Instagram is a popular place to show off your latest photos, but if you’re a real photography enthusiast, it may not be enough. You may want a better-looking portfolio — not to mention feedback and suggestions from other photographers. One way to get that is to exhibit your work on a site specifically geared toward the visual arts.
What follows are sites that offer amateur and / or professional photographers a space to showcase their images, solicit comments, have discussions, and possibly even sell some work. In other words, a community — one that offers critiques, support, and good conversation.
Instagram is included here because how could it not be? The well-known social network concentrates on visuals, both still and video, from the accounts that you follow. Its focus is more on social networking than photography, but you can search for photos and videos that you’d like to see, and each includes info from the photographer and comments from their followers. If you take the time for that search, you can find some gems.
Pixelfed is, as the name might indicate, part of the fediverse made known over the past few years by social networks such as Mastodon. The open-source tool advertises itself as an ad-free “fresh take on photo sharing,” with chronological feeds and a privacy-friendly outlook. And like Mastodon, if you aren’t familiar with its format or that of similar apps, it may take a bit of education to get going. To start, you select one of a variety of Pixelfed servers; if you’re already a Mastodon member, you can sign in via your existing server.
Once you’ve overcome the server issue, though, Pixelfed offers a very straightforward interface with some lively conversation. Especially if you’re already a part of the fediverse, this could be an interesting Instagram alternative.
Flickr has been around for a long time and features a range of members — from home photographers to pros — and a variety of features, including a comments section and metadata about the photo and camera. If the owner of the photo allows downloading, you can choose from a number of different sizes and dimensions.
Free accounts can only upload up to 1,000 items and can’t post what Flickr calls “moderate and restricted content.” (In other words, partial and full nudity along with other sexual no-nos). In addition, free accounts are not allowed more than 50 nonpublic photos, and there are ads.
If you want no ads, unlimited uploads, unlimited nonpublic photos, and fewer restrictions on what you upload, it will cost $9.49 a month, $72.99 for one year, or $132.99 for two years, plus tax.
If you’re looking for a place to show off your cat photos, this isn’t it — unless they’re really good cat photos. 500px offers photographers a place to store, exhibit, and license their work and get some helpful comments from fans and knowledgeable pros.
The free ad-supported plan affords you 21 uploads a week. Otherwise, you can try the Awesome plan, which offers unlimited uploads, priority support, no ads, a history of “liked” photos, gallery slideshows, and a profile badge for $59.88 a year or $6.49 a month. The Pro plan adds a way to create a customizable portfolio for $119.88 a year or $12.99 monthly. (You get a discount on your first year: Awesome costs $47.90 for the year, while Pro goes for $95.90.) There is a 30-day free trial, too.
Like 500px, DeviantArt is more for professional photographers than casual picture takers, although anyone can join for free. It offers visitors a wide range of galleries to view, each divided into categories, such as traditional, animation, and illustrations. The emphasis here is on creating a community of artists, so there aren’t only comments but also chat features. There is also an AI app called DreamUp to help you create new art; a free membership gets you four prompts per month.
The free membership also has no restrictions on how many public photos you can upload. If you want to sell your photography, you can do so, but only for up to $100. If you want to charge more, a Core Plus membership for $6.67 a month lets you sell your art for a 12 to 15 percent fee on sales with a $1,000 maximum price per digital item. You also get 50GB of private storage space, 200 AI prompts per month, and other features. If you need more space or higher sale prices, other levels 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.” Using the free version, you can use a limited number of editing tools, create a public space to show off your photos, and browse community discussions. A Plus-level member can access more robust features such as video editing and the ability to take part in discussions for $7.99 a month or $29.99 annually, while a Pro-level membership gets you the ability to create galleries of your work along with a full suite of editing tools for $12.99 a month or $59.99 annually.
Glass offers its own community for photographers — a place to create and share portfolios and give and receive comments. There is essentially no free version; if you want to 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 buffs can search through member photos using categories (which you can drill down to encompass something as specific as “silent protests” or “flight over water”). You can also see the work of specific members, curated highlights, and even photos taken using specific cameras or lenses.
Glass costs $6.99 a month or $39.99 a year for full access to its features; you can also become a “Patron” for $129.99 a year. There is a 14-day free trial.
Vero wants to make itself 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 for and follow featured users or try the Discovery section to find an artist you like.
Vero is currently ad-free and, it says, algorithm-free; an FAQ page explains exactly what data it collects and when. The app is currently free for “Founding Members” but may institute an annual fee for new members in the future. The site’s first page announces it’s looking for “co-owners,” which may not bode well for its continued existence. Still, it looks like a friendly place to show your stuff.