Is it time to give your photos some love? If you’re a bit like me perhaps you tend to pop your photos on Facebook, and Instagram and be done with it. But maybe your photos deserve a little more love than that.
There is far more to Social Media than Facebook and Instagram. In fact, they probably aren’t doing your photos much justice. There are alternatives, that allow you to display higher-resolution images without altering them and making them look a little weird at times.
Flickr
Flickr fell out of favor for a while, but you can still get free accounts, share your photos, connect with people, get inspired and enter competitions.
Vero
Relatively new, and still on a learning curve, but it looks great. Sadly doesn’t quite have the pickup on mainstream media, but is increasing in popularity due to far fewer constraints and it does your photos a real service making them look great too. Has connections and explore features making it fun and easy to use. If you want to connect, you can find me on @julzpowell.
Now, Twitter might sound a little strange for sharing photos, but it is actually pretty good. You can load four high res images, add a caption and tag them. No fuss, no hassles. The photos actually look pretty good in your stream.
Pinterest is great for creating mood boards and getting ideas, but it is also a terrific resource for sharing not only your photos but ideas and blog posts too. You can get a private account or even a business account. If you’re into food photography for instance, why not share the recipe along with the photos? It really can extend your reach.
YouTube
Do you remember YouTube? It’s still there and such a valuable resource. For my money far more inspiring and educational than other video-based services. How can YouTube help share your photos? Well maybe do a little video tutorial behind-the-scenes on when and where you took the photo, or perhaps a quick tutorial on how you edited it? People love to see the thought process behind creating photos, as well as a link to the final finished photo too.
Don’t forget our terrific Photofocus Community groups too, so many great images shared there.
Photobooks
There is nothing as unique as a personalized Photobook. You can create them for weddings and special events, Holidays, even celebrating the life of a loved one for any number of reasons, 21st birthdays or memorials. I linked a couple of articles below to get you inspired.
Revisit and edit your old (or recent) holiday photos. Check out this article offering tips on how to organize and select the best images for printing or sharing. It highlights the value of revisiting past experiences and memories through photography.
Or perhaps, you need some creative ideas for utilizing and preserving old family photos. This article includes ideas from creating a photo book and creating a family tree display to making personalized gifts. It emphasizes the importance of preserving family history and memories through photography.
Seriously, when it comes to giving your photos some love, can you really go past printing them and hanging them on your wall? Or gifting a friend to hang on their wall? In this age of quick digital photos, it’s easy to lose sight of the tangible benefits of real prints. They look great and seeing them and being able to touch them is a totally enjoyable and worthwhile experience. Ever considered a gallery exhibit? Daunting, yes, but oh, to see your images printed, possibly framed and hanging on a gallery wall is a surreal endeavor.
Check out this article that discusses the importance of evaluating and printing your photos as a way of improving your photography skills. It highlights the benefits of having physical prints, including a deeper appreciation for your images and the ability to share them with others. It provides tips for selecting and printing your best photos, including considering the final output size and adjusting for color and contrast.
A final thought
So, the next time you’ve finished editing some photos, give them a little more love than just popping on Facebook or Instagram. Give some thought to printing, popping a photo book together or even visiting a social media site that perhaps you haven’t used for a while. You might be surprised at just how good they can look.
