It's not often I plug websites around here. As my blog does gear towards not just travel but also photography, I'm sure most of my readers have a plethora of photo galleries on the web. Between Flickr, Facebook, personal websites, deviantArt, etc. it's pretty easy to get lost in the shuffle.
I came across one site recently that does intrigue me, though: 500px. It's certainly a newer website that doesn't have a gigantic user base yet. Which, frankly, is pretty nice. What caught my attention though is not just the layout and design, but the social aspect of it. The site encourages quality over quantity pretty clearly. To do so, it not only limits the number of photos you can post per week but also implements a rating system for each photo. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but by using a very simple "Like" or "Dislike" button, you can vote for a picture. Each picture is then assigned a percentage based on some formula of Views vs. Likes vs Dislikes. You also can't just go through and Dislike a hundred photos, either, as it will eventually require the user to enter a 140-character critique of why they disliked a photo (Likes do not have a set limit). Combine with a simple StumpleUpon toolbar, and you find yourself sifting through galleries pretty fast. You also get an "Affection" rating as a photographer based on the number of Likes/Dislikes between all your photos.
I definitely like it and will probably be using it as a filter of my better work as opposed to my Flickr account. There are also a ton of great photos on there, since there is a level of quality control I haven't seen on other sites. It's not perfect, though. The user base so far seems largely Eastern European, which in itself isn't bad but can present a language barrier on comments/descriptions until it gains more users. Also, the majority of photos seem to be largely placed in three realms: landscapes, birds, and nudes (which you can filter off). Seriously, there are lots and lots of owls and eagles on this site. More than are necessary even.
That said, give it a look. It's a nice change of pace and it's good to see an online gallery that isn't filled with self-shooters and HDR every other shot.
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