[Strang]

Three reasons.

1) They aren't my photos, they are my family's photos. My wife has her own user account and needs just as much access as I do. I'm sure there is some sort of "sharing" solution, but then you lose the convenience of having one location for "My Pictures", so what's the point?

2) C:\photos is a lot easier to type than C:\Users\xxx\Pictures. I much prefer typing to mouse navigation.

3) Windows will actually admit that C:\photos is a directory on a hard drive. If I navigate to "My Pictures", I get some pseudo-directory called Libraries > My Pictures.

Also, are you really so limited that you think there is only One Way to organize files on a hard drive, to the point that you feel the need to mock a stranger for choosing a different location on his hard drive for photos? I expect that snark on anonymous internet forums, but having it embedded in the operating system is another matter.