Introduction
NFTs. You might have heard this acronym lately: it stands for “Non-Fungible Tokens”. But what is an NFT, really?
Imagine you are an exclusive car manufacturer. You create one-off models and extremely limited editions. You’re the creator and your name stays on the car, but once it’s sold, you’re no longer the owner. Makes sense, right? Now replace the “car” with any kind of digital art—photos, videos, gifs, music—and you start to understand what an NFT is.
More formally, it’s a digital certificate of ownership (or a “token”) of a non-reproducible, unique digital asset.
For those wondering how NFTs differ from cryptocurrencies, here’s the distinction: it’s the same as comparing the US dollar with a Picasso painting. Both have value, but while dollars are interchangeable, a Picasso is unique.
To create an NFT, you must “mint” it—meaning you pay a fee to a miner who uses powerful computers to register your digital artwork on the blockchain (usually Ethereum). It receives a unique address and gets stored in your wallet. You remain the author, but once sold, you’re no longer the owner.
NFTs have sparked plenty of debate in the photography world. This article aims to explore some of those concerns and share my personal thoughts about the opportunities and downsides of this new “tool.”
Let me be clear: this is a more complex topic than it appears. Like many, I’m still learning. If you’d like to contribute to the conversation, feel free to get in touch—I’m always open to good dialogue.
What are the Opportunities that NFTs Bring to the Table?
It’s a whole new market. That alone should signal major opportunities for those who know how to thrive in a niche.
Photographers—especially landscape and nature photographers—have often been overlooked by traditional art collectors. But NFTs are starting to change that.
Over the last few months, I’ve seen a noticeable increase in the sale of photographs as NFTs. Many of my colleagues have made decent money selling their work. I’m genuinely happy to see that.
Whether you like it or not, paying bills is part of life, even for artists. If NFTs help photographers stay afloat and keep creating, I’m all for it. Some have criticized these photographers as “sell-outs,” but let’s stay grounded: money has always been a part of the photography business.
That said, the NFT market is still young. There aren’t many collectors, and in most cases, one or two major buyers are driving the sales. For instance, many top-selling landscape photo NFTs I’ve seen were bought by a single collector.
If you catch the eye of one of these collectors, you might sell your photo for 1–3 ETH. That’s significant money. But is this sustainable? I don’t think so. I suspect the market will stabilize soon. When it does, we’ll see who’s here to make a quick buck and who’s in it for the long haul.
In short: it’s full of promise, but you need a strategy. You have to get noticed. And while more collectors will likely join the space in the future, don’t base all your hopes on the current hype.
You’re an artist. Take your time. Prepare your entry with care and make it reflect the quality of your work.
So, It’s All Fun and Games… Or What?
I wish I could tell you NFTs are flawless—but they’re not.
Let’s start with the biggest issue: the environment.
Crypto-mining is highly energy-intensive, and NFTs are created in the same way. Every time you mint an NFT, someone runs a powerful computer that consumes a lot of energy.
Yes, Ethereum 2.0 is expected to reduce energy usage and gas fees (currently around $20 per mint). But until then, minting NFTs isn’t exactly eco-friendly.
What can you do? Mint as little as possible. Ideally, don’t mint at all—but if you do, only mint your best work. Don’t flood the blockchain with your entire photo library.
Now, here’s a personal concern:
When you mint a photo as an NFT, it becomes a currency. That direct link between art and monetary value worries me.
If the hype doesn’t die down soon, photographers might start focusing more on what sells instead of what’s artistically meaningful.
Worse, collectors could start seeing photographs as stocks instead of creative expressions.
Yes, art has always involved markets and buyers—but if NFTs become just another money-making scheme, the art part risks getting lost.
I truly hope that’s not where we’re headed, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot.
My Personal Experience So Far
Here’s a quick rundown of the platforms I’ve tried as an “NFT artist” and what I’ve learned:
OpenSea
This was the first platform I used. It’s the largest NFT marketplace.
You pay around $110 in one-time fees, and then you can mint unlimited NFTs.
But it’s extremely saturated. Unless you’re already well-known, making sales is hard.
It also seems to focus more on digital illustrations, animations, and collectibles—not photography.
I minted a few images, but haven’t sold anything yet.
Foundation
After OpenSea, I tried Foundation, a more selective platform.
You need an invitation to join—either from someone already on the platform or by entering giveaways on Twitter.
I’ve only been on Foundation for about a week, so it’s too early to say much.
But it’s more photo-friendly, especially for landscape photographers.
Minting and listing each NFT costs around $30–$40, depending on gas fees.
KnownOrigin
I made an account on KnownOrigin, but artist registration was closed at the time.
From what I saw, it’s a high-quality platform—but I don’t have firsthand experience selling there.
Hic et Nunc
This platform uses the Tezos blockchain. You’ll need a different wallet (not Metamask) to join.
I couldn’t get past the login process, so I gave up for now.
That said, I’ve heard good things, and it’s open to everyone (no invitation required).
My Final Two Cents
I’ll be honest—I’m still skeptical about NFTs. That’s probably why I haven’t fully committed yet.
Until recently, top photographers struggled to sell their fine art prints for $500–600. Now, suddenly, they’re selling digital versions for five times that. Yes, NFTs are unique, but the shift is still hard to wrap my head around.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m happy for the industry. I just need time to process the change.
What I don’t understand is the backlash against high NFT prices. For years, we complained about being underpaid or offered “exposure” instead of cash.
Now there’s a market that finally values our work—and some photographers are saying the prices are too high?
Come on. Let’s be honest. As artists, we may never be satisfied. But if NFTs help legitimize photography as a valuable art form, maybe we should stop complaining and start adapting.