A comparison of three photo media sharing applications. Instagram, Smug mug, and Behance

2. USE & CRITERIA
To be used for personal professional development in order to network and
demonstrate skills to photographers(my potential clients)
Criteria
1. # of users. This will reflect how many photographers are on there to see my work
2. Compatibility with Facebook. Can I post these photos on Facebook easily?
3. Compatibility with twitter. It is important for me to be able to cross promote to
Twitter.
4. Quality of images uploaded. (file size) Will my photos look bad once uploaded?
5. In app editing. Can I edit my photos while there or do I need to do that elsewhere?
6. Print sales. Can customers or others purchase prints for their personal use?
7. Existing account. Do I currently have a presence on the app?
8. Cost. Does it cost anything? How much?
9. Ease of download. How easy is it for someone to steal my photo from the site?
10. Design/ease of use. Is the app visually/technically appealing?

3. THE CONTENDERS
I N S T A G R A M
Dedicated
photo
sharing
site. Their
forte is
their
simple,
well
developed
mobile
application
s complete
with filters
and easy
posting
Designed for
use by
photograph
ers to store
photos and
also to
showcase
work to
clients and
provide a
simple place
to both view
and
purchase
prints
S M U G M U GB E H A N C E
An Adobe
subsidiary,
Focused on
fine art and
showing off
the portfolios
of various
visual artists
of various
mediums
within the
photography
field.

4. COMPARISON
Instagram Behance Smug Mug
Users 500M Monthly 1.5M(2012) “Millions of
passionate
customers, Billions of
happy photos”
Twitter
compatible?
Yes, Link Yes, Link Yes, Link
Facebook
compatible?
Yes, single
photos.
Yes, Entire
projects
Yes, entire
albums.
Max file size 11.6 Megapixels 32 Megapixels 210 Megapixels
Editing Tools YES NO NO
Print sales NO NO YES
Existing account YES YES NO
Cost Free(Ads) Free $3-25/Mo.
Ease of
download
Screenshot only Simple right
click.
Optional.
Ease of use Slick and easy
to use in a
The behance site looks
and feels like a fine art
gallery, I’m nervous to
Simple, intuitive
upload and

5. EXAMPLES OF PROFILES

6. CONCLUSION
For the reasons of cost, ease of use, number of users and editing tools. I
will use Instagram primarily for my professional photo networking.
If I have the need to present a digital portfolio, I will use behance, and if I
need to host files for sale or for presentation, I will use smug mug.
My current goal is to reach the breadth of local photographers and
Instagram is the best suited tool for that purpose.
www.instagram.com
www.behance.net
www.smugmug.com