What Would the Ideal Photography Social Media Platform Look Like?

Back in April, I posted something titled Photographers and Social Media. Since then, I’ve been thinking more about what an ideal photography-focused social media platform could look like, and I figured I’d share some of those thoughts here.

• Photos are displayed in a grid view (gallery view).
• Photos are viewable by anyone without requiring login or sign-up.
• No compression applied to uploaded photos.
• Option to customize the look (changing fonts, layout styles, etc.).
• Ability to replace photos (e.g., when I re-edit later).
• Option to sell prints and license images directly on the platform.
• Keep the number of followers and “Likes” hidden from others.
• Free to use, ensuring it remains accessible even after my passing.

As far as I know, no social media platform ticks all these boxes at the moment. The closest might be Flickr, but it still misses a few key features — such as the ability to sell prints and license images directly on the platform.

Reflections on Digital Legacy

As for the last point (free to use), it’s one of the advantages social media has over self-hosted websites like mine, as it has the potential to outlive the account owner.

To keep my photography website running, I (as the webmaster of LASTLIGHTS.NET) need to continually pay for and renew both the web hosting and domain name. If I fail to do so, the website would be permanently taken down by the hosting company. So when I pass away, the site also faces digital death, and my so-called “digital legacy” could be gone for good. 😢

LASTLIGHTS.NET is my passion project, focusing on long exposure photography at blue hour. It’ll be around for as long as I am. 😅

This reflection isn’t meant to be gloomy, but it does highlight an under-discussed reality we rarely consider when sharing photos online. As much as I treasure my own photography website, I’m still waiting for a social media platform built by photographers, for photographers — one that truly understands what we value.

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About the Author: LASTLIGHTS.NET is a passion project of Joey J, a Singapore-based Japanese photographer primarily shooting cityscape photography with long exposure at blue hour. Visit his Photo Gallery (40 most favourite photos taken) or download his free eBook, Getting Started with Long Exposure Photography .