Hello everyone! I'm a 3D Artist
I like to shoot photos mostly with my smartphone when I travel or just when i feel like, so I tought it would be a good idea to subscribe to one of these websites like shutterstock, but before I want to understand better some things.
I did some research and looked at this forum, it looks like some websites like shutterstock don't have exclusivity on your photos so you can sell them elsewhere... but
my doubt is: can I upload on sites like shutterstock photos that I have on my instagram (for example) ? or will they be rejected?
if that is possible, then, if someone need a photo of mine he/she will probably buy it on shutterstock or it will search it on services like google search by picture to find the free one? it's important to consider that instagram pictures are low quality and if someone needs high quality he/she has can only buy it, not having it for free.
besides I've read in this forum that instagram blocks you if you share shutterstock page on profile description so I might avoid doing it.
Thank you
Gian

SS doesn't care (don't know about Instagram). Whether it's in your interest to have free images available while you are trying to sell them is another question.

Putting content on IG or any other social media is not a source of 'free' content for people.  You hold the copyright.  Without a license or permission it is illegal for anyone to use it.

not necessarily illegal. There are many countries with all sorts of funny copyright laws. In my country it's not illegal to stream copyright protected content as long as you don't save it (funny, huh?). Even in the US there is a "fair use" doctrine and defense.

Quote from: niktol on November 18, 2017, 15:53

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on November 18, 2017, 15:01

Putting content on IG or any other social media is not a source of 'free' content for people.  You hold the copyright.  Without a license or permission it is illegal for anyone to use it.

not necessarily illegal. There are many countries with all sorts of funny copyright laws. In my country it's not illegal to stream copyright protected content as long as you don't save it (funny, huh?). Even in the US there is a "fair use" doctrine and defense.

Shutterstock customers want to buy legitimate licenses.  They don't want to risk an angry copyright owner causing grief...  Sure they can find free content if they want to but licenses are cheap.  Real companies don't need to risk it.

I dunno... Maybe... I don't know all of them, only a handful. Those do what has to be done to save money.

Of course people will illegally use photos they steal, but I wanted to make sure the OP realized putting things on IG or FB or wherever is not a license for anyone to use them for free legally.  It wasn't clear from his post.

...I like to shoot photos mostly with my smartphone when I travel or just when i feel like, so I tought it would be a good idea to subscribe to one of these websites like shutterstock,...

Assuming you have some notion of making some money from licensing your images as stock, you should probably figure out if what you like to take measures up to the quality of work that's already being licensed on SS (or Adobe Stock, or the EyeEm collection on Getty Images, or...)

Take some keywords for things you've recently shot that you might upload and do a search on these sites. If you think you have something to offer that isn't already well supplied - and with 163+ million images on SS, there's a lot there already (even though a good portion of that is repetitive filler and will likely never sell) - then go ahead.

I wouldn't worry so much about watermarks on social media images, but unless you can build a really prominent brand for yourself, I wouldn't expect any Instagram presence to drive stock license sales.

Thank you guys for all your answers and clarifications

Put a prominent watermark on any pics you put on social media.

good idea, thanks, I might consider it for the next pics I share on instagram.

SS doesn't care (don't know about Instagram). Whether it's in your interest to have free images available while you are trying to sell them is another question.

uhm I see, so I will give it a try, I'm using instagram to be somehow present in the social world, I see it as a way to make connections and to make myself known a bit, or eventually a way to not let my shots lie in my hard drive, to be influent in my little.

Of course people will illegally use photos they steal, but I wanted to make sure the OP realized putting things on IG or FB or wherever is not a license for anyone to use them for free legally.  It wasn't clear from his post.

this is a good point, I didn't think about it, so the mere fact that a picture on instagram isn't free to use, should provide another deterrent other than the resolution one I mentioned.

Quote from: CGian on November 18, 2017, 13:44

...I like to shoot photos mostly with my smartphone when I travel or just when i feel like, so I tought it would be a good idea to subscribe to one of these websites like shutterstock,...

Assuming you have some notion of making some money from licensing your images as stock, you should probably figure out if what you like to take measures up to the quality of work that's already being licensed on SS (or Adobe Stock, or the EyeEm collection on Getty Images, or...)

Take some keywords for things you've recently shot that you might upload and do a search on these sites. If you think you have something to offer that isn't already well supplied - and with 163+ million images on SS, there's a lot there already (even though a good portion of that is repetitive filler and will likely never sell) - then go ahead.

I wouldn't worry so much about watermarks on social media images, but unless you can build a really prominent brand for yourself, I wouldn't expect any Instagram presence to drive stock license sales.

Yes I should make sure my picture have the same average quality, and taking only the best ones, I have to put even more attention to the ones shot with smartphone (eg. focus, not overexposure), but also with the shots of a SLRC.
This method of searching before uploading is a good idea, I need to check that I'm not uploading the umpteenth flower shot.
About watermarks: so do you think watermarking images on instagram is more a bad than a good? if so why is it? I'm thinking, maybe people going to instagram don't want to see watermarks ruining a shot.

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on November 18, 2017, 20:19

Quote from: CGian on November 18, 2017, 13:44

...I like to shoot photos mostly with my smartphone when I travel or just when i feel like, so I tought it would be a good idea to subscribe to one of these websites like shutterstock,...

Assuming you have some notion of making some money from licensing your images as stock, you should probably figure out if what you like to take measures up to the quality of work that's already being licensed on SS (or Adobe Stock, or the EyeEm collection on Getty Images, or...)

I've read a few people do well on Stockami (Alamy) but that has to be an iPhone, not Android or any other smartphone.

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on November 18, 2017, 20:19

Quote from: CGian on November 18, 2017, 13:44

...I like to shoot photos mostly with my smartphone when I travel or just when i feel like, so I tought it would be a good idea to subscribe to one of these websites like shutterstock,...

Assuming you have some notion of making some money from licensing your images as stock, you should probably figure out if what you like to take measures up to the quality of work that's already being licensed on SS (or Adobe Stock, or the EyeEm collection on Getty Images, or...)

I've read a few people do well on Stockami (Alamy) but that has to be an iPhone, not Android or any other smartphone.

I have a redmi note 3 pro with 16mpx camera, as SLRC I use a nikon D3200

Thanks again guys