When to create a Facebook, Flickr, website

[Wilson]

Just got a simple question by looking through this site I noticed a lot of  fauxtog are linked to their Facebook photography page. I was thinking about when or if should I make one being extra new to this field but still learning . When or how long should I start posting my photos online, via a website, flickr and Facebook which I plan to create in the future?

[cameraclicker]

Flickr, 500px, and so on are sites that display photos well.  Facebook removes EXIF data from your file, I’m not fond of their terms of service, they have had difficulty with privacy issues in the past, and I don’t like the way photos look.  Put the same photo on Flickr and Facebook, then look at both, see what you think.  There are also social sites dedicated to photography, which are more discussion oriented.

I suppose the question is, are you looking for a gallery to display your work, a venue for advertising, or an on line camera club?

As you have probably seen already, people are posting whatever they have, regardless of quality, so you might as well jump right in.

[Worst Case Scenario]

Facebook is free and all your friends can like your pictures and tell you how great you are – it’s perfect for fauxs.

 

[joehomeowner]

Facebook is a great social media platform. If you are going to use it, you should use it in conjunction with something else, like a real website. It resizes photos in a weird way from everything I understand, and it often adds noise to them when none is visible in any other setting where you are viewing the same photo at the same size. If you are going to use it, you’ll have to resize things yourself before uploading them, which is probably a lot of work.

The best thing about it is when you do photos for a business of any type (a store, a band, an event) – you can tag the people involved in them (or they can tag themselves) and you get an instant connection where people know who did the work and who to talk to if they want something similar – it’s free advertising. But if you’re only doing it through Facebook, you’re not going to look too pro.

[Wilson]

Thanks for the feedback but should I create a facebook NOW with few pictures or should I WAIT like months until I get more practice.

I’m working on a name now for a website and other platforms in the future.

[cameraclicker]

It’s a bit like the race to get a cell phone or computer.  You can get a model today, or you can wait because a new model will be out shortly, with better features.  Of course, if you don’t have one at the moment, you can’t use it, and there will always be a better one on the horizon.

A long way of saying only you can decide if you are ready, or not.

[iliketag]

I would be more inclined to recommend a flickr account versus a facebook. There’s a misconception that anyone posting their photography on facebook is “in the biz” and you might get people coming to you, undermining any value you may have and asking for free photos. That’s fine if you can screen them for clients you actually want to portfolio build with, but ultimately if you’re not really ready to put yourself out there like that, just hold off.

The reason I recommend flickr is because it allows you to maintain your exif data, it’s easily accessible and easier to share on forums similar to this one. It’s also a good way to organize your images without being too overwhelming. Facebook has too many ads and things going on in the background, plus it’s riddled with viruses.

[Bill]

I think it is all how you present yourself on what ever platform you choose, but there are some advantages to using a dedicated web site for your photography.

If you are getting into the business, presentation is key. This doesn’t mean you have to shell out thousands of dollars for a fancy web site, but it basically boils down to how you want to be perceived by everyone and what route you are going with your photography.

If it is just a hobby, then flickr is fine. It has good features and fairly easy flow. If Yahoo can get their shit together and figure it out, it would be a lot easier. IMO, Flickr is a great way to present photos, but lacks in the business side of things. Yeah, they can do licensing for you, but trust me, you won’t get rich from it, your better off doing that part yourself, if you get to that part.

Facebook is good, but it isn’t without it’s problems. For photographers, it is a good way to keep in touch with your clients without being a pain in the ass like some email marketing firms can be.

The problems with facebook are privacy, photo protection and usage.
We all know that facebook has privacy issues and will have in the future as they look for further ways to monetize the service, you didn’t think it was actually free did you?

Photo protection is next to nil, since anyone can download a photo that you post. You shouldn’t use it as a gallery anyway, why would you? This is where a web site comes in, but I will get to that later. Facebook has a strange way of resizing and compressing the images to make them load faster, that has terrible effects on photos and the way they are presented.

Usage, it is a very good idea to keep a little separation between you and your business, this can be sometimes hard to do using facebook. It is a really good idea to have a totally separate page for your personal stuff to avoid any negative attention. Remember, what you say or post can have dire consequences, especially with your clients if using it as a “business” page.

A web site, depending on your service provider and platform, can allow you to do pretty much what you want. Nowadays, you don’t have to know all sorts of coding and scripts, there are plenty of ready-made templates available for free or low-cost. It helps to know some coding, but you can figure it out by going on youtube or searching the web for how-to’s. There are even free web sites, they may have some limitations, but they are free.

The trick to doing photography as a business, is incorporating all the available platforms into an easy to follow environment. Don;t forget you have Tumblr, Pintrest, Google+ and many more out there to choose from.

Good Luck!

[fstopper89]

I would start with Flickr. You can easily link work to your personal FB page so friends can see it. If you have hopes of doing photography professionally down the road, I’d suggest waiting a bit to make a ‘business” page. For one, don’t try to come up with some cheesy business name without much forethought. If after awhile you want to showcase a portfolio and start doing or advertising for portfolio-building (free practice) sessions, you can make a Facebook page, with the intention of making it your business page later on. Just be clear- “I’m an aspiring photogrspher building a portfolio. I am not taking on professional jobs yet. If you are interested in modeling for me, send me a message and I might work with you in exchange for a few photos I take of you.” Something like that. But yeah, start with Flickr. It’s free and you can see exif data and network with other creatives by adding them as contacts on there, and joining groups.

[Author]

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