Technology Explained, Practice
Daniela Bowker
Resolution and pixels and image quality! Oh my! ...

When you hear the term 'high-res' thrown about with such abandon when it comes to images for web use, have you ever stopped to think just how big or how high quality and image meant for the web needs to be?

Resolution and pixels and image quality! Oh my! Saving images for the web
Feature Articles, Photography Theory
Haje Jan Kamps
Low-contrast photographs don't have to be boring

There's an assumption that high-contrast images are more dynamic, more compelling, more inviting. Have a go at some low-contrast photography. You might surprise yourself with the results.

Low-contrast photographs don't have to be boring
Feature Articles, Theory
Daniela Bowker
Seeking balance in your photos

Balance doesn't mean symmetry; it means an internal consistency and tension within your photos. And it's a vital element of composition. 

Seeking balance in your photos
Feature Articles, Photography Theory
Haje Jan Kamps
Training your photographic luck

Great photos might be down to a little bit of luck, but most of that 'luck' you make yourself. Don't believe us? Read on...

Training your photographic luck
Feature Articles, Practice
Daniela Bowker
The ups and downs and ins and outs of ...

Photographing buildings doesn't have to mean wide-angle lenses and fretting about correcting for the keystone effect. Any lens, and angle. Don't believe us? Let us show you!

The ups and downs and ins and outs of photographing buildings

quantum physics

DropMocks: Photo-sharing in its simplest form

Minimalist photo-sharing. Room enough in an already crowdedmarket?

I just came across a new photo-sharing site, and it’s so easy to use it makes navigating Facebook feel like learning quantum physics. There are no titles, no captions, no text at all. Just images. And it’s free. So, what’s this addition to the plethora of photo-sharing sites already out there?

It’s called DropMocks and it’s just as it sounds. You drag and drop your images from your computer right into the browser’s window to create a minimalistic photo gallery. You don’t even need to create an account, unless you want to keep track of your “mocks.” And if you do want to create one, it’s as simple as logging in with your Gmail address. Once you’re done dropping in your photos, you’ll be given a URL to copy and share with your friends.

The site’s uploader currently supports only Firefox and Google Chrome browsers. However, your gallery can be viewed by friends using any browser at all. And since it was created using HTML5, DropMocks is completely mobile friendly.

“Bleh, just another photo-sharing site,” you say? Not so quickly, my friend. What makes DropMocks different from all the others is its simple minimalistic structure. It literally took me 30 seconds to make my own gallery of 15 photos. Yes, you’re not able to add a description of the picture or view stats about how many times it was seen. But that’s not the point here.

Minimalist photo-sharing. Room enough in an already crowdedmarket?

You’ve all heard the phrase, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ Well that’s what DropMocks is going for. Your images should speak for themselves, and nothing looks better than a crisp clean photo on a plain white background.

If you want to title every single picture and describe where and how you shot it, then Flickr or Smugmug or even Facebook is for you. But if you just got home from a trip to Greece and you want to show off your photos in a beautiful art-gallery style, what better way than to spend five short minutes uploading your pics and posting a link or emailing it to your friends and family?

However, keep in mind that this is not a replacement, nor should it be, for photo-sharing giants like Flickr. And while its minimalistic structure is its main appeal to photographers such as myself, I’m interested to see if DropMocks’ features will increase along with its popularity. Too many features and it becomes lost amongst all the other photo-sharing sites.

In the meantime, feel free to take a peek at my sample DropMocks gallery, or make your own and post the link in the comments section below so we can see yours.