Starting out: Flickr? Picasa? PBase? Other?

[P_R]

Hi,

I'm in a similar position to the OP so I read with interest the responses.

One question I have about the various sites is in regard to copyright?  I presume all is spelled out in the terms and conditions once one signs up, but are there pitfalls and/or small print (or is that font?) to watch out for?

cheers,

P_R
(also, my first post!  Long time reader though...)

[RC]

Lightroom and most other software supports both Smugmug and Flickr for easy uploading.  If your using software, I'd suggest checking to see what it supports.  This isn't essential, just makes things easier.

I too think supporting software is a valid thing to consider when choosing a service.

Here is web resource (which I used) comparing the 3 popular sites.
http://web.appstorm.net/reviews/images/flickr-picasa-and-smugmug-shootout/

Smugmug to me was the most impressive service.  However I recently chose flickr since Smugmug is more that I need at this time.  I do see myself upgrading to Smugmug in time.

[xROELOFx]

as a webdeveloper this is an easy thing for me. i've made my own website and system to manage/update it, and have free hosting at the company i currently work for. i do have a flickr account though, wich is empty

[Harley]

Thanks everyone!  This is great info prior to diving in.  I have Lightroom, so that will play a factor.  I appreciate the help.  More +1's for y'all...

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Hi,

I'm in a similar position to the OP so I read with interest the responses.

One question I have about the various sites is in regard to copyright?  I presume all is spelled out in the terms and conditions once one signs up, but are there pitfalls and/or small print (or is that font?) to watch out for?

cheers,

P_R
(also, my first post!  Long time reader though...)

Unfortunately, if you publish images with no watermark, they can and will be grabbed, copywrite statement or not.

Then, its up to you to find them and try to get them removed, or get compensation.  I don't have any work that I value, if someone copies it, its not a big deal, but I understand that others may have valuable work.

[cheeseheadsaint]

On using these type of sites as a backup..  and to add to my previous reply, I was really happy that I saved a file on dA. On Flickr, apparently you can't download the original pic without upgrading to a pro account. But on dA i was able to recover the photo, after accidentally wiping it off my hard drive before backing it up on an external drive.

I use flickr and skydrive for photos I only want certain people to see thanks to the "guest pass" or private links. I tried picasa but the fact that it's sending private links that don't work after taking several hours of uploading photos, kinda ticked me off.

dA for image backup(I use dA's automatic obnoxious watermark feature so i can have my photos protected but still able to download the original file without such a copyright) and for photo critique, tutorials, group chats. heh heh
 
For me, the site/service being free was my number one priority.  Each site has its features and while paying for a premium/pro account may save time with all the features available on a single account, if you rather not pay, like me, make accounts on several of these sites and use them when you need to.

[ampersand]

i just discovered 500px.com
it's a great place to browse and share your work, i find it much better than flickr which i also have an account with.

[willrobb]

if you have your mind on a professional looking site where people will find you and you can choose to make sales, there are a couple of options, both are paid services but if you are out to make money you usually have to spend money:

1. Photo shelter. I don't know the costs, I have in my mind a figure of about 450 dollars a year. You can upload a lot, tag the photos to increase SEO (search engine optimisation) and set your price for different size photos. I know. few photojournalists who use this well and make a lot of money from their sales, they all say the tagging is essential, just sticking pics up with non specific tags such as "dog in park" leads to nil sales, whereas "man walking Labrador retriever in Central Park" will.

2. Foliolink  (I use this) is great to showcase your work and make portfolios with. A lot of wedding/portrait/editorial photographers use this to send links of their work to clients, youcan create portfolios aimed at sales, there are upload spaces for sending batches to clients but I don't like this feature as it isn't user friendly. Prices range between maybe 200- 600 dollars a year plus a start up fee, but if you have a good body of work it pays for itself with one job usually. Also, they do have pretty good SEO functions and it's simple to use, easy to change background colours etc, but it ain't cheap which is the drawback. You can see what mines looks like here and at the bottom of the page if you click the foliolink icon it'll take you somewhere to show other layouts people use:

http://www.willrobb.com

Good luck

Will

[dr croubie]

One question I have about the various sites is in regard to copyright?  I presume all is spelled out in the terms and conditions once one signs up, but are there pitfalls and/or small print (or is that font?) to watch out for?

For copyright reasons, you should be fine with any of the major suppliers. You retain ownership of all your photos at all times.
The clauses to watch out for are the ones that read like "we can use your photo for promoting our site", if that's in there then they can use it on their front page and you'll get $0 in return. But you'll still get a lot of views out of it.

The exception is Google+, don't upload there if you ever want to sell those pics professionally. Basically, by uploading to them you give them a right to use your photos for whatever they want. Not a big deal for most people, you can still sell them and make cash.
But if you get hired by someone who wants an exclusive license to do what they want with the files (ie, you and your camera are just tools employed by the company, the 'company' legally takes and owns the photos).
If you upload it to google+, then the 'company' that hired you and g+ both own the photos. I probably didn't explain that very well, a web search will probably find more info on it. But don't worry unless you're a real pro who can't eat dinner without selling photos.

[Harley]

Thanks again!  Great info!

[Emeyerphoto]

Since you have a domain name, I would do as one person suggested and look at the free Wordpress galleries to host your images, but don't be afraid to host on Flickr.  Flickr is pretty good to start out with and interact with other photographers who are interested in what you like to shoot as well.  One suggestion though is to make sure you have a copyright on your images.  There have been instances where people have used images from Flickr on other pages, and do not upload a full sized hi-res version of the image.  The image should be decent enough to show your work, but small enough where if somebody wanted to use it, it would be difficult to make a high quality print out of. 

Same thing applies to your own domain if you choose to go that route, make sure you take appropriate measures to avoid people copying your image without your knowledge.  There is a debate about watermarking on your image, but remember it is your image that you are protecting and not the person's on the other side of the monitor.

My two cents,

Erik

[revup67]

I've chosen Flickr and utilized initially the free account to test the waters.  I opted to go forward with the Pro account and am most pleased.  Be sure to utilize Flickr's many amenities such as Organizing, Joining Groups such as (example the Canon 8-15mm group or many of the Awards groups, B&W groups, etc.  Their support team is excellent whether free or Pro account.  Know the differences however as there are various restrictions on the Free account beyond the limitation of 200 photos such as posting to only 10 groups vs. unlimited.  The Slideshow link is a big plus when emailing friends and Family as well as pressing the"L" key to view a photo on black background

[Harley]

Doing a 14-day trial with SmugMug at the moment and I really love it so far.  Very good rendering of the photos.  Excellent at adapting to the viewer's screen or device.  The iPhone interface is quite impressive.  Their technical assistance has been quick and responsive, too.

[BobSanderson]

You might consider Zenfolio. It is a very fast loading option that allows unlimited uploads and downloads of your originals (if you wish), has an option for selling your work and allows the customization of the site you ask for. I have been with them for 3 years and recommend their service to you.