8 Photo Sites That Let You Showcase and Discuss Your Work

Instagram is a popular place to show off your latest photos, but if you’re a serious photography enthusiast, that might not be enough. You might want a more engaging portfolio, not to mention feedback and suggestions from other photographers. One way to do this is to showcase your work on a site specifically for the visual arts.

These are sites that offer amateur and/or professional photographers a space to showcase their images, solicit feedback, discuss, and perhaps even sell work. In other words, a community, offering critiques, support, and good conversation.

Instagram is included here because how could it not be? The popular social network focuses on visuals, both still and video, from the accounts you follow. It focuses more on social media than photography, but you can search for photos and videos you’d like to see, and each one includes information from the photographer and comments from their followers. If you take the time to do this research, you can find some rare gems.

Pixelfed is, as its name suggests, part of the fediverse made famous in recent years by social networks like Mastodon. The open-source tool bills itself as a “new take on photo sharing” with no ads, timelines, and a privacy-friendly approach. And like Mastodon, if you’re not familiar with its format or that of similar apps, it may take a bit of training to get started. To get started, you select one of Pixelfed’s many servers; if you’re already a Mastodon member, you can connect through your existing server.

Once you get past the server issue, Pixelfed offers a very simple interface with lively conversations. Especially if you’re already part of the fediverse, this could be a nice alternative to Instagram.

Flickr has been around for a long time and offers a wide variety of members, from amateur photographers to professionals, as well as a variety of features, including a comments section and metadata about the photo and camera. If the owner of the photo allows the upload, you can choose from a number of different sizes and dimensions.

Free accounts can only upload 1,000 items and cannot post what Flickr calls “moderated and restricted content” (in other words, partial or full nudity and other sexual restrictions). Additionally, free accounts are not allowed to post more than 50 non-public photos and there are ads.

If you want no ads, unlimited downloads, unlimited non-public photos, and fewer restrictions on what you download, it’ll cost you $9.49 per month, $72.99 for one year, or $132.99 for two years, plus tax.

If you are looking for a place to show off your cat pictures, this is not the place, unless they are Really good cat photos. 500px offers photographers a place to store, exhibit 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. Alternatively, 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 for the year, while Pro costs $95.90.) There’s also a 30-day free trial.

Like 500px, DeviantArt is aimed more at professional photographers than hobbyists, though anyone can join for free. It offers visitors a wide range of galleries to browse, each divided into categories, such as traditional, animation, and illustration. The focus here is on building a community of artists, so there are not only comments but also chat functions. There’s also an AI app called DreamUp to help you create new artwork; a free membership gets you four posts per month.

The free plan has no restrictions on the number of public photos you can upload. If you want to sell your photography, you can, but only for up to $100. If you want to charge more, a Core Plus plan for $6.67 per month lets you sell your artwork for a 12-15% commission on sales with a maximum price of $1,000 per digital item. You also get 50GB of private storage, 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 lets members create shared galleries “around a particular theme, photography style, event, or location.” Using the free plan, 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 like 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 as well as 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 is no free version. If you want to do some research, 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 browse members’ photos using categories (which you can drill down to something as specific as “silent protests” or “flying over water”). You can also see the work of specific members, selected 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 aims to be a meeting place for a wide variety of creatives, including photographers. The focus here is on social media rather than just posting photos. You can create a post from a photo, a link to a site, or an audio file. You can search and follow featured users or try the Discover section to find an artist you like.

Vero is currently ad-free and, as the company says, algorithm-free; an FAQ page explains exactly what data it collects and when. The app is currently free for “founding members,” but may introduce an annual fee for new members in the future. The site’s front page announces that it’s looking for “co-owners,” which may not bode well for its continued existence. Still, it seems like a friendly place to show off your creations.