Figure photography - where to share photos?

Question

Our photography group recently held a figure photography session, with a nude model. We want to share our photos, but don't want to fall foul of strict site rules regarding nudity. Normally I'd use Picasa, but after trawling through their FAQ I found that they explicitly forbid nudity. Where's the best place to share (tasteful) nude shots?

Asked by fredley

Answer

photo.net allows them in public galleries. There are a lot of good pros there that show excellent work in all categories, including nudes.

There paying and free memberships. The free membership limits the gallery size and number of uploads.

Answered by Itai

Check more discussion of this question.

Recommendation: Photo sharing website for a photographer

Question

I'm looking to build a photo sharing website for a photographer (starting out) and wanted to know any known choices. I don't mind paying up. I had a look around and I find Smugmug the best yet with 500px being the second choice. However if there are any other services like that, please let me know. I'm looking for a sharing style engine (something beyond wordpress -- like Smugmug), with some descriptions/captions (write ups about the work -- some of the photos could be architectural work/portfolio) and the ability to have different sections. I'm not looking to sell the photos/have an e-cart, just a nice portfolio feel. I'm a web developer so I don't have a problem with working on any code to do custom tweaks. Please let me know if you think anything is better and if you have any personal recommendations! Thank you.

Answer

IMHO:

If you value sharing over everything: Flickr

If you value photography-centric community: 500px

If you value simplicity and ease of use in your online portfolio: Zenfoliio

If you would like a bit of all the above, but with flexibility to custom code your own online portfolio: Smugmug

Smugmug isn't quite the sharing site that Flickr is, and isn't really a photo community like 500px, though it does sponsor Digital Grin. Zenfolio does not have much sharing or community either, but it's online portfolio is much easier to use and configure. The downside is that you must use their tools and options are limited, without the ability to edit CSS or HTML or Javascript. Smugmug is a bit clunkly in the tools area, but the online portfolio looks good, and you can edit CSS, HTML and Javascript if you prefer to do most anything. For the record, I use Smugmug.

Other options include Fotki, focused more on photo hosting, and PBase, and more or less bare bones photo hosting site.

Check more discussion of this question.

What solution should I use for cataloging photos for private sharing?

Question

I'm seeking a solution for cataloging many thousands of images. Each photo will be tagged and categorized to become searchable by a small group of private people. I've considered any combination with Lightroom, a custom Wordpress theme, and a private Flickr gallery. Does any one have any additional suggestions?

Answer

Picasa Web Albums work best. It meets the following of your requirements:

• You can catalog a large number of photos (you may need to purchase additional storage from Google based on image resolution, but its relatively cheap)

• You can tag individuals and add categories.

• You can customize your privacy settings and sharing options.

• It's really easy to set-up, use and share.

I have experimented with SlideShowPro, Flickr and Facebook but found Picasa the best option for private sharing.

Check more discussion of this question.

Photo Sharing Sites: Any Experience with 500px.com or Smugmug.com?

Question

I am looking for somewhere to show, and possibly sell, my best work.

I want something which looks really professional and delivers a really good experience and service to my viewers / clients.

I have heard a lot of buzz about both 500px.com and SmugMug.com.

Does anyone have any experience with either of these?

Can you suggest any other sites I should look at?

I'm based in the UK, if that makes any difference.

Many thanks for any advice. :)

Answer

500px

I've been on 500px for a few weeks now; it does, indeed, seem to be the new hotness in terms of photo-sharing sites, but it's probably too early to judge its long-term staying power. At this point, the site is positioned as high-end content (think 1X), but with the openness of Flickr and some nice social networking features. One of the big open questions for 500px is whether they can sustain the current apparent quality level (with respect to photos submitted) as they grow in size. In other words, how do they achieve the scale of Flickr without diluting quality?

At this time, it looks like 500px is working on enabling photo sales via Fotomoto. Photo sales, according to that link, are live and working right now, but the link to activate them isn't present in the normal UI yet, as testing is still in progress. You can sell photos from either the free account or a paid ("awesome") account. Given this, and with the additional features you get when you upgrade to "awesome", 500px has a lot of potential.

Smugmug

I recently deactivated a Smugmug account. I found Smugmug to be great for photo sharing, but most of the stuff I wanted to take advantage of there was only available in their paid account. I opted to build my own site rather than upgrade, but Smugmug is used successfully by lots of photographers to do exactly what you're looking for. I was a little disappointed in their social networking features; they've got groups for sharing photos among Smugmug users, but I never saw a lot of activity driven out of those groups. It's too early to call whether my experience is going to be different for 500px, so I'll withhold judgement on that, I guess.

You can enable photo sales from a basic ($40 /yr) account, but be sure to check out the feature list, because many selling features (such as setting your own prices) are available only in the pro ($150 /yr) account.

Summary

Right now, the safe call is probably a Smugmug Pro account. They're a proven commodity, and they're stable. If you're feeling the least bit daring, though, 500px has a lot going for it, and you can try nearly all of it for free. Had I known about 500px, I probably would have skipped setting up my own site and just thrown all of my eggs in that basket. As it is, I'm going to stay active there for a while and see how well the site matures.

Check more discussion of this question.