Last month was rough for Instagram. After the popular mobile photo-sharing app updated its terms of service, it almost immediately faced an angry backlash from users. Apparently, Instagrammers don't like being told their photos might or might not be placed in ads.
This led to lots of talk of Instagram alternatives. Some sites can only offer a similar experience, but you do have choices. Here are just a few.
Flickr: Everyone knows Flickr by Yahoo. It's still popular, and Flickr's newly overhauled and beautiful mobile app is worth a look. Instagram drama aside, it's recommended to have a presence on Flickr anyway. Bonus: If you name your photos something useful -- not 0001.jpg -- the search engine optimization benefits are amazing.
Snapseed: Recently purchased by Google, Snapseed is a favorite iPhone app for cropping and adding effects -- not the same as filters -- to photos. It's easy to use, fast and reliable. And don't worry Android users, there's a version for you too.
Twitter: Yes, Twitter. The recent update adding photo filters makes it a viable alternative to Instagram.
500px: This beautiful photo-sharing site is a favorite, and while it's mobile-friendly, you can't upload photos from the mobile app. 500px is for your best work, and chances are that's not on your phone. But once you upload from your desktop or laptop, the browsing experience on a mobile device is top notch.
That's just a taste. There are many others, including Camera+ and Hipstamatic. Oh, and Camera Awesome is pretty awesome. For better or worse, there's no shortage of photography apps. It's just a matter of what works best for you and your workflow.