How do you get your photography noticed online?
When you start out as a photographer, getting your photography and photography watermark noticed could seem like an insurmountable challenge, especially when you start out as a photographer, getting your photography noticed could seem like an insurmountable challenge.
It is unfair, but shooting spectacular images would not be enough to make the cut.
Here are steps you could take to finally get your photographs noticed online:
Have a Blog and a Website
Here’s the truth: your Flickr photo set is not enough. Before anyone could notice your photography and take you seriously, first need to see that you have put in the time and effort to develop a home for your photography online. Now is the best time to take this step, if you haven’t done it yet.
You could spend some time searching for photography website hosting companies that meet your preferences and needs. You also need to make sure that your website includes a blog – an important part of a website (especially for SEO) nowadays.
You don’t necessarily need to have a standalone and dedicated photography blog. Professional photographers would usually have a blog as a component of their lead-capturing photography portfolio websites.
The trick is always to ensure that you add content and update your website blog regularly and with a highly interesting and diverse selection of your photos. Likewise, you could throw in tutorials that provide your readers with practical advice on photography’s finer points.
Developing a loyal following of subscribers or readers needs effort and takes time, but nothing else beats having a cool blog that is read and shared by a lot of people.
Get into Social Media
Twitter accounts and Facebook Fan pages can help connect you to people who are interested in your photography. You would need to invest time and effort to keep them updated and network through them, but genuine audience engagement is the best way to build up interest in your photography.
For Twitter, we suggest checking out Twello.com. After you sign up, you could search for fellow local or even global photographers.
When you see some whose photography you like, you can go and follow them. Oftentimes, they would follow you right back, especially if they like your work as well.
Ensure that there’s a link to follow your Twitter and Facebook accounts on your website.
Enter Photography Contests
There’s always a lot of photography contests happening online, and winning even just one of them is a wonderful way to get your photographs noticed.
It could be slightly intimidating to enter into a contest and be evaluated by strangers, but keep in mind that the people managing these competitions are always encouraging the photographers who join. They also need your photographs for their contest to be successful.
Here are a few websites with lists of photography contests:
- Photo Compete
- The Photo Contest
- Fan Art Review
Once you have signed up to join the contest, make it a point to promote and advertise your entry via Social Media and on your website.
Nevertheless, keep in mind that it does not necessarily mean that you will always win, even if you have the most stunning photos. Be a sport and just be patient. Remember, if your work is remarkable, the judges would still notice it. Surely, you will get the recognition and credits you deserve, although it could take some time.
Search for Websites in Need
Because of the increasing importance of the internet, most businesses and companies that have websites need professional photos of their products, storefront, or team. As a professional photographer, you could reach out to local companies and businesses and offer your professional service to them.
Enlighten them on the advantages of having quality images on their website, so they could really recognize and acknowledge its value. It would help if you give them a business card and nicely ask for referrals. This would help you establish a strong client network and will bring in more leads.
Watermark Your Photography
Of course, you did not start a photography business just to give your time, effort, and hard work away for free. However, when you are still budding in the business, you need first to get noticed before you could get famous.
You can have some of your photos on your website marked as being Creative Commons. You could also give some of your work away for free on Flickr by choosing the CCA (Creative Commons Attribution) license.
This allows people to use your work but needs them to give you credits or attribution. It is arguably the easiest and most straightforward method to get your photos noticed – by letting other people do it for you!
Run Shows at Photography Galleries
Photography galleries are continuously searching for content to feature on their shows. They could have more than ten exhibitions and shows annually, and some of them are not planned. They would likewise be looking to feature more photographs in the months following this period.
Reaching out to them to request a small exhibition actually saves them time and effort. It is not that much trouble to have your photographs hung in local galleries.
You might discover that your local town or city has a lot of places willing and able to display your art. You might have to rent a small wall space. Nonetheless, if your photographs sell really well, then it would pay for itself.
Local galleries are an easy and effortless way to earn a bit more money while getting your photos noticed.
Keep Trying
Keep in mind that there are no shortcuts when it comes to getting your photo noticed. You need to keep uploading and posting spectacular photos, establishing your Facebook fans and Twitter followers, and writing great content in your blog.
One More Thing
I know the list said seven steps to getting your photography noticed, but we have a bonus step for you.
If you put a photograph watermark with Watermarquee, we would love to feature it on our Facebook Fan page and show it off to our followers. You can send it to me through the site, or reach out to me via Twitter or Facebook. Start watermarking today with WaterMarquee.
