You must have often seen banners advertising this photo bank on the Internet on various sites. The agency has a large number of registered photographers from all over the world. Working with the service is very simple, the developers took care of the Russian-language interface. There is an exam at registration, but it is very simple.
5. . This one gives the impression of a strong middling. It does not rush forward to the level of Shutterstock, but it does not roll down either. It is very demanding on the subject and quality of images, but it does not require documents during registration, and there is no entrance exam either.
6. . Russian photobank, and the oldest of all. A simple interface, of course completely in Russian, a convenient search, a regularly updated collection of photos, several license options - the cost of a photo depends on its type. A special feature is the active forum of authors, where you can ask any question. The administration is constantly present on the forum, and questions are answered promptly. There is no exam, but there is a system of limits for downloading. Read more in the documentation on the site itself. I think that this stock is the most preferable for starting a stock career.
7. PressFoto. Another Russian photo bank, despite the Latin name. He is younger than Lori, but the image base is already larger. The interface is more like Western microstocks. Accepts vector images, photos and more. In order to successfully register, you will need three images, personal data, and the signing of an agreement. The seller receives 50% of the cost of the goods, and this noticeably distinguishes this project from other representatives in the domestic market. The minimum cost of one download is 29 rubles. The price largely depends on the number of images, as well as their size.

As I said, these are only the most famous microstocks. In total, there are already more than thirty of them. And you can upload your photos to everything at once (of course, if you do not participate in certain exclusivity programs). And the total income from all stocks you can have is very impressive.