Photo Sharing Revisited

[Rocket_Scientist]

Well, digital photography has opened the floodgate of requests from relatives for copies of our vacation shots, so I am now considering using a photo sharing website, but I know nothing about them. Can anyone help?

I perceive PhotographyReview is geared more toward commenting and reviewing photos--hence the name--rather than simply sharing. What I am looking for is a place I can upload many, many photos, and send links to selected pictures, or sets of pictures, to multiple EMail addresses. I have Emailed a link to my gallery, but I do not know if you can create smaller groups of photos, and send links only to them.

It does not have to be free, but it cannot be exorbitently priced. I do not intend to make money from any pictures. I would like a site that provides prints, as well as other items from your pictures; but I do not want a place that requires such purchases.

And I do not intend for it to be a replacement for PhotographyReview. Any suggestions? Recommendations? What I should I look for? What should I look out for?

[drg]

You can use keywords to create 'groups' or 'sub-galleries' in your main PR gallery and search for that 'set' of photographs and use the resultant URL as a link just to that 'group'. Look in my blog if you want and look at the links to the left. They are created that way.

There is a view for print function in the gallery that will just display a photo in the web browser without anything else and one can then just select print.

Some peopel want to use a more 'private' or restricted function and not post all of their photos in a public gallery, so that might be a consideration.

Many local or smaller ISP's provide a certain amount of server space for personal web pages or the like. Those can be accessed usually through a convoluted (i.e. not easily searched for URL) and you can store photos there at least until you run out of space.

Photobucket is fairly popular and it can be made 'private'. Sony has the Imagestation.

One consideration is for family and friends prints is to use one of the large nationwide companies like Walgreens to have the prints printed out local to you friends/family. They can just go pick them up at the store of their choice and pay for them! No mail shipping or whatever, and you can actually talk to the person who printed them.

There are some services like Mpix.com that provide very high quality and quick shipping.

Hope some of this helps!!??

[KenB]

Why not Flickr? $25/year gets you unlimited storage and downloads with up to 2Gb/month of uploads. You can restrict access if you'd like and the site offers prints and other services.

[Rocket_Scientist]

You can use keywords to create 'groups' or 'sub-galleries' in your main PR gallery and search for that 'set' of photographs and use the resultant URL as a link just to that 'group'.

One reason I am considering another site, is that I will be uploading photos that were taken by others, especially my wife, since she is somewhat computer-shy.

[Medley]

I personally use two different sources. For anything to be posted in e-mail, BBS's, or websites, I use http://s42.photobucket.com/. Getting an account is free, but you can upgrade if you'd like. For the free service, you can upload photos with a maximum file size of 1mb, maximum dimensions 1024x768 (more than large enough for on-screen sharing). The pro upgrade costs $25.00 per year, and allows 2mb uploads and pixel dimensions that are roughly double the free account size. Uploading a photo gives it three links, and sharing is as easy as clicking on a link, then pasting it into an e-mail, post, etc.

This is the service I use for most of my forums, including this one. Nothing against the User Gallery here, it just makes more sense to me to have one gallery that I can access for ALL my work.


However, for prints I still use Costco. I can upload photos to Costco.com, and designate any warehouse in the U.S. as the pick-up site. Alternatively, I can have them mailed to any address. Prices are very reasonable- .17 for a 4x6, .39 for 5x7's, and $1.49 for 8x10's. They also offer the normal collection of mugs, mouse pads, etc. I can download printer profiles for color management, and Costco offers the "professional" services of backprinting and auto correction.

- Joe U.

[Rocket_Scientist]

After hours of exhaustive and dilligent research, I finally settled on a site. Still under construction, but I invite your (casual) attention to...

http://rsvp.smugmug.com

[Greg McCary]

You might try www.zenfolio.com I am there and I am very happy with it........