Social Media

Do your photos get noticed? Do you have a sizeable Instagram following? If you answered yes to those, you are probably in for a shock.

Social media is a necessary evil for a lot of photographers, as it is the place where many potential clients will see your work and first contact you. However, with so many platforms and the need for continued, consistent posting, you might wonder where your time and efforts are best spent. This great video features a filmmaker discussing the results from a two-week experiment of posting to TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

Without a doubt, social media has revolutionized the experience, dissemination, and even creation of photographs. Social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter have leveled the playing field in a lot of ways, allowing photographers to instantly share their work with hundreds or thousands of followers. Combined with the availability of high-quality cameras in smartphones and social media algorithms, the number of images disseminated to the world has absolutely exploded. Despite this democratization of the craft, has social media actually diminished the value of photography?

What if I told you there is a social media platform on which you can earn money whenever somebody likes your content? And it's not owned by a big corporation but is governed by its community. In this article, I share my experience with such a platform that has been around for several years already.

LinkedIn is not just a platform for jobseekers; it is a powerful networking and marketing channel for entrepreneurs, such as photographers. If you ever serve other businesses with your photography, then LinkedIn is a great place online to find and connect with the right people in your niche. As they say, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

Like it or not, social media is one of the primary means of disseminating your work and communicating with potential clients nowadays. As such, it is important for photographers to know how to effectively engage with it and leverage it for finding customers and advancing their careers. This great video presentation features a photographer who is highly successful on various social media platforms sharing some of what made her successful and offering some helpful advice so you can do the same.

Addiction. Hedonism. Chasing the dopamine hit. Just another taste. Just one more like. Ok, maybe 10, then I’m done. I swear it’s all I need! Here’s what I’m doing. Here’s what I’ve done. Here’s who’s doing this and hey, look, I’m present. Lifting the lid on the banality of everyday life. Journalists of the quotidian. Instagram is not what it used to be. We can all agree to that. And no truer is that than from the perspective of the humble photographer. Surely, it’s time to grow up, isn’t it?

Instagram was a fundamental tool of photographers professional and amateur alike, but alas, the algorithm was changed and with it, Instagram's allure. Nevertheless, it is still valuable and with the changes coming in 2023, it might be worth your attention once again.

On January 17, 2023, the Oversight Board issued a decision advising Meta to revise its policies on freeing the nipple. Here's what that decision actually says.

Instagram's censoring policies make no sense at all. But the least they could do is not call women prostitutes based on what they are wearing.

It sounds counterintuitive for the once photo-only Instagram to be minimizing photos in favor of video, but it's exactly what's happening, and if you're not on the bandwagon, your photography brand might get left behind.

Instagram’s navigation is set to change in February with a new update that sees the Reels button lose its prime position and the Compose (plus icon) will be placed in the middle.

We're now into 2023, and the Internet still feels a little like the Wild West when it comes to content sharing. There's so many places to share your work with the world. With lots of criticism of popular content sharing platforms, where should you be posting in 2023?

I'm very much an advocate of the year-in-review photo post as a step on the path to self-improvement. Landscape photographer and YouTuber Mark Denney has an even better idea you should consider, though.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years, you'll probably have noticed that many social media platforms have been heading downhill. Here's how to best prepare for the social media storms ahead.

I have a photographer friend who consistently gets flagged on Instagram for posting images which violate Instagram’s terms of usage. The reasoning: he photographs mostly nudes.

YouTube channels dedicated to photography and videography are a big business, with some creatives boasting hundreds of thousands or even millions of subscribers. There is a lot of money flowing around, and as such, there can be a lot of controversy about what may or may not go on behind the scenes. This great video features one of photography's biggest YouTubers pulling back the curtain and revealing some insightful truths about the industry.

Starting a YouTube channel is something you might consider whether you take photographs for profit or fun. A successful channel can offer benefits in the form of payments for viewership and sponsorship opportunities. A less successful channel can help a photographer build an audience and create a community in which to share their passion for photography.

A common misconception surrounding success on YouTube is that it all hinges on the best or right gear for the job. A lot of readers of Fstoppers are here to research cameras and lighting to level up the quality of their videos, and rightfully so. But without the right processes in place, no amount of professional quality gear will matter. I can guarantee you that 99% of where content creators go wrong on YouTube is in the planning stages, before they even press record. Trust me.

The other morning I posted an unnecessarily snarky tweet about VERO and a breach of my copyright. That afternoon, I found myself on an hour-long Zoom call with founder CEO Ayman Hariri after he got in touch to discuss what VERO can do to improve.

Recently, some YouTube users started reporting that their ability to watch 4K videos was hidden behind a premium subscription, leading to outcry. Thankfully, that experiment has been walked back.

In today’s article, I’d like to pose a fundamental question. Has the growth of social media been a net positive or negative for the world of photography?

Many photographers have become increasingly disillusioned by Instagram. Where once there was an app that placed top priority on sharing images, making it an invaluable tool for networking and connecting with potential clients, there is now a feed stuffed with videos, ads, and, of course, the dreaded algorithm. This has left many photographers looking for an alternative, with one of the current frontrunners being Vero. Is it worth investing time and effort in it? This photographer used it for 30 days to answer that question.

Have you found the perfect place to host your photos? I've been hunting everywhere for the best site to upload my images to and share them. After my research, what I concluded was the best for me took me completely by surprise.

Up until now, YouTube users could enjoy all the video features of the site so long as they were willing to sit through ads. That might change soon, as some users have reported that 4K video resolution has been removed as an option unless they pay for the $12 per month Premium subscription.

We all dream of becoming full-time doing what we love, and in 2022 it seems more possible than ever. The landscape photography genre, however, isn’t always as lucrative as wedding or portrait photography can be. So how do you create a sustainable and solid income in this field, which channels are the ones to focus on, and which are not worth your precious time?

The Internet can be a cruel and unforgiving place, especially when sharing your art, opinions, or creative endeavors with people worldwide.

Social media sometimes feels like the devil incarnate. But if you're a photographer trying to harness social media for your business or your brand, then you have to play the smart game. For Instagram users, this will help you.

Facebook and Instagram continue with their threats to leave the EU. This is because data transfer agreements between the US and EU have been made invalid. Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, requires the ability to transfer data back to the US in order to offer its services. Without this ability, Meta may not be able to operate fully in the EU.

Yololiv specializes in producing all-in-one devices that allow you to stream, record, and monitor video. The majority of its devices focus on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch. Recently, the company announced its latest product, the YoloLiv Instream. This device allows you to record, monitor and stream directly to Instagram and TikTok with vertical video.

Listen up! Whether you have a full-fledged career in photography, the pandemic got you exploring it as your side hustle, or you are just dreaming of taking your hobby to the next level, then look no further. These podcasts will educate, enthuse, and enable you to make your dream career of camera (and paycheck) in hand, come true.

A YouTuber and influencer found his account deleted after he threw a tantrum on a livestream when a restaurant refused to give him free food and he threatened to send them a bill for the "promotion."

Most photographers have had an Instagram account for several years now, and as such, they have each accumulated likely hundreds of even thousands of posts. Most people will simply leave their old posts up, but for professional creatives, there is an argument to be made for removing older entries. So, should you remove those old posts? Should you hide like counts on your images? This interesting video podcast discusses these questions.

Once upon a time, we would learn a skill, practice it, hone it, and that would be our main area of expertise and way of making a living. In 2022, however, it would seem that mastering your camera, actually taking photos, editing them, and then applying that skill might not be everything you need to be a successful photographer in today's climate.

It is the dream of many to become a full-time YouTuber or content creator, particularly in photography. It is, however, an arduous pursuit with a low success rate. This full-time YouTuber goes through his top 10 mistakes and how you can avoid them.

We all want to improve our photography and get recognition for our work. However, there are two big distractions that we need to push aside to achieve success in our art. The first obstacle is the largest. Usually hailed as the key to photographic success, it has more disadvantages than helpful attributes.

There's no getting away from it, social media is both important and ever-changing. One way you can keep up and generate a bigger following is by creating short-form videos and this little camera is great for that.

Getting views on YouTube isn’t easy, especially now in 2022. With so many of us hoping to get more eyes on our work and possibly make YouTube a successful side hustle, the struggle is real when trying to get any traction in the genre of photography.

If you've used Instagram in the past six months, you might have noticed the slow decline of photography on your feed. Reels are the main culprit of that change, but there's more to it than you might think.

Hot on the heels of the head of Instagram's post about the future of the social media service are some takes about what this means for photographers.

I recently wrote an article on why photographers hate but still use Instagram. While writing it, I started thinking about how photographers use Instagram. Unfortunately, there are several mistakes that you are probably making. Here are some of the most common ones.

I think it is fair to say that streaming is complex, especially if you want to go beyond “Instagram live from a selfie camera.” Adding several angles, multiple cameras, and overlays is complex, and you would need quite a lot of gear for that. Well, say goodbye to that. RecNGo is a simple app that makes streaming affordable and accessible.

The artist and urban explorer known as Slippn fell six stories and broke her back for her art. Despite the incredible images urban explorers can often get, she is now warning others of the dangers.

I have had an Instagram for a while now. Having tailored my account to photography, Instagram has been the backbone for my social media presence. But I, as well as most creators, don't like using it. We still do, though.

In an age where content is king, it can feel overwhelming to constantly churn out post after post ad nauseam. Is there an alternative?

Let me give you clear warning: this is not for the faint of heart. Every year, 100s of people are killed or injured in their quest for the perfect selfie. Here is a graphic reminder of how it can all go so wrong.

Photographers are making some terrible mistakes with their TikTok and Instagram Reels content.

I’ve been in the game for a little while, and along the way, there have been a few "new" things. New flashes, diffusers, scrims, softboxes, continuous light panels, LED wands, animated photos, cinemagraphs, mirrorless cameras, the list goes on and on, not to mention Photoshop and Lightroom, which update more often than I wash my sheets. But the one "new" I was not expecting to face was a new photography usage that has made me have to think anew about composition: Instagram.

Remember how great Flickr was at its peak? It was an active photography community to share and discuss images with other photographers all over the world. While the site still functions, it's nowhere near as popular and active as it once was, and it hasn't had a decent refresh in years. Oh, how the mighty fall. Where else can we share images with other photographers?