Whether for business or personal reasons, most people, at one time or another will want or have a need to share photographs with others through the Internet. There are many ways to accomplish this, such as email, social networking sites, and personal web pages to name a few. There are also specialized services designed to enhance the experience with specific features and benefits for their users including such things as slide-shows, thumbnails, or adding special effects. Some photo sharing services take place dynamically in real time (recipients see photos the instant you share them), others require photos to be uploaded to a web site where users can then browse them at their leisure.

Photo sharing originated in the mid 1990s by companies providing printing and photo finishing services. By the early 2000s, other resources appeared focusing on providing permanent, centralized access through hosting photos on the World Wide Web. Over time these services increased in numbers and expanded greatly, giving users many options and more features such as organizational tools and editing abilities comparable to desktop photo-management applications.

Eventually photo sharing spread beyond the web and expanded to mobile devices, instant messenger applications and peer to peer networks. Many desktop photo editing and management applications began including convenient ways to share pictures with other users as well. Today the options are virtually without limits, indeed it may be difficult to find Internet services which don't offer the ability to share digital photographs with other users in some way. Most cell phones and even many cameras are equipped with wireless networking and/or the ability to access Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) to share photos with others instantly.

Most photo sharing services can be divided into one of two groups: those that offer services for free, and those that charge customers directly. Free services typically make use of advertisements to cover the costs associated with their business, others will charge for prints or merchandise while their free photo sharing services are offered in order to attract more customers.

Though very useful and enjoyable, photo sharing can have some security considerations depending on the type of photo. Theft and photo fraud has become a serious issue, so users are advised to consider any risks carefully before sharing their photos. One way to help prevent others from stealing or using one's photos fraudulently is to make use of watermarks. A watermark is usually a bit of text superimposed onto the image as an identifier of ownership. These can be opaque, but are usually translucent so as to cause only minimal obscurity of the original image.

Photo sharing has become a standard part of the way we communicate, and is becoming more so as time goes on. Everyone should be aware of the many possibilities available, and choose the method most appropriate for their individual needs.