Photo Hosting Sites

[tiggr33]

I know, I know, probably discussed previously. So please forgive my asking. What Photo Hosting sites does everyone use? It's about time I move off of PhotoBucket and was thinking of Smug Mug. But I really don't know a lot about the other sites out there. So who do you use, what do they charge, and why do you like them?

 

[SrisonS]

I'm a big fan of Flickr. You can host up to 200 pics for Free; and an unlimited amount for $24.95 a year. And I love the community atmosphere with loads of Groups.

 

[JoeDif]

I'm using Smugmug. There are 3 levels to choose from but I use the mid level (power level) which runs $60 for the year. This level gives you lots of flexibility of how you arrange your site and share photos. If you are looking for an option to sell photos you can opt for the pro level

 

[C&B Young]

I've got a free Flickr account, and a basic level Smugmug account. I think the site you opt for will depend on what you want your site to do. Flickr has more of a social networking with photos feel to it, which I like for some of my photos (like Disney ones). Smugmug is more of a portfolio type site. Unfortunately I'm in Canada so selling photos through Smugmug isn't really a viable option, but it offers more customization than the free version of Flickr (especially when you purchase the "Pro" level). I'd sign up for the free Flickr first and see how you like the setup. There are also Smugmug 50% off codes floating around, I used "flickr" when signing up for half off.

 

[PhotographyDR]

I would also have to recommend Flickr. I don't know much about the others but the Flickr group / Disney followers is great. Very helpful and there are a lot of nice Firefox plugins that make it easy to integrate the DIS Boards with Flickr. Also Lightroom (if you use) is also integrated nicely with Flickr.

 

[Suburbanmom]

I have had a premium account at Zenfolio for the last 2 years and am planning to renew when it comes due in February. I have been VERY happy with their service. They have different plan levels and use Mpix.com for printing services. The mpix part is what made me choose them over smugmug.

If you choose to go with them, use my referral code: 1U7-W3H-RSE to save $5.00.

 

[handicap18]

I used flickr for a while, but got out after I read a number of stories about it being to easy to pull images and flickr not doing anything about it (in some cases selling software to companies to make it easier to find photos). They may have changed their policies in the last year or so, but I'm sure its something you can look into more before signing up.

I am now using smugmug and really like. Lots of flexability in how you present your photos. Also I like their options for security and safety. I have a number of galleries now that are password protected and can't be found by searching or by even looking through my galleries. I have the pro account and have actually made some money (not much) using the set your own price option for some little league pics and other organization pics I've taken.

Zenfolio is very similar.

Feel free to use my code for the discount if you go with smugmug: eeWMM89aMx1lc

 

[disneyboy2003]

I really like SmugMug. I was in your position about 2 years ago, and I was researching, struggling, procrastinating, etc. until I finally just bit the bullet and got a SmugMug account. I really really like it.

I like how my photos look on SmugMug. It seems like a weird statement, but I really like how my photos look on a black background. Somehow, on a black background, they look more like photographs. Whenever I look at Flickr's white background, photos look like snapshots, even though there are tons of very stunning photos on Flickr.

There's sooooo much you can customize on SmugMug. You can change the look of your galleries, so if you don't like the black background, you've got tons of background choices available. If you go into the Pro level account, you can add watermarks automatically to all your photos. You can geotag your photos and see them all on a map. You can organize all your photos into folders and subfolders, similar to what you may already be doing to photos on your computer.

What I like about Flickr is that soooo many people have photos on Flickr. I also like how social it is on Flickr, how so many people comment and admire your photos, and how you can participate in so many different photography groups. I'm still a bit confused about the photostream and how folks organize photos on Flickr. However, the Pro level account for Flickr seems like a great deal!

(with SmugMug, folks can comment on your photos & galleries, too, but I think you get tons more comments on Flickr. SmugMug also has its own photography-related message board that is very popular and very active: www.dgrin.com)

Another photo hosting site I had considered was Zenfolio, as was mentioned earlier on this thread. It seems like it's got many similar features as SmugMug, but the prices are lots cheaper for the different accounts.

I know that there are other photo hosting sites out there, but these were the ones I'm most familiar with. Like I said, I really like having my photos hosted on SmugMug. Hope that helps.

 

[SrisonS]

Although I am a fan of the site, I definitely agree that Flickr's white background isn't all that nice. There are firefox plugins to turn it black, but the pages seem to load slower. People also post a link to 'view photo on black'; but sometimes it kinda seems pointless when you're already looking at the pic on white (I'll admit that I'm one of those people I just mentioned... The photos do look amazing against a black background).

The Photostream organization can be pretty confusing at first, but it'll definitely become second nature after a while. I think the strong community atmosphere keeps people on the site; and of course you'll have no choice but to learn how to get around. I remeber when I first signed on Flickr; I eventually figured out how to upload pics, but didn't go back to the site for months, because it seemed a little too much. Now i'm constantly on there.

I know all of that didn't help the argument for Flickr much, but I thought I'd try give a somewhat unbiased opinion of it. If anything, just go on there and lurk around. Try to check out some groups... Look at photostreams of people on the Disboards... and just see if it's for you. Have Fun Deciding!!!!

 

[MICKEY88]

another Zenfolio user here,

I chose zenfolio over smugmug, because they use mpix as their print lab, and I've been using mpix for years and liked being able to stick with a lab that I trust..

 

[tiggr33]

Thanks everyone. I am leaning to smugmug. All the discount codes I found online are expired. Does anyone have an active 50% code for Smugmug? I do not like the look of Flickr. I will try Zenfolio trial as well.

 

[soonish]

I use BlueMelon and Picasa. Both are free as long as 1 GB of space is enough for you and both can be extended - there is a pricelist for Picasa somewhere on the web (It is not too expensive as long as you don't need a lot of photos stored) and at BlueMelon you get unlimited storage for $25 a year.

I use Picasa because I have a google account and because BlueMelon doesn't support video uploading yet and I need it.

And I use BlueMelon because it is reliable and it suits me in everything except the lack of video support.

 

[klmall]

I know, I know, probably discussed previously. So please forgive my asking. What Photo Hosting sites does everyone use? It's about time I move off of PhotoBucket and was thinking of Smug Mug. But I really don't know a lot about the other sites out there. So who do you use, what do they charge, and why do you like them?

I'm on Photobucket also and due to renew in March. I have a Pro account and lots of photos stored there (private protected) now so moving would be a real hassle.

Just curious, why are you moving from Photobucket?

 

[Gdad]

+1 for Flickr- I use both Flickr and Smugmug- but I love Flickr.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I'm a Smugmugger. I have a pro account. I pay for it by hawking my Disney photos to scrapbookers.

The social/community aspect of Flickr seems to make it popular. I don't think it would work well for me because I find people annoying and hate having to read their comments or look at their pictures.

 

[RvUsa]

Zenfolio all the way! Love the integration with Mpix, and they add so many new features all the time. Very easy to deal with. With a little exploration, there are many things that you can do with zenfolio, like integration with lightroom.

 

[GrillMouster]

Flickr has a few things going for it. First, there are so many people using it. It's really a social site. Second, which is partially due to the first, is that there a ton of third-party apps and sites that link to FlickRr(for uploading, sharing, etc.). Third, the fact that there's a free version.

All of that being said, I can't stand Flickr. As far as I'm concerned, a photo hosting site should first and foremost make my images look good. It should also be easy to use and intuitive to navigate. Flickr does none of those things. The white background, the icons, the page layouts...it's all so ugly. It honestly looks like a seven year old designed it in his bedroom. It's not very customizable. I also hate how small the images appear when you go through a set or photostream. I sometimes add white borders to my images, and you can't tell it has a border when it's on flickr, because of the white background. Having to click the tiny "all sizes" button above an image to see it larger, and having that option only on the individual images's page...dumb! Finally, it's just not very user-friendly to navigate. I want my "analog" family members and friends to be able to easily navigate through my images. I think Flickr's terms are that if you use flickr to host small images that you post on another web page (blog, site, forum post), it must hyperlink back to the Flickr page. And besides all that, Flickr is the #1 site for stolen images.

Like the OP, I'm looking for a photo hosting site, and right now I'm leaning towards SmugMug. Still, I'll probably post SOME stuff on Flickr, only because you practically have to in order to take full advantage of some of the great Flickr groups.