Nearly half of all the photographs Europeans take end up online, according to a survey, with Russians the keenest on taking snaps of themselves, just ahead of the Austrians.

The Nikon poll of 12,259 people in 12 European countries showed 46.8 percent of the pictures taken by Europeans are posted on the Internet.

Britons are more reserved: only 33 percent of their snaps are posted and just 5.6 percent of them take self-portraits.

By contrast, 34.2 percent of Russians take pictures of themselves, just ahead of the Austrians on 24.9 percent.

Russians also top the poll for taking intimate snaps of themselves, with Greeks not far behind, the poll found.

Some people have also become choosy about how they are projected online, the survey found.

For example, 16.8 percent would ask friends to remove photos that they don't like and some even insist on approving any image of themselves before it gets anywhere near the Internet.

The photographs that many of us take, especially younger generations, are no longer kept safe within the family or personal album, to be got out only in the presence of close friends and relatives, said photography scholar Martin Lister.

Now, once online, our photographs enter a semi-public space. Here it is not the family that is the consuming and viewing unit but extended peer groups and networks of loosely connected people.

Nikon and etiquette experts Debrett's offered this advice to those posting pictures on the Web:

* Don't post embarrassing pictures of other people without their permission.

* Ensure that you are happy for the pictures you choose to be on the web for all to see.

* Remember that your boss, family and friends may look at your pictures, so don't post any inappropriate images.

* Don't endlessly post pictures of yourself -- you'll come across as self-obsessed, rather than interesting.

* Think about the impact your photos will have on other people before you share or project them.

(Reporting by Stephen Addison; editing by Paul Casciato)