It’s always nice when a new startup comes along with pockets lined by venture capitalists. We wish our pockets were lined by venture capitalists, but they’re not. But it’s nice to see that venture capitalists help fund some new startups that are worthwhile. In this case, it’s 500px, a gallery of beautiful photographs you can enjoy – but not download. What good is it you say? Sometimes it’s just fun to look at beautiful photos even if you can’t save them. And those of you who are really good with computers already know that there is no such thing as a photograph which appears on the Web that you cannot save. We’re not going to go there, but let’s just say where there is a will there is a way.
Anyway, if you enjoy fantastic photography you’ll really enjoy 500px – which is pronounced five-hundred pixels — really. I spent over 2 hours on this site looking at dozens of beautiful photographs. And if you’re looking to improve your photography skills, you’ll find that nearly every photograph has the type of camera, the aperture settings, shutter speed settings, and type of lens used to take the photograph. One of the best ways to learn photography is by imitation – and this site contains the information you need to create some of the dazzling photographic effects displayed.
But before you zoom in, and take a look, let’s zoom out for a moment and let the venture-capitalized developers of 500px tell you a little bit more about their venture:
“500px is a photographic community powered by creative people from all over the world that lets you share and discover inspiring photographs.
The mission
Being an artist has never been easy, especially in today’s fast paced, digital age. Photographers can’t be just artists anymore, they have to be managers, accountants, marketing teams, assistants, web developers, and their own ‘mean, lean, shutter-clicking machines”. Too many things to handle? We sure think so! We started the company to help photographers get greater exposure, reduce some of the marketing headaches, and to let creatives concentrate on what they do best. We love seeing amazing work and equally love promoting it! A sense of inspired community is also important to us. We believe that the way forward is through presenting, discussing, supporting, and socializing with like-minded people…”
To read more or to view some really great photography, take a look at www.500px.com – and revel in the talent of these photographers.
Hint: You’ll find links to look at the photo gallery at the very bottom of the page. You don’t have to register or give up your first-born to look at the photos here. Click on any small image to see a larger view.
A black and white photo from 500px.com.