I find the user experience rather unsatisfactory - the way that the main content often stays the same although the top banner changes when you click the links is mildly disconcerting, and the mixture of unrelated topics is somewhat puzzling. I don't have a clear picture of what the site is about or what you want it to do for you. But as a web developer, I am probably far more concerned about such arcana than the average bear, or your intended audience.
The cryptic labels are a no-no: the fact you had to explain in your post how to get to the galleries is a clue there! The navigation should support rather than obscure the content IMO - though you may well have a different aim here than straight usability of course. (Have a look on the web for 'mystery meat navigation'!)
The way the galleries work needs a bit of tweaking: as soon as you select an image from the left pane, it scrolls right up to the top one again. And if you flip back into the galleries after looking at another page, you can't get back to the top level if you jumped out from a sub-level.
There is a mightily impressive number of controls - but that showcases your programming skills more than the images: to repeat myself, the controls should ideally (IMO only of course) be an almost invisible aid to navigation, rather than the dominant element of the page. There are lots of elegant and unobtrusive CSS-based lightbox and gallery applications on the web - not as satisfying to you as rolling your own of course, but IMO a better way to focus attention on the images.
Appearance: I personally don't like the blue, pink and brown theme - but that is entirely your decision.
Under the hood: you use framesets - aaaaaaargh And you really need a more comprehensive (and consistent) set of fonts in your style declarations - may I recommend the
font stack selector at codestyle.org if you need help in choosing a reliable set for all platforms, rather than just Macs.
I'm sorry to come up with such a long string of observations - but my overall impression is of a very cleverly programmed personal project rather than a photo web site. But like I said, I am probably a few hundred miles away from your intended audience - I'll get back into my dark cupboard now