5 Ways to Get More Mileage From Smartphone Photos

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By Lola Akinmade Åkerström2013-07-30 13:05:17 UTC

Creative photography has never been easier with the advent of smartphones. But after you’ve shared that snapshot of yummy pizza you had in Rome, with St. Peter’s Basilica carefully positioned in the background, what next?

See also: 12 Most Cliché Photos on Instagram

Beyond applying filters and uploading photos to all your favorite social networks, you can get extra mileage from your photos. Sell them through apps like Foap and Scoopshot, or send them as postcards using Postify. Here are five ideas to get started.

1. Send photos as postcards.

Sharing photos via Facebook with friends and family might suffice, but grandma would still appreciate a traditional postcard for her refrigerator. A ton of apps turn your photos into memorable postcards.

With Postify, send traditional postcards through your smartphone. Through its global network of local printers, Postify's process helps reduce the carbon footprint and delivery time of a normal postcard sent internationally — up to 90%. Simply choose the image, edit, add your greeting and mail the photo to your desired addresses.

2. Sell photos.

Image: Foap

You could potentially be sitting on thousands of dollars in smartphone photos. At least, that’s what Arto Mäkelä discovered when he started uploading and selling his iPhotos through Scoopshot — he earned upwards of $20,000 in sales.

Apps like Foap and Scoopshot offer online marketplaces in which to sell your photos. In Scoopshoot, buyers create photo tasks; then photographers shoot with that specific goal or parameter in mind, while Foap sells unediting mobile photos for $10 each, of which your commission is 50%, or $5.

Be sure to read the fine print, though. Once you sell your photos royalty-free, you grant such apps full rights to your images, including the copyright.

3. Turn photos into real art.

Don't stop at fancy filters. We’re talking hard copy paintings and stained glass art you can hang on your walls and windows. Pixelist creates custom paintings of your favorite Instagrams. Send the company a mobile photo; they'll return you a handmade oil painting of that image. Pixelist's team of professional artists create bespoke oil paintings on canvas.

Want to learn more about hands-on art? Watch this video to turn your iPhotos into cool stained glass art pieces by applying different colored filters and printing them on transparencies.

4. Enter contests.

Image: AX3

The prestigious American Aperture Awards doles out a “Mobile Photographer of the Year” award. More traditional photography competition Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) allows mobile photos in its “First Shot” category, opening the doors to amateur and professional mobile photographers.

If you’re not a professional photographer but still enjoy snapping via smartphone, you'll find tons of mobile photography competitions out there. Gauge your skills next to others and possibly win some cool prizes – trips, cash, gear – and recognition in the process.

5. Donate photos.

If you’d rather contribute your photos for the greater good, donate them to non-profit organizations geared towards global health care causes and socio-development issues. These organizations usually have little to no budget for hiring professional photographers to document their projects.

With PhotoShare, create an account to share your photographs for non-profit and educational institution use. You can also browse and find other socio-development related photos to download for non-commercial use.

Image: Mashable

Lola Akinmade Åkerström

Lola Akinmade Åkerström is a Stockholm-based writer and photographer specializing in travel, food, culture, and tech. Her work has been featured in National Geographic Traveler and BBC among ot...More

Topics: Apps and Software, contributor, creativity, diy, Home, Lifestyle, Mobile, photography, Travel & Leisure