We met in Brooklyn in 2019, after Dean pitched himself at a Creative Mornings event. Syd's best friend was in the audience and thought they might hit it off.

At that time, Dean was head of technology for StoryCorps, a non-profit organization that recorded and preserved conversations at the Library of Congress and popular NPR broadcast. Syd, with her strong background in architecture, was leading a product team in spatial visualization, at a company called Floored, which was later acquired by a major real estate company.

One epic date led to moving in together in Brooklyn, which led to moving across the country to San Diego, which then led to settling down for a while in Jax Beach, FL. We got engaged on our 5th anniversary and married a little over a year later.

What we didn't expect was how big of a project a wedding could be, even for two people who consider themselves minimalists!

As two Product Managers getting married, we thought a lot about the experience our family and guests would have throughout the event. We wanted guests to share photos in a way that was simple and easy, without the need for accounts, profiles, or downloading apps. We knew that the more friction our guests had to deal with, the less likely they were to share photos.

None of the available options seemed suitable. Some were prohibitively expensive. Some just seemed like they were trying to sell us coffee mugs with our faces on them. Some had hidden fees. Most of the options required our guests to download an app or create an account in order to share photos.

We quickly realized that if we wanted something simple and easy, we would have to build it ourselves.

We built Photobop because we missed the way photo sharing used to feel. Before algorithms and AI, before public profiles, and before "likes" dictated what was worth keeping.

Our requirements were simple:

• No accounts or signups for our guests
• No apps to download
• Both of us could manage it
• Galleries to share photos after the event
• No wedding upcharges or upsells

We just wanted our guests to scan a QR code and upload their photos to a mobile web page, with an easy way to share them with everyone after the big day.

Photography should be about the moments, not the metrics. Whether it’s a wedding where every guest has a different perspective of the same kiss, or a family vacation where photos usually end up buried in a group chat, we wanted a place where every memory has a home.

Each folder is a capsule of a specific event, created by your friends, family or community. Each gallery is a place to selectively share photos with them, too.

Thank you for being part of our journey to make the internet a little more human, one photo at a time. Photbop is brand new, and we'd love to hear your feedback. Please let us know what you think at hello@photobop.com.