Summary

An amateur photographer shares their journey and experiences with creating an Unsplash profile, uploading photos, and the potential benefits and concerns of sharing their work on the platform.

Abstract

The author, an amateur photographer, details their engagement with Unsplash, a platform for sharing and using high-quality photos. Initially attracted by the ease of finding images for their articles, they soon became curious about contributing to the community. After overcoming some initial hurdles with photo guidelines, they began to see their work gain popularity, leading to increased upload limits and monthly performance reports from Unsplash. The author enjoys the process and the potential for growth, networking, and opportunities, despite the inability to directly monetize their photos through the platform. They remain optimistic about the exposure and the chance to share their travel experiences with a wider audience, considering it a positive aspect of their online presence.

Opinions

The author values the opportunity to share their photography with a broad audience and enjoys the recognition their work receives on Unsplash.
They appreciate the platform's initial guidance and the gradual lifting of upload restrictions as they adhered to the guidelines.
The author finds the monthly reports and detailed stats helpful for tracking the performance of their photos.
While there is no direct way to earn money on Unsplash, the author is open to potential

UNSPLASH | PHOTOGRAPHY

Creating An Unsplash Profile

Trying both sides of the coin.

As an amateur photographer, I have been interested in Unsplash since I discovered it through Medium when I joined back in January 2022. I loved the way I could just type in some keywords to the search, and many different photos would pop up that I could choose from to use in my articles.

I don’t do it often, though, because I largely like to use my own photos for my articles.

But over time, I became interested enough to take a closer look at the platform to understand how it is that these photos come to be available for others to use.

It was then that I discovered that anyone can set up an Unsplash profile and get started!

This is one of my most popular downloaded photos that was taken in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo by Jillian Amatt on Unsplash

Getting started

Initially, it feels like they put you through a bit of a trial run and you are only allowed to upload up to 10 photos per week.

In the beginning, I had a few uploads that were declined because they didn’t fit within the guidelines. But once I started to learn the sorts of things that they are looking for, my selections were consistently accepted.

This is another one of the more popular photos from Santorini, Greece. Photo by Jillian Amatt on Unsplash

Over time, I uploaded the odd photo here and there and wasn’t really paying attention to it, but the other day, I went to upload a few, and it told me that I could now upload up to 100.

So I guess once they are satisfied that you are uploading legitimate photos that fit their guidelines, they lift the restrictions.

Stats and Performance reports

Each month they send me a monthly report to let me know how my photos are doing and how they are being used. Of course, I can get further details than this, this is only a summary.

Screenshot by Author of September summary e-mail.

They also have a detailed stats section in my profile, so I can always see which ones are doing the best.

It’s interesting to see which ones are popular and how they are doing each month.

I’m still pretty new at this and have only uploaded 23 photos that have been accepted, but I am enjoying the process and know that over time my profile will grow and hopefully my notoriety as a photographer.

It is just another way that we are able to promote ourselves and who knows, maybe I will get a job or a contract of some sort out of it. In the meantime, I am thrilled that my photos are getting out into the world farther than just through my Medium writing and my website.

Can I make money at it?

I haven’t seen a way that I can make money on Unsplash yet. But maybe that is something that will come down the line. Who knows?!

They do allow you to put your Paypal link in your profile, though, so if people like your work, they can tip you. You can also state whether or not you are for hire.

They also allow you to put your website links, a small bio, and contact info on your profile, so this could potentially lead to money and/or opportunities down the road as well.

One really never knows where these things will lead!

Worries about usage

Of course, there can be worries that my photos will be used in ways that they shouldn’t be, but I have to let go of that. I don’t take photos to make money off of them, I take them to show people and to share our travels with others. So if others are sharing them as well, then that is great. If I was a professional photographer, and photography was my main income, maybe this would be a bigger concern for me.

Conclusion

In the meantime, I love seeing my photos get used and knowing that they are being enjoyed by others across the internet.

I will continue to upload more photos and will see where this part of my online journey takes me. I truly can’t imagine that anything bad can come of it.

What do you think? Does this inspire you to start on Unsplash?

To read and learn more about Unsplash, check out Mikael Cho’s article about it here:

The future of photography and Unsplash

We didn’t start Unsplash to reinvent an industry. We started Unsplash because we thought it might be useful.

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Hello, My Name Is Jill and I Am a Travel, Food, and Culture Addict!

My introduction as the new editor for the Globetrotters publication:)

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You are in the right place.

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My weeks in photos — Week 28 — September 22–28, 2022

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Hi there, we are 2 Canadians, Jill and Chris from Artistic Voyages. We have been nomadic since 2017 living in numerous different countries, and experiencing the life and diversity of our planet on the ground and firsthand. We paint FREE murals in exchange for accommodation. Consider tipping us on Ko-fi!

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