Which online photo site for sharing hi-res photos?

(nauty) · (nauty) **Join Date: Feb 2004** 07-07-2010, 11:53 AM

As I get more into photography I'd like to have my hi-res photos stored online for friends and family to access. There are plenty of free sites out there, but you are limited to the size and amount of photos/videos you upload.

There are other sites that have no limits, but there is an annual fee. So far I've looked at Smugmug ($59.99 yr) and Photobucket ($24.99 yr). Do any of you have a preference or opinions on which site out there offers the most bang for the buck?

I'm not a professional or commercial photographer; this is purely for friends and family, so I do not need certain features like the ability to sell photos, etc. Any advice will be appreciated!

(dcervenka) · (dcervenka) **Join Date: Sep 2002** 07-09-2010, 2:04 AM

Personally I use: http://www.flickr.com/ (owned by yahoo)

The free account might work for you and then you can upgrade later to a PRO account for just $24.95/year

What do I get with a Pro account?

When you upgrade to a Pro account for just US$24.95 a year (or R$45.90 if you’re in Brazil ) you get all this:

* Unlimited photo uploads (20MB per photo)
* Unlimited video uploads (90 seconds max, 500MB per video)
* The ability to show HD Video
* Unlimited storage
* Unlimited bandwidth
* Archiving of high-resolution original images
* The ability to replace a photo
* Post any of your photos or videos in up to 60 group pools
* Ad-free browsing and sharing
* View count and referrer statistics

Compare that to what you get with a Free Account:

* 100 MB monthly photo upload limit (10MB per photo)
* 2 video uploads each month (90 seconds max, 150MB per video)
* Photostream views limited to the 200 most recent images
* Post any of your photos in up to 10 group pools
* Only smaller (resized) images accessible (though the originals are saved in case you upgrade later)

(nauty) · (nauty) **Join Date: Feb 2004** 07-09-2010, 7:11 AM

I've been playing around with a trial subscription on Zenfolio. It's about double the $$$ than Flickr, but I think I like the layout better. You can customize your home page to make it look more personal, like your own individual website. I may play around with a few others before deciding.

(skull) · (skull) **Join Date: May 2002** 07-09-2010, 7:53 AM

Why the high-res need? I use Flickr (free version) and your friends and family can download a 1024 X 1024 size that prints very well. Then can even order prints right from Flickr.

Just curious. If they wanted to print a 24 X 36 poster I'd just e-mail them that file.