Online Photo Storage

[amandaw]

I am trying to figure out which of these online storage services is best. I don't mind paying for an account. So, tell me which site you use and why you like it. Thanks for your help!

 

[amandaw]

Bumping with the hopes that someone can give some advice....thanks

 

[photo_chick]

I like Smugmug.

 

[disneyboy2003]

I would look into Flickr, Smugmug, and Zenfolio. I'm sure there are others that are good, as well.

Flickr is pretty much everywhere. Many, many photographers use Flickr, and many people know about Flickr. So you'll get a lot of exposure by posting your photos on Flickr. You can get a "pro" account for just $25 a year.

I, personally, use Smugmug. It seems weird, but I feel that my photos just "look" better. Part of it might be the black background. I'm a sucker for photos on a black background. They just look more, I dunno, classy and professional. I also like the way that my photos can be organized in Smugmug. You create different galleries for different photos...probably similar to what you're already doing on a computer, using folders to organize your files.

I see a lot of photographers using Smugmug, too. Their screens are highly customizable, too, so you can make it look like your own personal Web site / portfolio, without a bunch of Smugmug logos around it.

With Flickr, I'm still getting used to having a one, long, continuous "Photostream". I know that you can organize the photos into different galleries, too, but the Photostream kinda throws me off. If I used it more often, I'd probably be more used to it.

Zenfolio is a close competitor to Smugmug, and I believe their prices are a little lower than Smugmug's. I haven't looked into Zenfolio in a long time, so I'm least familiar with them.

 

[Bstanley]

Another Smugmug user.

I just find them easiest to work with, very easy uploading, linking to show the pictures (different sizes), organizing, etc.

 

[amandaw]

Thank you all for the input! Disneyboy2003 - thank you for all that information. That really helped me a lot! I had looked at Flikr, but wasn't too keen on what I saw on their site. And I did like how Smugmug looks but was worried about how user-friendly it would be. I think, after reading your info, my worries have been laid aside. I think I'm going to try Smugmug!

 

[klmall]

Ditto for SmugMug for over a year and I really like how I can customize different galleries but what sold me was the ability to easily control the privacy level of a gallery. This was something that Flickr did not have. SmugMug also makes it pretty simple to add different options such as a slide show at the top of your home page and feature a different gallery as desired.

 

[amandaw]

Ditto for SmugMug for over a year and I really like how I can customize different galleries but what sold me was the ability to easily control the privacy level of a gallery. This was something that Flickr did not have. SmugMug also makes it pretty simple to add different options such as a slide show at the top of your home page and feature a different gallery as desired.

I like the sound of that! Just so I understand - Smugmug will allow me to say who can & can't view my pics online? Also, is it easy to post your pictures from Smugmug onto forums such as this? Thanks!

 

[coloneldebugger]

another smugmugger here.

very easy to use. there's even an add on to picasa (the photo organizer software, not the website) to upload yours photo directly from there.

 

[FargoBear]

Another vote for Smugmug. I also upload from Picasa directly to Smugmug. Works well. No complaints.

 

[WDWAurora]

Wow, are we the only phanfare users? We *love* phanfare. It has gone up to $100 a year, which is a little nuts, but we can store all of our pics and videos there, full size. We can set up albums with passwords, and DH can go in and edit the look of the album, set them to music, etc. (although we use a basic black background for nearly everything). I'm sure other services are similar, but we've been quite happy. I like how easy it is to share the albums, and to access from work if I need a new desktop background.

Anyway, LOVE phanfare.

 

[klmall]

I like the sound of that! Just so I understand - Smugmug will allow me to say who can & can't view my pics online? Also, is it easy to post your pictures from Smugmug onto forums such as this? Thanks!

Yes, you control by each gallery who can see a gallery (by password) and if it can be found by searching on Google. You can also hide individual pictures but I haven't gotten into that yet.

And yes, it's pretty easy to post to DIS from SmugMug.

 

[amandaw]

Yes, you control by each gallery who can see a gallery (by password) and if it can be found by searching on Google. You can also hide individual pictures but I haven't gotten into that yet.

And yes, it's pretty easy to post to DIS from SmugMug.

Thank you so much! I've actually been on SmugMug tonight reading up on it. I was almost sold on it but wasn't sure if I would be able to post pics from there to here on DIS. But, then I got your response! Now that you've put my worry about posting here to rest, I think I'm ready to sign up for my SmugMug account! Thanks again for your help!

 

[klmall]

Thank you so much! I've actually been on SmugMug tonight reading up on it. I was almost sold on it but wasn't sure if I would be able to post pics from there to here on DIS. But, then I got your response! Now that you've put my worry about posting here to rest, I think I'm ready to sign up for my SmugMug account! Thanks again for your help!

You're welcome!

Enjoy your trip!!!