For many bloggers, photography ends up being a hobby of necessity. You take up blogging because you love to write but all the guides tell you that you need really great pictures too! Maybe you don’t have the most amazing camera (I use my phone!) but you find yourself setting up photo shoots and learning about lighting anyways. You learn that the real rule of photography is to take 1 million shots and hope that at least one turns out. Pretty soon your phone’s memory is taken up with a thousand duplicate photos as you hunt for that one perfect shot. And sometimes you really wow yourself! You take a picture that you absolutely love, the colors are gorgeous, the lighting is amazing and maybe it makes you look pretty awesome too! They even have make-up foundation designed to help you out with that! Here are 5 different ways to use that Perfect Picture and a few photos I’m pretty proud of myself!

5 Things to do with That Perfect Picture

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking one of the links I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is a collaborative post. 

First Things First – Protect Your Picture

Before you do anything else, it’s a good idea to make sure that you have it backed up somewhere you can trust. The best place for this will often be on your own computer. Local storage is some of the safest and cheapest available. If you’d prefer to have instant access across multiple devices, services like Google Drive can offer an affordable way to store your photos online. Google Photos or Dropbox are also good options. There are few things worse than taking an amazing shot and then losing it. If you want to be really safe then I suggest backing your photo up to multiple locations.

Get You Perfect Picture Printed!

Since the dawn of digital photography, printing options have become hugely diverse. Not only can you find options that go far beyond normal poster paper, but you also have the power to do a lot of the work for yourself. Quality canvas printing can last for years and looks great when you have it hung on a wall. It won’t need any sort of frame and can be the perfect addition to a family photo wall. There are a lot of companies that offer this service, making it incredibly easy to find great deals and sales. No matter which company you end up choosing make sure that you follow the formatting guidelines so that your picture stays amazing!

Of course, if you start wanting to print on a more regular basis, you might want to look at other options. Inkjet printers come in a variety of price ranges and are capable of producing quality photo prints. These devices have become very cheap over the last few years, with the only downside being the ink. Alongside products like this, you can also find smaller portable printers which are designed for use when you’re out and about. These can be pricier to use but are a lot of fun when you’re with friends.

 

Getting Social – Share it with Friends and Family!

Over the last decade or so, social media has become an important part of modern society. Social media has become especially important for bloggers and those running small businesses! Building a portfolio of strong amazing images can be important for any brand. Most people have an account with at least one platform, and just about all of them encourage you to share photos you take. Instagram is probably the best known for this, as it is built around image sharing.  Facebook and Twitter are also fairly important and have decent photo sharing capability. And, most bloggers are well aware of the boost a great Pinterest image can give to your site. There are few things better than having all of the people you care about agree that the image you captured is worthy of being shown off. 

If your image happens to capture a family moment then sharing them to your social accounts is far easier then emailing them to each individual family member too!

Going For The Win – Let your Photograph win you prizes!

Not a lot of people realize that their photography skills could be making them money. There are a lot of apps and websites out there built around photo competitions. Some offer cash prizes for the images which get the most community votes. Gurushots is an excellent example of this! A lot of people find that they enjoy the competitive nature of these apps. You might even learn a good bit about photography by studying the shots that win. Most of these apps have a variety of categories you can take part in, so there’s almost always something for everyone. You might not win very often, but the experience of taking part in something like this will be well worth it, and you may even make some friends along the way.

Published Works & Stock Photos

Maybe you’ve decided you really love photography or you feel that some of the photos you’ve captured really are special. If so you might consider taking your photos to the next level. Becoming a professional photographer is more than buying a camera and taking some photos. Instead, you need to work at this for a long time, creating a portfolio which will show the sort of images you’re able to capture. A big part of this will involve working to get your pictures published in magazines and online. Many publications are actively hunting for freelance photographers to fill their pages. When you have the perfect picture for someone else’s story, they will often be willing to pay a huge amount for it, and this opens a lot of doors.

At the very least many of those free stock photo websites (which thousands of bloggers rely on daily for their images) will allow you to upload and sell your shots to other content creators. You might not make a lot doing this but if you have a really amazing photo then it might be some nice supplemental income.

Across your Devices and Your Home!

While photography is a skill worth sharing, there are elements of this hobby that are incredibly personal. The pictures you capture will mean more to you than anyone else. Maybe this means you want to use them in places that only you will see. For example, the backgrounds on your phone, computer, and other devices can almost always be changed. Not only does this sort of approach ensure that you will see your pictures frequently, but it will also give you an easy way to show other people if you so choose. There are few better reasons to take a photo than to simply enjoy it!

Perhaps you want to share your photo in your home but you’re lacking in wall space. Now a das it easy to print photos on a variety of other products. Throws, pillows, and mugs are commonly chosen but I have seen shower curtains and backpacks too. Really if you can imagine it, odds are you can find a place willing to print it!

Have you taken a Photo you’re extremely proud of? How did you use it?