50+ Photo-Sharing Tips For Traffic and Against Theft

Do you think your photos (artwork, videos, etc.) are good enough to sell? If so, you might wonder about issues such as privacy, theft and the best SEO practices for sharing your photographs. In this article, Linda shares tips that anyone can use to bring attention to a site and to a graphic design or photography business. At the same time, she shares tips that can help protect you and your photos from theft, privacy concerns and more.

Sanity

1.File your photos into groups. This means that one photograph may be in two or more groups, depending upon your labels (a flower photo, for example, may fit under the category of "flower," but it may fit under a specific category or a subcategory such as "gladiolus," or another category such as "blue" for colour choices).

2.Use category labels like you would tags – use one word, simple descriptions, much like keywords or key phrases.

3.Photographs usually need to be named or renamed (without a visual, it may be difficult to remember what is in file "0012345.jpg"). Use keywords and short phrases to name those photographs and to help keep your sanity and boost your SEO.

4.Archive various file sizes of the same photograph. You may want to keep the original, a high-resolution of the cropped or doctored original, and a low-res copy of that same image to use online.

5.Visit stock photo sites to learn more about how they categorize their images. This effort can increase your knowledge about categories that sell photographs as well as prepare you to take photographs that you can submit to these sites.

Quality

1.Learn whether your photo-sharing site allows high-resolution uploads. The difference between photographs sitting and photographs selling may depend on that high-resolution image.

2.With that said, don't share low-quality photographs if your reputation relies on high-quality images. Just because you have a photo doesn't mean you need to share it.

3.Be aware that high-resolution images are what print thieves look for to use in print production. While some gallery sites such as iStock use guidelines for photo purchases, not every user will abide by them. Unfortunately, unless you catch someone using one of your photographs outside those parameters, there is not much you can do. When you sign up for a service like iStock, all you can hope for is the buyer's honesty.

4.Be aware that many royalty-free photo sales sites may reject your images, sometimes simply for the type of equipment you use and how you use it. While some guidelines for acceptance may seem arbitrary or too demanding, these sites know what sells, and selling is their bottom line. Either learn from the experience and improve your performance or get better equipment and try again. Some stock photo sites are worth getting into, as your presence on those sites (such as Getty) may increase your credibility.

5.As for the quality of your personal online site, keep it simple and gear it toward the busy professional who happens to find your images. Your site will reflect your attitude as a professional. Sometimes, with photography, the simpler the site the better. Your photographs will stand out, they'll be easy to browse, and your ego does not get in the way of the person's ego who has the power to purchase your photos. Read more about this attitude at Black Star Rising.