4 Tips for Building an Online Photo Album

Is your photography collection getting a little too big to store offline? Whether you're a manual film enthusiast or a serious digital photographer, the chances of your photo collection housing thousands of pictures are fairly strong. Given the immense costs of printing colour photos, both for collections or simply for storage, a growing number of photographers are taking their collection online.

With so much data available and so little in the way of expenses, it's certainly a process that makes sense. Photo sharing websites have boomed over the past decade, further lowing the cost of starting an online photo album. While most photographers love the idea of a physical photo album, the cost of printing, framing, and storing thousands of photos just makes the process an impossibility.

These four tips can help you build an online photo album that results in appreciation and envy from other photographers. Wildlife, still life, or simply everyday life, no matter what the subject of your photo album may be, these four tips will help you get it online, increase its visibility, and help find viewers and enthusiasts for your photography.

1. Upload both low resolution and high resolution photographs.

Do you want to attract the attention of publishers and other photography buyers? Include both low and high resolution photos in your album and you'll end up generating significantly more attention online. Low resolution photos appear more frequently in search results – both on Google and in the results pages on photo websites – leading to increased attention and greater online coverage.

On the other hand, it's high resolution photos that can secure you a position amongst other serious online photographers. Include both and give online publishers the choice of either, as it's possible that your photos may one day end up in a magazine or online publication.

2. Watermark your best photographs to prevent copyright issues.

Most publishers are ethical, creative, and understanding of the artistic process. Others aren't, and will steal your photos in mere minutes when given the chance. Before you release high resolution copies of your photography, ensure that it can be verified as your own. A small watermark, either placed in the corner of the photo or in the background, can prevent theft and misattribution.

3. Consider using a Creative Commons license to encourage sharing.

Would you like bloggers, publishers, and online writers to use your photos? Consider licensing your photography under a Creative Commons license to make it available for other artists to promote and build on. Under the conditions of a Creative Commons license, you're able to control who is able to access your images. Choose to publish your images without restriction, or bar commercial use.

4. Use a popular, widely supported, and reliable service such as Flickr.

Home to some of the world's most expensive wines, Bordeaux is undoubtedly the world's première wine destination. Close to one billion bottles are produced in Bordeax annually, with thousands of vineyards and independent wine producers competing to produce France's ultimate taste. Hundreds of wine-related events are hosted in Bordeaux annually, including the famous Vinexpo convention.

5. Clare Valley, South Australia

It's important that your work attracts a wide audience, particularly if it's recognition and opportunity that you're searching for. Use a popular image hosting service such as Flickr to store your photos, as doing so opens your work to a wider audience. Most image sharing websites have the added benefit of acting as a social network, allowing you to promote your photos to relevant, interested viewers.