500px – A Community of Photogs

500px is an online community where photographers of all skill levels can share ideas, offer insight, and work together to build their brands. Created as a way to lessen the feelings of isolation that plague many freelance photographers, 500px users can connect with each other and also post their work in an environment where it is likely to get noticed.

Once you register for a 500px account or login with Facebook, you can begin uploading your best images for people to see and vote on. Browse through the photos that have been uploaded by other users, and “follow” the photographers whose work seems more intriguing. The people you follow can be added to an RSS feed, which will automatically update whenever they add new content to the 500px site. Not only can you give and receive constructive criticism about the photos posted on 500px, but you can also vote for your favorite images and create albums full of the pictures that you keep coming back to time and time again. By communicating with fellow photographers and sharing wisdom on a regular basis, there’s no doubt you’ll be able to improve your own skills and take better photographs as a result.

Users with upgraded accounts get access to even more features designed for the professional photographer or artist, including all the tools necessary to build photo websites, purchase custom domains, and integrate with Google Analytics. 500px is an excellent community that any serious photographer should check out.

Practical Uses:

• Create a professional portfolio to show potential clients
• Get ideas on how to improve your skills from fellow photographers
• Find out who has been visiting your photo website
• Promote your work to a wider audience

Insider Tips:

• Custom domains are available for upgraded accounts
• People can follow other users to find out when they post more work
• Websites that are created with upgraded accounts are iPad-friendly
• Users can add tags and descriptions to the photos they post

What we liked:

• 500px is helps bring together professionals who often work in isolation
• Photographers can actually learn how to improve their craft by using 500px
• People can vote on random photos to kill time when they’re bored
• The photo websites made with 500px look professional and polished

What we didn’t like:

• Users can’t get access to all the best website creation features without upgrading to a paid account

Alternatives:

• Carbonmade – http://carbonmade.com
• deviantART – http://www.deviantart.com
• Virb – http://virb.com

Company Info:

• Launched: 2003 (Version 1)
• Privately Held
• Headquarters: Toronto, Canada
• Founded by: Evgeny Tchebotarev and Oleg Gutsol
• Web site: http://500px.com

Costs:

• Free accounts
• Upgraded accounts are $50/year