# Instagram A Good Platform?



## Andrew_Smith (Sep 29, 2016)

Hello, guys.

I am thinking to start uploading my images to Instagram too. My main platform, for now, is 500px. But, is Instagram a good platform? Doesn't Instagram have rights over your images you upload or am I missing something? Just want to double check that before proceeding...

Currently, I have an Instagram profile up-and-running: André Smit (@andrezsmit) • Instagram photos and videos

Still need to build up an audience, but will work on that! 

Thanks guys and have a splendid day further.


----------



## Scatterbrained (Sep 29, 2016)

What are you trying to achieve?


----------



## Andrew_Smith (Sep 29, 2016)

Scatterbrained said:


> What are you trying to achieve?



Bigger audience I guess.


----------



## astroNikon (Sep 29, 2016)

add facebook for social media


----------



## Andrew_Smith (Sep 29, 2016)

Think I will give Instagram a go.
@Scatterbrained, I really love that avatar of yours. Super cool!


----------



## jsecordphoto (Sep 29, 2016)

Instagram is certainly a great platform, or can be if you put the work in to build your audience. There are millions of photographers on there, and thousands of great photographers, so it takes work to stand out and build your audience. Those who will say otherwise are out of touch. 

I have a modest following on there (around 5700 or so, something like that), but I've been hired by some big companies for projects from them finding me on IG. In my experience the person tasked within a company to find photographers for a given project tend to be my age (mid-late 20's), so searching through relevant hashtags on IG makes sense. At least that's what I've been told when I ask how they found my work. 

Not sure what your goal is, but IG has become my main focus for social media (over Facebook) within the past six months or so. 500px has been in a steady decline over the last year and besides, for the most part you're only reaching other photographers there. Getting recognition for good photos from other photographers doesn't pay bills


----------



## chuasam (Oct 5, 2016)

instagram is my sandbox where I upload unfiltered rubbish


----------



## thereyougo! (Oct 5, 2016)

Instagram wouldn't be so bad if you weren't forced  to upload from a mobile device.  Although it does allow you to upload things that aren't square, it doesn't make it easy.  It also has the right to use you images without your express consent.


----------



## EIngerson (Oct 6, 2016)

Actually if you have flickr (i see you do) you can share from it to instagram. It's pretty fast too.


----------



## PersistentNomad (Oct 6, 2016)

The best thing about IG for me is that I tag a lot of local hashtags in my posts, so it's slowly building up a network of businesses in the area who are liking and following my work, and they could become partners in the future (weddings, etc).


----------



## Scatterbrained (Oct 6, 2016)

Andrew_Smith said:


> Think I will give Instagram a go.
> @Scatterbrained, I really love that avatar of yours. Super cool!


Thanks!


----------



## Scatterbrained (Oct 6, 2016)

EIngerson said:


> Actually if you have flickr (i see you do) you can share from it to instagram. It's pretty fast too.


Oddly enough, I started an Instagram account about the time this thread was started, partly because someone on another forum mentioned that you could share right from Flickr.  I did that once and found the image quality to be pretty bad.  Despite the small size the images already display at on IG, the Fickr image still looked soft and pixelated.  Meanwhile, I now just use the "share>download" selection on Flickr to download the image to my phone and upload it to IG.  Almost as fast but the images look better.  

One thing I've noticed about IG in the almost two long weeks that I've been on there is that the site is populated with a ton of bots.  It reminds me of where Flickr was a while back with the like and follow bots.  Of course,  I've found a lot of quality still life shooters, something that is hard to come by pretty much anywhere else.  So for that alone I'm sure I'll stick with it, even if it's just to peruse the work of other photogs that aren't active on any other photo forums or sharing sites.


----------



## EIngerson (Oct 6, 2016)

Scatterbrained said:


> EIngerson said:
> 
> 
> > Actually if you have flickr (i see you do) you can share from it to instagram. It's pretty fast too.
> ...



Exactly why I deleted my account. LOL


----------

