Profile Media viewing issue.

Something I think is an over-site on the way Profile media is displayed, 

At the moment, on profile page you get a profiles 'albums' block. Displays thumbnails of all the users photo (or other media)  albums.

If you click on an album, you leave the profile page and are taken into the photos module...

Same if you click on the profile photo - you leave the profile page.

Should be that on a profile page, there is a block to display the album contents of the profile album... just the photos. (masonry style would be ideal)

Then when you click on one, you get to view it on the profile page without being re-directed to the photo module...

Just seems to be no natural 'flow' in using the site with the default setup.

Searching for a market fix, nothing found so far.

The photos module never was implemented in a sensible way.  Back in the old days, Dolphin didn't even have the capability where users could create albums, and organize photos. There were no privacy settings.  There were only profile photos, and everybody could see them.  Boonex called this "Shared Photos".  The shared photo concept is something they never could get out of their heads.  They just couldn't resist creating a photo album module that would gather all the sites photos to display in one place... ie, the main photos page.

You are correct, and I am in complete agreement, photo albums belong to members, and photo albums should be associated with the members profile.  Those photos have no business appearing anywhere else.  There shouldn't even be a main photos page.... it's that old shared photos concept that Boonex never could get out of their heads.  They have always seemed to believe that all site photos should be seen by all site members. I have always hated that concept. Back when D7 was in the alpha stages, I argued intensely against shared photos... so did a handful of other members.  After all the arguing, we still ended up with remnants of the shared photos system of old.

At this point, it would be a major code overhaul to change it, so I don't know if there is much hope.  Maybe a photos album for DU will arise that finally rids us of the old shared photos concept. Keep your fingers crossed.

Had it been me running the show, every module that uses photos would have its own photo system.  They can all share a single uploader class.  Profile photos would be stored in their own folder structure, separately from others.

Example folder structure:

media
    photos
        profile_photos
             1 (user ID numbers)
             2
             3

        group_photos
            1 (group ID)
            2
            3

        event_photos
            1 (event ID)
            2
            3

        ads_photos
            1 (ad ID)
            2
            3

        wall_photos
            1 (user ID)
            2
            3

        vendorName_module_photos
            1 (folder structure for third party modules)
            2
            3

It may not be as efficient as dumping all the photos on one pile, but it's a lot more logical and easier to understand.  Each sub folder under media-->photos would belong to an individual module, and it would be the responsibility of that individual module to manage its photos however it sees fit.... no some one-size-fits-all photos module.  Inter-module dependencies are eliminated.  It also opens the door for innovation, as the individual modules are not dependent on the one size fits all photos module.  Vendors would be able to create different profile photos systems without being restricted to the use of the build in photos module... same goes for all the other modules that use photos.  One could argue that the present system is simpler... sometimes simpler is better, but not always. Sometimes flexibility is better.

I dont really mind the thing of having a 'photos module' where all album are viewable in one place, only - as an option and not the only way. I tend to remove access to the photos module on my sites, not really found it to be a user friendly place!

Really though, Profile photos are my issue, if we're going to have a 'profile photos' album, then surely those photos should be viewable (even as an option..) on the users profile page! - Not a link to the album within the photo module (which breaks the flow of the site by leaving profile page and going to another module) but as a page block displaying the contents of the profile album photos...

There are modules that enable a sort of 'lightbox' view on Dolphin photos across the board, this should be the way photos are viewed on profile page - and only the photos from the profile album!

 Common sense really surely?..

Looks like it will have to be another custom modification!

Surprised this thread is not getting more comments, is this not something others think should be changed? 

Profile photo album that takes you away from profile page makes no sense at all!

 RE:

 It may never change or make sense in Dolphin Pro.  There are so many inter-module dependencies regarding photos, it would be pure hell giving the photo system an overhaul. The logic with which the photo system in Dolphin Pro is implemented, is seriously flawed.  ALL photos uploaded by a member should remain part of their profile and not some general purpose photo module.  When I say ALL photos, that excludes photos a member has added to events, groups. ads, etc... those are all "things" that stand alone, and their photos should remain with them.... not available via the all purpose photo module.  A Dolphin website is a collection of 'things', and each 'thing' should manage its own photos.  A 'thing' being one of the following: person. group, event, ad, recipe, or any one of the two hundred derivatives of the groups module.

I am not using the profile photos in the way it was intended.

I have (or will) remove the links to the photo albums [m/photos/albums] etc, so that only the photos in the modules are displayed in a gallery. The photo uploader will be added to the profile edit form, where the member can upload/ change their profile photo but there will be no album per se.

My site is a social-commerce site, not a dating site, so this works for me.