Whether photography is your hobby, side hustle, or your core business, you want to be the best at it, right?
Publishing your photos on social media is the best way to connect with potential clients and nurture a community that admires you for your work.
Social media networks could make you the next big brand in the world of photography. But there are so many social media platforms for photographers out there; which one should you go for? As part of your multichannel marketing strategy, it’s essential to choose the right channel because it will define your success in the end.
To ease it out for you we have come up with a list of the best networks for connecting with the fellow photography community.
Let’s explore.
Top 13 Social Networks for Photographers
1. Behance
Behance, which began as a portfolio publishing network, is nothing less than a LinkedIn for creative people.
Designed by Adobe, Behance lets you share your portfolio and any images you like. Other users on Behance can also comment on and like your photos.
You can learn from a network of photographers by looking at their work and their response to your work.
You can also find professional opportunities on the platform. Finding work becomes easier since your portfolio is already built on the site.
As a creative on Behance, you can also live-stream your work. You can also explore Adobe Live, an online community of creatives. Here, they share their ideas on multiple topics like illustration, graphic design, and motion design, in addition to photography.
2. Visura
The Visura platform is not solely for photographers. Here, editors and other creative freelancers can connect and forge their networks.
As the premier virtual home for photographers and photo editors, the platform offers a streamlined way of accessing resources and communicating in a personalized way.
You will find a section for the spotlight, within the platform, in which you can see the highlighted posts that have gained the highest traction and views.
In another section called “Events,” you can discover opportunities and upcoming events. Another section called “On media” offers a range of best-ranking blogs related to photography, photo editing, etc.
3. Pinterest
Pinterest is not the same as other social media platforms out there. Here, it is not much about gaining followers or getting likes. Pinterest marketing is more about SEO (keyword optimization for your pins) to be shown in this visual search engine for many years.
You can get links to your website and attract potential clients. So, in a way, you can get business to your website by simply sharing images on Pinterest.
By using beautiful pins, you can show your talent for photography to the world. You can opt for quick sharing to draw more people to your work within a short period of time.
Many people even try to find professional photographers for events and weddings through Pinterest.
4. Exposure
Every photograph encapsulates a story within, and if you believe the same, then Exposure is the right place for you. Through this platform, you can share stories behind the photos you take.
With its free plan, you can publish about three stories per month. The platform offers multiple features like unlimited photo uploads, media embedding in photos, auto-resizing of images, and more.
You can also use your domain name and embed your stories within your posts. When you go through the stories posted on Exposure, you will get the feel of going through a magazine.
5. Instagram
Everyone is Instagramming these days. And why shouldn’t they? It is one of the most happening platforms for millennials and Gen Z.
With the popularity of Instagram increasing with time, it is one of the most crucial platforms for photographers to be using.
We can say that being Instagram-famous is a big victory. Instagram offers you space to unleash your photography skills and lets you engage with your followers.
You can enhance your overall social media visibility by being well-established on Instagram. It is not just about your portfolio. You can show your latest work or even keep a daily photography journal.
The way you use the platform is up to you. But once you have enough followers, you can get job offers and even money to run ads for interested parties. Make sure you select the best time to post on Instagram to get the most out of it.
6. 500px
This platform was launched in 2009 and can be called one of the leading social media networks for photographers.
At 500px, photographers share their fabulous photo creations, get wonderful exposure, take part in photo contests, and get licenses for photos.
Here, content, growth, and recognition are three of the most important things.
Through this site, you can view your photos in high definition. You can also sell your photo license on 500px with a 60% share of the final price. One possible shortcoming with this platform is that it does not offer categories for the photographs.
7. Steller
Founded in 2014, Steller is yet another social media network for photographers that allows users to develop a story, share feedback, and trade ideas with others on the platform.
Mobile users can also design mini-magazines or albums with their photos. You can post an album of your photos and make a story around the album. You can upload images directly from your smartphone’s gallery, and pictures look amazing in the page layout.
Steller has a feature where the platform features your story, getting you better exposure as a photographer.
Other than posting stories and uploading images, this platform enables users to explore cool things to do and places to go. It helps in curating content as well as future adventures.
8. Tumblr
Tumblr is one of the oldest and prominent platforms for photographers since the rise of sharing pictures and videos online.
Though Tumblr is a 14-year-old microblogging site, it has only gotten better with time. It was the foremost platform to display the real power of photographs in the era of social media.
It lets photographers share content that individuals can reblog with a single click. Every reblog increases the possibility of your content going viral.
It has retained itself as one of the best free social media sites for photographers for years because it widens your engagement and gains you a higher reach.
9. Facebook
Having a social media page for photography on Facebook does increase your chances of gaining reach and popularity.
Engagement on Facebook pages isn’t as high as on other social media sites. But the individuals that follow you via this site are more likely to become quality buyers.
Other than that, boosting your photography through Facebook ads can be beneficial. Apart from its reach, it allows you to target specific demographics that are most likely to get in touch with you. Additionally, you can connect Facebook Ads to Google Sheets to efficiently track and analyze your ad performance.
10. Ello
Ello is a social media network and a global community of artists devoted to creative excellence. It was designed as an ad-free alternative to existing social networks.
It has pivoted from its previous Facebook-like incarnation toward a Pinterest-like website showcasing art, photography, fashion, and web culture.
Ello has various features, including an emoji autocomplete, NSFW settings, and hashtag enactment. It is preparing to add other features like private/direct messaging.
You can create a network with other creators by joining the global community of artists on Ello. Some of the top talents in contemporary art are part of this platform.
11. Flickr
People have been using Flickr even before social media became popular. While it may seem that Flickr is kind of old, it is still one of the best places to keep your photos online.
While Instagram can provide a lot of social media connections, it cannot be used to protect your photos online while also allowing people to look at them.
The free version of Flickr has a maximum limit set at 1,000 photos. You can utilize most features without signing up for a pro account. Also, the best thing is that you can keep HD photos without paying.
12. Youpic
The key feature differentiating regular websites from Youpic is that it hosts more professionals than amateurs. It serves as a means of channeling ideas with photographers on the platform.
While Youpic is primarily free, you can also get an affordable plan at $4.99 per month or even a premium plan at $9.99. You can get a great deal of money in exchange for this amount.
The basic plan on Flickr is available free of cost, but an upgrade is required for additional features and benefits.
The paid plans start at $6.99 per month and gives you unlimited uploads and storage, advanced statistics, and ad-free browsing.
13. Vero
Vero is yet another underrated social media network for photographers that helps them reach potential viewers.
It is also used for sharing thoughts and reviews on books, photos, movies, TV shows, links, and much more.
Unlike many other platforms, Vero doesn’t let the resolution of your image decrease. It showcases your photographs in full resolution.
It also enables landscape and travel photographers to seamlessly catalog photos by location. Sharing links through the platform is another useful feature of this social media network.
Parting Words
No matter how many marketing strategies you work on, social media is important if you’re a photographer. Even if you opt for more than one platform, you will only gain from showcasing your work on various platforms. Possibly, increasing your reach.
Since the services offered by each of these websites are distinct, you should choose the option best suited to your needs.
On top of that, if you wish to take your photography and photo editing skills to the next level, don’t forget to check out Colorcinch.
About Guest Author: Sweta Panigrahi
Sweta is a Senior Content Writer at SocialPilot. Her strongest pursuit is to capture social media happenings in her well-researched blogs. From codes to meme posts, her search history is a confounding mess. When not typing out blogs, you can find her in a sunny corner scribbling poems.
