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| screen cap of YouPic website |
What's so great about it? Well ... let's see:
- It's free
- It's unlimited
- It's run by photographers from Sweden. (I think.)
- It's sort of a cross between Facebook and YouTube, so everybody gets a home page and a "feed" page
- I get to see dozens of beautiful and inspiring photographs any time of day or night
- and it's gotten my photographs more of a global audience than ANY OTHER SITE EVER, and that includes my own photography site!
What's not to like?
Well, I could go on and on but to give you a better idea of what it's all about, here's what YouPic says about themselves:
- "YOU Inspired: Find high quality inspiration for your photography from millions of photographers."
- "YOU Admired: Showcase your best shots and be rewarded with tremendous exposure, awards, and love."
- "YOU Improved: Improve your photography dramatically with photography tips from peers and by following your progress"
Wow. What could you possibly have to lose? I know what you're thinking. Is it just hype or is all that really true? Well, ever since I uploaded my first photo (after responding to an ad that appeared on Facebook January 1, 2015), I've gotten 12,486 views, have been liked (favorited) 1,088 times, and have been shared (re-pic'd) 571 times. In only two months time! Plus, I've gotten to see, like, and comment on hundreds of fabulous photos in the categories of nature, landscape, black and white photography, street photography, portraiture, fine art photography, etc. from all over the world, in similar fashion as one would view or comment on Facebook entries. I feel like a world traveler without ever leaving home! :)
Other participants at the site have been so generous and so kind. It helps, I think, that YouPic uses an award system (and a points system) to encourage people to interact. And the more you interact, the more photographers interact with you. Even as a hobbyist I'm not a great photographer, and I certainly don't have expensive or fancy equipment. But on YouPic really great photographers actually take the time to enjoy my photos! What photographer wouldn't like that?
So, has my photography improved as they claim it will? Well, only time will tell, but I truly believe my photos will improve. For one thing, I can read what people say about their individual process, see what brands and types of cameras they use, and also see what camera settings they use to achieve a particular effect. Besides, I think it just helps to look lots of good photos from fellow enthusiasts - Other people's photos help you see the world in new ways, see things you've never noticed, and perhaps give more thought to how you want to fill your frame before you press the button.
Anyway ... you can tune into your favorite news channel and get all the bad news going on in the world. Or you can join YouPic and see all the beautiful photos coming in from all over the world. The choice is yours, but I think you know which one I'd recommend! Warning, though - just like bad news, beauty can be addictive!
:)
JuneBug
P.S. Here's a link to my YouPic home page. Come on over and have a look! Better yet, come on over and join us! Again, what do you have to lose? (except possibly some time well-spent?) :)
