In this digital age the most popular way to show off your photography is through photo sharing websites. But which ones should you chose? There are a dizzying array of sites all dedicated to getting you to post your images. Some are free, some are not. Some claim to be free but have lots of hidden "if then" clauses that require you to pay up to keep using the service. Take a look at the following list for my top picks of photo sharing websites.
While not a free photo sharing site, PBase is an extremely good value for your money. At $23 a year for up to 500Meg of storage and $60 a year for up to 1,500Meg of storage, PBase is hard to beat. Add to that the well-laid out galleries, no licensing infringements in the TOS, and a 30 day free trail to see if you like it and PBase climbs to the top of the photo sharing world.
2. Photoshop Express
Adobe's Photoshop Express puts powerful editing tools in the same site at photo sharing. Good interface, nice galleries, and Photoshop editing make this a great photo sharing site. Be sure to read the recently revised terms of service before uploading as shared public images may be captured by other users in some cases.
3. JAlbum
While technically JAlbum is software, they offer free hosting for JAlbum created photo galleries and effectively turned this powerful gallery creation tool into a great photo sharing website for those reasonably comfortable with technology.
ImageShack is a no-frills image hosting site for those who don't want or need fancy galleries. If you just need a quick and free host for an image to be linked to a forum or bulletin board then ImageShack is the solution. They do also offer a paid version with more space per image but at $68 a year it is much more pricey than other sites with more options.
It is not often I am really impressed with a photo sharing website but EchoPic has done it. A truly free site that's easy to use, has unlimited storage, and doesn't steal photo rights. This one is a must-see.
6. MyPhotoAlbum
Like many "free" sites, this one isn't really free. Purchases are required of the "free" option users. Also, free users are restricted to not image linking and other features that make a photo sharing site worth having are removed. However, as a paid site MyPhotoAlbum reaches new levels. Tons of options in easy to use interfaces make the paid version of MyPhotoAlbum worth serious consideration.
