instagram is a popular place to show off your latest photos, but if you're a serious photography enthusiast, it may not be enough. You may want a more attractive portfolio, not to mention feedback and suggestions from other photographers. One way to achieve this is to showcase your work on a site specifically geared toward the visual arts.
Below are sites that offer amateur and/or professional photographers a space to showcase their images, ask for feedback, have discussions, and possibly even sell some work. In other words, a community that offers critique, support, and good conversation.
instagram is included here because how could it not be? The popular social network focuses on images, both still and video, from accounts you follow. Its focus is more on social media than photography, but you can search for photos and videos you'd like to see, and each includes information about the photographer and comments from their followers. If you take the time to do that search, you can find some gems.
Pixelfed is, as its name suggests, part of the fediverse that’s been made famous in recent years by social networks like Mastodon. The open-source tool bills itself as a “new way to share photos” with no ads, chronological feeds, and a privacy-friendly outlook. And like Mastodon, if you’re not familiar with its format or that of similar apps, it may take a little training to get started. To get started, select one of Pixelfed’s various servers; if you’re already a Mastodon member, you can log in through your existing server.
However, once you've gotten past the server issue, Pixelfed offers a very simple interface with a lively chat. Especially if you're already part of the fediverse, this could be an interesting alternative to instagram.
Flickr has been around for a long time and has a wide range of members (from amateur to professional photographers) and a variety of features, such as a comments section and metadata about the photo and the camera. If the photo's owner allows uploading, you can choose from a variety of sizes and dimensions.
Free accounts can only upload up to 1,000 items and cannot post what Flickr calls “moderated and restricted content” (in other words, partial or full nudity along with other sexual prohibitions). Additionally, free accounts cannot upload more than 50 non-public photos and there are ads.
If you want no ads, unlimited uploads, unlimited non-public photos and fewer restrictions on what you upload, it will cost $9.49 per month, $72.99 for one year or $132.99 for two years, plus tax.
If you're looking for a place to display your cat photos, this isn't it, unless they're… In fact Great cat photography. 500px offers photographers a place to store, showcase and license their work and get helpful feedback from fans and knowledgeable professionals.
The ad-supported free plan lets you upload 21 photos per week. Otherwise, you can try the Awesome plan, which offers unlimited uploads, priority support, no ads, a “Liked” photo history, gallery slideshows, and a profile badge for $59.88 per year or $6.49 per month. The Pro plan adds a way to create a customizable portfolio for $119.88 per year or $12.99 per month. (You get a discount on your first year: Awesome costs $47.90 per year, while Pro costs $95.90.) There’s also a 30-day free trial.
Like 500px, DeviantArt is aimed more at professional photographers than casual ones, though anyone can join for free. It offers visitors a wide range of galleries to look at, each divided into categories, such as traditional, animation, and illustrations. The emphasis here is on building a community of artists, so there are not only comments, but chat features as well. There's also an ai app called DreamUp to help you create new art; a free membership gives you four suggestions per month.
The free membership also has no restrictions on how many public photos you can upload. If you want to sell your photos, you can, but only for up to $100. If you want to charge more, a Core Plus membership for $6.67 per month lets you sell your art for a 12 to 15 percent commission on sales with a maximum price of $1,000 per digital item. You also get 50 GB of private storage space, 200 ai messages per month, and other features. If you need more space or higher selling prices, other tiers are available.
VSCO is an online space for professional photographers to store, edit, share, and sell their work; a feature called VSCO Spaces allows members to create shared galleries “around a particular theme, photography style, event, or location.” With the free version, you can use a limited number of editing tools, create a public space to showcase your photos, and browse community discussions. A Plus-level member can access more robust features such as video editing and the ability to participate in discussions for $7.99 per month or $29.99 per year, while a Pro-level membership gives you the ability to create galleries of your work along with a full suite of editing tools for $12.99 per month or $59.99 per year.
Glass offers its own community for photographers, a place to create and share portfolios and give and receive feedback. There's basically no free version; if you want to take a look around, you can create a profile and follow up to three members, but you can't upload your own photos or comment on others'. Photography enthusiasts can search through members' photos using categories (which can be broken down to cover something as specific as “silent protests” or “flying over water”). You can also view work by specific members, curated highlights, and even photos taken with specific cameras or lenses.
Glass costs $6.99 per month or $39.99 per year for full access to its features; you can also become a “patron” for $129.99 per year. There is a 14-day free trial.
Vero wants to become a place for a variety of creators, including photographers. The emphasis here is on social networking rather than just posting photos. You can create a post using a photo, a link to a site, or an audio file. You can search and follow featured users or try the Discovery section to find an artist you like.
Vero is currently ad-free and, it claims, algorithm-free; a FAQ page It explains exactly what data it collects and when. The app is currently free for “founding members,” but an annual fee may apply for new members in the future. The site’s first page advertises that it’s looking for “co-owners,” which may not bode well for its continued existence. Still, it seems like a nice place to showcase your work.
