500px

[austin granger]

Hello everyone.
I recently discovered the photo sharing website www.500px.com and wanted to bring your attention to it. It's quite possible that most of you already know about this (I'm usually late to such parties), but just in case you don't, I think it is worth checking out. In general, I would say that it's fairly similar to flickr in its intent, but the picture quality (I mean how your pictures are presented) is quite a bit higher, and I think the site is more elegant and better organized than flickr as well. Like flickr, there is a sort of popularity contest, whereupon your photos get liked or disliked (!) and then, according to the resulting score, are elevated into different (more viewed) tiers (or drop off the face of the earth) and so on.
Whether or not this is a healthy practice is up for debate.
In any case though, there are other features on the site that I think could be very useful for some people. For instance, you can organize pictures into a portfolio, and as I said, the quality and the layout is really pretty descent. So if you don't have a website, it could be a good (and free, with some limitations) way to direct someone to your work online.
Probably the best thing to do is see it for yourself:
http://500px.com/
My own 'house' is still fairly disheveled over there, but if you want to see what I've done, it's here:
http://500px.com/AustinGranger
And if you do join, please feel free to become my 'follower' (sounds like I'm starting a cult, doesn't it?) and pump up my photos with your votes so I can beat all those cheezy 'naked-woman-draped-over-a-sportscar' photos-ha!

[vinny]

you're avatar makes you look older than i expected.

[austin granger]

you're avatar makes you look older than i expected.

Hey, I think I look pretty good for being 223 years old! OK, I'll admit it, that's not me but the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer-I get bored, you know?
I think next week I'll be bluesman Robert Johnson...

[SamReeves]

I'm there too, but I've noticed right away, there isn't as much activity as Deviant Art or Flickr. But maybe it'll grow over time??

[austin granger]

I'm there too, but I've noticed right away, there isn't as much activity as Deviant Art or Flickr. But maybe it'll grow over time??

It seems to be taking off:
http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/03/whi...k-in-series-a/

[dsim]

Thanks. Looks interesting. Convenient layout.

[cosmicexplosion]

hey thanks for putting me in touch with a cool looken site.

evolution...its about time!

[Jay DeFehr]

Is it just me, or do Russian/ Eastern EU photographers seem to be disproportionately represented?

[austin granger]

Is it just me, or do Russian/ Eastern EU photographers seem to be disproportionately represented?

Tons of Russians. And people from all over the place, really.

Interestingly, the photography is also almost completely digital. I shouldn't be surprised I guess, but I hadn't realized until recently just how anachronistic shooting film has become. I think I've been so busy photographing that I didn't notice that everyone jumped ship! (present company excluded) Anyway, there seems to be a fascination over there with the fact that I use film.

My friends, I think we're becoming cutting edge without even trying!

But that's another thread, isn't it?

[Jay DeFehr]

I think there is some very beautiful work there, yours included, and I don't know how some people can be so disparaging of the work amateurs are doing with DSLRs. When it's claimed the quality of photography is in decline, I just have to wonder where the claimant is looking. It seems perfect technique, composition and timing are within the reach of just about anyone, and what separates the artist from the photographer is a compelling and cohesive concept. A string of perfectly executed images, even with a continuity of style, is not enough to distinguish a photographer from his peers; one must have something to say with one's images. One can look a long time at these image libraries in search of a cohesive statement. In literary terms, we see a lot of diaries, and not many novels, or even poems. A diary can be very personal, and include beautifully emotive passages, but without an editor's touch, not many can sustain the interest of an average reader, and any appeal might be more voyeuristic than artistic.

Sorry to ramble; just some of the thoughts going through my head as I perused so many very beautiful images. Thanks for the link.