How to Mint Photography NFTs on Tezos (Even If You’ve Never Touched Crypto)

I still remember the first time I minted an NFT.

It was on OpenSea and just to get a shared contract up and running, it was almost a hundred bucks. This was on ETH Mainnet back in March of 2021.

That’s a lot… For me.

I did manage to make my money back but just barely.

A month later, I found Tezos (It’s not Pasta) and minted my first piece on April 24^th.

It felt like stumbling into a shady pawn shop where everything was on the floor instead of the shelves. And for once, it didn’t cost $100 just to try it.

That’s what pulled me into Tezos in the first place.

Ethereum gas fees were sky-high. I was curious about NFTs, but not enough to keep burning real money just to see what happened.

I wanted room to experiment. To fail. To mint a photo I wasn’t even sure was good. And maybe do it again the next day with something weirder.

Tezos gave me that space.

And now? It’s still the place I tell photographers to start.

Why Photographers Should Be Minting on Tezos in 2025

This post is for the curious ones.

If you’re a photographer who has heard about NFTs but never made the leap, this is for you. If you leapt and gave up, this post is also for you.

If you’re already selling on other platforms but looking for a place that feels more like a weird, gritty underground art gallery than a high-end auction house, this is also for you.

You’ll get everything you need to understand how to use Tezos and mint your photography NFTs on OBJKT.

I’ll walk you through what Tezos is, why it matters for photographers, and the full step-by-step process of how to mint your work on OBJKT. No crypto knowledge required.

A Short Story About 2021, Gas Fees, and Feeling Free

Back in 2021, I was grieving, overwhelmed, and honestly just needed something to keep my mind moving.

NFTs were popping up everywhere, but it felt like a closed circle. Collectors had wallets. Artists had followings. And Ethereum was charging me the price of a dinner date just to list an image.

Then I heard about HEN. It was short for Hic et Nunc, a weird little Tezos-based platform that felt like a basement show. Honestly, the platform felt like I had run the DOS command prompt from the Windows boot screen by accident.

The words were weird. The process was Messy. The art was Uncurated. And there was no gatekeeping.

But beyond all that. The platform felt alive.

I minted my first photo for pennies…

And sold it for pennies.

But it didn’t matter.

You see, my first mint happened during an event called objkt4objkt.

Basically, we were just swapping art, but we were doing it in a fun new way, and it was exciting.

The rush was real. The fact that I could even publish it, that I could have it on-chain, was exciting.

And that’s what Tezos was back then. And still is. A place where photographers and artists could try things. Post blurry street shots. Abstract double exposures. Personal projects that felt kind of experimental.

It wasn’t about pumping value. It wasn’t about fame, launch parties, or the guy with a million bucks playing kingmaker and wedging himself into every sale, pretending he discovered you, like some self-appointed middleman.

It was about art, community, and the freedom to share.

And that freedom is still here.

What Is Tezos and Why Should Photographers Care?

Tezos is a blockchain. Basically a decentralized database just like Ethereum or Bitcoin. But unlike those, it was designed to be energy-efficient, low-cost, and easy to upgrade.

The main reasons photographers love it?

• Low gas fees (mint or sell for pennies)
• Strong, welcoming artist community
• More experimental and less commercial than ETH
• Built-in royalties and artist-first culture

You don’t need to know how blockchain works to use it. You just need a wallet, a few tez (the currency used on Tezos), and something to mint.

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What Is OBJKT.com?

OBJKT.com is the largest NFT marketplace on Tezos. Think of it like the OpenSea of the Tezos world.

It lets you:

• Mint your photography NFTs (upload and create them on-chain)
• Sell and list your NFTs
• Collect work from other artists
• Customize your collections and profile

It’s easy to use, even if you’ve never touched crypto.

Below…the first NFT I ever collected on Tezos. ART by Janno Bergmann

Step 1: Get a Tezos Wallet

You need a wallet to hold your Tezos (XTZ) and NFTs. Many people choose Temple Wallet.

1. Go to https://templewallet.com
2. Download the browser extension (Chrome or Firefox)
3. Create a new wallet (save your seed phrase somewhere safe. This is like your master password. Don’t lose it!)
4. Add a password to unlock it on your browser

Now you have a Tezos wallet!

Note: You can also use Kukai wallet, which is a web-based wallet (no extension needed). Some people prefer this option.

Step 2: Get Some Tez (XTZ) Into Your Wallet

You need a small amount of Tez (XTZ) to mint NFTs or buy them.

Here are two easy ways to get Tez:

Option 1: Buy on Coinbase (or any exchange)

• Create a Coinbase account
• Buy Tezos (XTZ)
• Send it to your Temple wallet address (copy from the extension)

Option 2: Ask a friend in the Tezos community

If you’re just testing things, ask someone in the Tezos NFT community. A lot of us still send a few XTZ to newcomers to get them started. It’s tradition.

I also found this from TEIA, which is another great platform you can use to mint on Tezos. Everything you need to know about TEIA and how to apply for Fountain Funds is in this link.

Note: Anything you mint on TEIA will still show up under that same wallet address on OBJKT as well. Cool right?

Free Tez To Mint Your First Tezos NFTs

Step 3: Connect Your Wallet to OBJKT.com

1. Visit https://objkt.com
2. Click the wallet icon (top right)
3. Choose “Temple Wallet”
4. Approve the connection

You now have a profile on OBJKT. Customize it to your liking. I definitely recommend linking it to your social media accounts.

Step 4: Mint Your First Photography NFT

Minting is just the process of uploading your photo to the blockchain.

1. Click your profile pic >> dropdown >> “Create” on OBJKT.com
2. I suggest you create a collection first (Collection tab), otherwise you will mint to the shared contract
3. Once you have a collection go back to the (Token tab)
4. Toggle the Custom Collection Switch and pick your collection
5. Upload your image (JPG, PNG, GIF; Max file size is 250 megabytes)
6. Give it a name, description, tags, and any other details you want to include
7. Choose how many editions you want (e.g. 1/1 or 10 copies)
8. Set a royalty percentage (10-25% is standard)
9. Click Continue >> Mint Token

You’ll confirm the transaction with Temple, and it’ll cost a tiny fee (pennies).

That’s it. Your photography is now an NFT on Tezos.

Step 5: List Your NFT for Sale

After minting, your NFT will show up under “Created.”

To list it:

1. Click on the NFT
2. Click “List”
3. Set your price (in Tez)
4. Confirm the transaction

Once listed, collectors can buy it immediately. That’s it. You are now selling NFTs. Congrats.

What Makes Tezos Photography Different?

It’s not just the low fees.

The vibe here is different. Tezos has always been about:

• Experimentation: You can mint the stuff you’re working through without fear and still be taken seriously.
• Accessibility: Entry costs are low for everyone
• Real community: Most of us talk to each other. We share, collect, and support weird stuff
• Curation by vibe: Less gallery, more underground art show
• And make no mistake: the quality here isn’t lesser. It’s just less filtered. Some of the most innovative, respected artists in Web3 are minting right alongside you.

You don’t need to be famous. You don’t need a big drop. You don’t need a rooftop gallery party with a team of crypto bro visionaries.

You just need you.

Tips for Tezos NFT Photographers Starting Today

• Start with a small batch: Try 3–5 photos. Don’t overthink it, but do think about a small collection. Photography hits better when there is a theme, story, collection.
• Join Twitter: Twitter is where most of the NFT crowd hangs out. Yes, everyone’s always leaving, but at the same time, everyone’s always still there.
• Collect and Engage with others: Jump into conversations. Engage. Buy work you love. Engage. Comment. Share. And Engage some more.
• Build a profile: Add a banner and bio on OBJKT, include links to your social media accounts.
• Be patient: Sometimes sales take time. That’s okay. One important note. Collectors are collecting the artist as much as they are collecting the art. It’s a fact. Your work alone isn’t going to get it done. Your going to have to network.

Why I Still Mint on Tezos in 2025

Because it still feels like the most real place in crypto art.

Because I can post something emotional, blurry, strange, abstract, weird, or whatever, and it doesn’t need to sell to matter. But bonus if it does.

Because the people who collect there care about art. And they talk to you.

Because the cost to try is still pennies.

Because it’s never just been about the money.

Because while markets are shutting down left and right, Tezos continues to offer new experiences. Let’s see this continue!

So…What Now?

You mint a photo. Nothing happens. Then one day, out of nowhere, someone buys it. You don’t know who they are. They don’t know who you are. But now they own your amazing photo of a laundromat.

And the two of you are forever connected because someone owns a moment they never lived…

Your moment.

You wonder if it means something.

You mint another.

Now you’re photographing laundromats all over the city on purpose.
Now you’re thinking of a big collection of different laundromats.
Now you’re googling “how to burn an NFT you regret minting.”
Now you’re in too deep to explain this to Mom and Dad.

But it’s fun. And it’s your little journey nobody else understands.

And that might be enough.

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