My Friend Told Me To Post My Photographs On Bored Panda And It Kickstarted My Career
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I never planned to become a photographer. It just sort of happened.
I was working as a brand strategist at the time, but I didn’t like working in a big company and so one day I decided to quit. I had no plan when I left. All I wanted to do was, well, figure out what I wanted to do.
That’s when I bought myself a camera. I’ve always been a big fan of Humans of New York so I decided to do something similar. I grew up in Paris but I moved to Montreal when I was 20, so that’s where I decided to base my project. I started a page with a couple of friends and soon we had 20k likes. We were even featured in newspapers and on TV.
It was around this time that a photographer friend of mine told me about Bored Panda. He’d published a series of pictures on the site which were then used by many other media websites. He suggested I do the same and so I decided to take his advice.
My first post was a series featuring portraits and stories of homeless people I met in Montreal. After appearing on Bored Panda the series went on to be featured in the Huffington Post. It also appeared on Mic.com, Aplus.com and a few other online publications.
The series that really changed everything however was the project I did of my girlfriend hiding from the camera. Before I knew it the pictures were being shared from Bosnia to Brazil, from China to South Africa. Even Ashton Kutcher shared the project on his Facebook page!
In just a couple of weeks my Facebook page went from 800 likes to 8000. It was amazing. I now have people following my work from all corners of the world. I also have a lot of people from across the globe asking for pictures of my girlfriend!
What I love about Bored Panda is that it’s almost entirely user-generated. It’s a collective of really creative initiatives, introduced directly by the people who made them happen. I like learning about projects from the people behind them. It’s so much more emotionally engaging than hearing about something from a journalist who might not have any personal interest in the idea.
Posting my work on Bored Panda has gained me some massive exposure. It’s dramatically increased my online following and it’s really fueled my credibility as a photographer. A couple of media agencies that saw my work on the website have been in touch offering to sell my work, and I also received a picture from Hungary where my series on homelessness had been published in a magazine there.
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This happened to me as well, my Bored Panda post about birdwatching was shared globally and featured on international publications. To anyone considering posting to BP, DO IT! show the world, your world.
That's the best feeling! ❤️👍🏻
Very cool! So i followed your advise, to show the world the world of Mildred and George, this cute Lego couple. Hope you'll love it too!
What happens next? Do you get any offer? Im a photographer but I haven't post anything yet. Cheers! And congratulations!
Be careful posting without the proper copyrights in place, people can Steal your images, use them and not pay you for them. Just beware of that.
YES! But it's also so scary to open up & share!
i couldnt live without BoredPanda! I log on everyday to see whats new!
Me too.
I stop Facebook to dedicate my internet time just to bored panda and I love it.
same
Same. I do not do social media so BP is like my social media fix and family :) I like that any negative comments on BP are not promoted and many times shut down. This is a space for positive vibes people. Let's keep it that way!!
This is extremely inspiring!!! I'm in a similar situation and am on the verge of making the decision to leave as well. Thanks for sharing!!!
Do it! :) best decision I ever made :) good luck!
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Don't do it...you may end up regretting that decision.
This happened to me as well, my Bored Panda post about birdwatching was shared globally and featured on international publications. To anyone considering posting to BP, DO IT! show the world, your world.
That's the best feeling! ❤️👍🏻
Very cool! So i followed your advise, to show the world the world of Mildred and George, this cute Lego couple. Hope you'll love it too!
What happens next? Do you get any offer? Im a photographer but I haven't post anything yet. Cheers! And congratulations!
Be careful posting without the proper copyrights in place, people can Steal your images, use them and not pay you for them. Just beware of that.
YES! But it's also so scary to open up & share!
i couldnt live without BoredPanda! I log on everyday to see whats new!
Me too.
I stop Facebook to dedicate my internet time just to bored panda and I love it.
same
Same. I do not do social media so BP is like my social media fix and family :) I like that any negative comments on BP are not promoted and many times shut down. This is a space for positive vibes people. Let's keep it that way!!
This is extremely inspiring!!! I'm in a similar situation and am on the verge of making the decision to leave as well. Thanks for sharing!!!
Do it! :) best decision I ever made :) good luck!
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Don't do it...you may end up regretting that decision.