Some pictures are worth a thousand words. But not all of them say the right ones.
In a digital age where anyone can get their hands on the latest and most performant piece of technology, it seems to get harder to distinguish between good and great. A nuance which many aesthetic purists find critical. Thus, we have ranked social networks based on the type of users, the quality of the average photograph, its story and, well, its greatness.
5 Tumblr
This microblogging platform has been exploding over the last few years, and became a sort of refuge for many people, obviously most of them being young adults. Between silly memes, magnificent landscape shots, cheesy quotes and good dose of hipsterism, Tumblr became a crossroads for great minds of all sorts. Now when it comes to photographers and photography amateurs, it can either be the greatest site ever, or simply, hell. The key here (and for all the following networks) is following the right people: you wouldn’t want countless gifs and insignificant posts staining your feed. If you plan on starting your own microblog, Tumblr can be an amazing starting point. With great accessories and easy customization options, turning a simple page into a jaw-dropping portfolio can be done in barely a few steps on Tumblr.
By the masses, for the masses. The crib of hipster photography (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). Instagram was made for sharing visual files. Unfortunately, some people believe any visual file would do. This platform has insane features, and no… pictures of food aren’t part of those. If you’re the type to thirst for photographs and videos on a daily basis, then Instagram’s for you. It’s basically a more specialized version of Twitter since you can get in touch with photographers you like and, well, inevitably, celebrities. Now, its mass appeal dimension can either be incredibly exciting or really annoying. On the one hand, it has the power to make anyone famous, thus any decent photographer can grow thanks to it. On the other hand, it has the power to make anyone famous. Anyone can post about anything, and many times it can really be irrelevant. It’s basically a place ruled by celebrities (And we’re not exclusively talking about Dan Bilzerian), making it slightly unprofessional. All in all, Instagram is an amazing, visually attractive, site which is great for browsing through nice shots for amateurs, just not the best one for aesthetic purists, especially with the excessive editing and effects which, in many cases, are blindly applied. Then again, it’s all about following the right people.
Idea sharing at its finest. Pinterest has been growing quite fast over the last few years, and photographers have quickly used it as a sharing platform. Thanks to “Boards” which kind of resemble Facebook groups, you can “pin” interesting items (which is basically bookmarking), building a sort of catalogue and joining discussions along the way which often lead to other entertaining discoveries. Following the better photographers becomes easier, and you can even stumble upon professionals and journalists, which makes one’s feed considerably more interesting. Unfortunately, the interface per se can still be improved as it isn’t necessarily focused on beauty but rather efficiency.
2 500px
Arguably the lesser known network on this list, but certainly one of the most interesting. With 500px, your feed is automatically filtered to feature the best content possible. The idea is to limit each user’s gallery to 500 photographs and 500 photographs only. As most people are sensitive when it comes to what other users see on their profiles, spams are limited, and your “flow” (or feed) instantly curated. One of our favourite options that 500px offers is the possibility to sell pictures as prints (76×76 cm or 61×91 cm). You can also directly share your photos to Facebook and Twitter in order to promote them in more accessible fashion.
1 Flickr
The one and only. Flickr has been around for quite some time. And for quite some time, it has been the go-to social network for photographers. Automatic sharing, a wonderful interface, aesthetically flawless, Flickr is everything a photography maniac needs. From recommended users featured in your feed upon your subscription, to groups, and weekly topics, the discovery possibilities become endless. It is the original, the real thing. Some even consider it Instagram’s father, and we’re not the ones to argue. The concept is similar: you follow, pick your favourites and comment. The difference? Many of the users are actual professionals who travel the world seeking the perfect shot. A really cool feature is the 20under20 section, which lets you explore the profiles of the 20 best young photographers on Flickr. It’s like this whole other world where beauty and youth reign hand in hand.
