Love Photography, then LENSHOOD is for you
where everyone clicks a community for anyone that shoots & appreciates quality photography & is looking to build lasting connections with like-minded individuals. It doesn’t matter if you’re a pro, an enthusiast or casual shooter & want to learn more, everyone is welcome & we’re confident you will find your community & comfort level here. We are a mix of pro’s, enthusiasts & relative newbies ourselves, so we understand those needs intrinsically
How is LENSHOOD different from other platforms?
LENSHOOD is divided into two main sections: LENS covers anything to do with photography (tutorials, reviews, forums, features, marketplace, events etc), HOOD is where you unearth incredible photography & bond with others in the HOODS you join. Not to mention, you have total control over your *timeline / feed & search like nowhere else (see below)
*we call your timeline “roll”
What’s a HOOD?
Think of a HOOD as a neighbourhood within a larger community, where you interact with members in that HOOD, share posts, collections, engage in discussion forums, photo walks & meet ups. We have created 100’s of HOODS covering a vast array of genres, subjects & activities, you can join as many or as few HOODS as you wish, we are confident you will find a HOOD filled with others of your wavelength… if not, well you’re free to create you own for others to join you!
OK, so tell me more about this timeline & search (we call it “roll”)
This is where LENSHOOD really gives you control, there’s no sneaky algorithms trapping you in an echo chamber, endless streams of adverts disguised as influencer videos (in fact there’s not a single video on LENSHOOD, photos only). You choose how expansive or how narrow your roll is, you can create & save as many “smart rolls” as you want to switch between
You can combine HOODS & members into a smart roll… Want to view “B&W / Street / NY” or “Film / Transparency / Portrait”, simply select those criteria, give your smart roll a name & save. Or you can choose to view your favourites, those you follow, your followers, even hide HOODS you’re not interested in. You can use your smart rolls to assign which HOODS your photos will appear within when you upload them, saving you time
Want to view photos taken close by, or visiting somewhere new & looking for inspiration for the best shots? open the map, drop a pin, et voila, it displays all the photos taken in that area by other members
We’ve made it really simple & once you start using a roll (timeline) this way, you’ll never want to use anything else
What makes LENSHOOD so great?
Without doubt our members… a great neighbourhood isn’t built upon bricks & mortar, it’s built around those who live there, so we’ve concentrated our efforts on building a system to attract great members, we think you’ll love it & make it your new permanent home for your photography
We also believe what makes us different is our approach, our ethos, our values & how we give you control. We are always open to feed back & suggestions, getting in touch with us is a click away plus we all use LENSHOOD ourselves
Why should I join?
For a start you’ll join a mass of fantastic members that are passionate about photography, with whom you’ll likely while away endless hours discussing every aspect of photography & before long, you will have amassed more camera gear & lenses than you ever thought possible, you’ll likely have given up your boring desk job to become a world renowned Photographer & Leica Brand Ambassador, National Geographic & Annie Leibowitz have you on speed dial, & on those rare occasions when you’re not travelling the globe on assignments you’re stepping onto red carpets rubbing shoulders with the movers & shakers of the world, & life has all become a bit of a blur… can’t say we didn’t warn you
Plus it’s free to join, so there is that too
I’m fed up being treated like the product & having my every click sold to the highest bidder, can you help with that?
What a fantastic question… as it happens, yes we can, as we don’t do that and NEVER WILL. We collect the bare minimum we need about our members to operate LENSHOOD, you decide what data you share with us & are always in control of that (see our privacy value)
What’s the catch, is it really free?
There will ALWAYS be a free tier with plenty of features that cater for a large portion of members (plus we won’t be selling your soul to advertisers either!). We do have to keep the lights on somehow & pay for our beer all these servers, so there’s also two subscription models, one caters for those that wish to utilise the advanced features of LENSHOOD while the other is aimed at Professionals & their needs. We’ve kept our minimum subscription costs very keenly priced & offer a lot in return. If you’d like to send some extra funds our way we promise not to spend it all on beer
Looks good enough to lick, is it as good as it looks?
Our team have created 100’s of apps & UI’s over the years, including screens for numerous Hollywood blockbusters, so we know a thing or two about pushing pixels around & delighting users… we agonise over every pixel, every button, every interaction so it’s exactly where it should be & works accordingly… nothing is more than 3 clicks away plus it’s all within easy reach of your thumb (or use someone else’s thumb if you prefer!)
Who’s behind LENSHOOD?
We’re a small team based in the UK, creatives, developers. directors, all from a creative industry / live events background. LENSHOOD is self-funded by us, there’s no Vulture Capitalists prodding us with sticks to make a return on their investments (just our partners & kids!), it’s all our own time & money… although our pockets are only so deep, so bear with us at times, we believe we’re building something that’s truly amazing & enough people will feel the same & want to make LENSHOOD flourish & grow
OK you’ve convinced me, where do I sign up?
We’re currently in beta development… we will have a staged rollout to squash any final bugs before a full public release. If you’d like to join the beta programme or sign up to be an early bird & join the staged roll out please use the form below, either way we’d love to hear from you
