One suggestion is to make an entry in the home page's "Recent Discussions" list, even for new photos. However, I like it the way it is, with the photos in the "new" section just below, and only when a comment is posted does it appear in the "Recent Discussions" list.

I would suggest a permanent log or index page somewhere that lists the photos by date of last post/comment. When I was gone two weeks in December, I didn't know which pictures had been added or discussed. I had to go through each album which took me over a month.