Many premium subscriptions include access to a Discord server or other online community features. Many creatives have been turning to Patreon or other premium subscription services for image sharing and community development. Facebook also isn't exclusively about image sharing, and their community standards can be restrictive for some types of photography. I wouldn't say that Instagram isn't a still very popular network in 2022 it just isn't the photography-focused image-sharing service it once was.Īn obvious option would be Facebook groups for photography, but my experience with those has often revealed several trolls that can dishearten newbie photographers perhaps, this is more a reflection of the online community, as the same can be found on most social platforms. We've witnessed the rise of the Instagram influencer, monetization, and much more powerful image filters as cellphone cameras and processing power have improved year on year. The Facebook-owned Instagram figured out much more effective algorithmic ways to keep users engaged than simply sharing beautiful images. Instagram has changed focus since it started. Now, you certainly don't need to take beautiful or highly technical images to be popular on Instagram. Instagram also introduced the masses to photo filters these filters just served the purpose of making up for the low quality of cellphone cameras back then.

Instagram was built on the sharing of images, nothing else. This video from Micael Widell discusses a few major photography community sites and how they just aren't effective as a photography community in the way that many photographers would like. Sadly, Flickr hasn't been getting the attention it needed to stay popular, daily users are down, and the community just isn't as active as it once was. Then, there was the enjoyment looking at other submissions from all over the world and their interpretations, giving and receiving constructive feedback on the images before the next subject was announced and we did it all over again. I enjoyed a particular weekly challenge that involved submitting one image of a specific subject each week, as this forced me to go out and be creative with a subject that I might not have chosen myself. Who else remembers posting photo sets to Flickr, joining groups, entering weekly image challenges? It was great for me at the time to have a direct line of contact with other photographers.

Flickr gallery