Any FBG photography guys? (1 Viewer)

[BoltBacker]

I tried to create a free Flickr account, and it would not allow new members. A paid version is available I believe; I plan to do more research on it.

...

I backup everything on my own hard drives, so I do not need cloud backup - but I would use it also if it was available.

Jeebus, it seems like yahoo is desperate to destroy itself. Flickr used to be so good and now they won't even let people create a limited account after they chased away the people that had been using a better version of the site for years. R.I.P.

Not to get you sidetracked MCS, but when you say you are backed up on your own HDD's..... are those all ON SITE? My mind always go to Coppola.

 

[snogger]

Hey all photogs here ... what site do you prefer for hosting your serious photographs? I have been using https://imgur.com/ for snapshots from my phone, but I have never desired to upload my dslr shots until now. In the past, I focused primarily on wall prints and felt that online viewing was sub-optimal for these because of monitor differences and hi-res viewing issues. I have decided that I will no longer let "perfect" be the enemy of the "good" ... thus, I am looking for the best way to share these photos online.

I am concerned about unauthorized use of my photos, but I would like to share the best possible version here without making it a hassle for viewers. How do you all deal with this this?

Further, not only am I searching for the best hosting site, I am also looking to learn more about the subtleties of developing for online viewing versus print. With prints, I knew my printer well enough to get the results that I wanted, and once completed, I knew that everyone was seeing the same thing. Online results are potentially variable, as everyone has a different monitor. What approach do you take to address this relativity?

At present, I have uploaded a few shots to imgur as a test. I started from my original RAW files & have only developed them with Lightroom for now. I will do further work once I figure out the best way to present them. Linking to them presents my first challenge ...

1) Actor's Theater in Louisville : Share link - Direct link

The share link and direct link allow different viewing options. I prefer the direct link view, but imgur "albums" make it tough for the viewer to get there unless they right click and open in a new tab - which is not obvious. And, when posting a series, I would prefer to have one link to it rather than multiple links. Here is an example:

2) Fire Painting: Album link

This includes a set of photos, but limits how they can be viewed easily. They auto-size it for display, and a click will make it fit the screen (not 1:1 res) - and allows no zooming or other resolutions. A direct link will allow a full 1:1 ... but it is not easy to find unless I provide it or the viewer knows enough to right click. And, zoom is still not available - just a best fit to screen and 1:1.

So - what are the way you handle this?

Should I adjust my own picture resolution to fit online needs? I like the abilty to zoom in and out to notice different things in one photo, but is that trying to do too much for online? In my wall prints, it is just a matter of viewing distance - so - I have never really had to think about this.

Anyways, all thoughts are welcome and appreciated.

I use Flickr, as it seems to put the photos a bit more front and center with less clutter, and image quality is pretty good.  I think they cut down on free space recently, but I think it is still around 1,000 pictures (which is fine as long as not looking for a cloud photo backup site -- I use Google photos for that).  I'm not sure if it is the best, but what I use.

 been using Flickr for years..

Well worth the money to not only host photos for display, but as an extra "backup" just in case.. I also have most photos copied to some old HDD's left over from old computers which I connect using a External Drive to my existing PC.

But Mother Nature is a fickle lady and you never know what wrath she may bring down upon your house, so having the photos stored elsewhere is a backup of a backup plan.

 

[Jaysus]

is there a free lightroom type app I can use for a bit to stat dabbling in post processing?  I am ready to start shooting RAW. 

 

[snogger]

Man, didn't realize I haven't been uploading any new photos.. The "latest" photos uploaded are from January....... 2018   ..

I must have killed the "Auto upload" function... Guess I know what I need to do this weekend.

 

[Man of Constant Sorrow]

Jeebus, it seems like yahoo is desperate to destroy itself. Flickr used to be so good and now they won't even let people create a limited account after they chased away the people that had been using a better version of the site for years. R.I.P.

Not to get you sidetracked MCS, but when you say you are backed up on your own HDD's..... are those all ON SITE? My mind always go to Coppola.

I back up onto 3 portable HD. Two are part of my home network & the third goes into a well made fire-proof safe. But, they are all on my property. Do you advise online backup as a great need? I will do it if prudent.  

BTW: I am not familar with the Coppola reference in this ... I was offline for many years until recently.

 

[BoltBacker]

I am concerned about unauthorized use of my photos, but I would like to share the best possible version here without making it a hassle for viewers. How do you all deal with this this?

It's a tricky topic. There are some interesting podcasts and youtubes with opinions but at the end of the day it's really a balance. 

http://thedigitalstory.com/2018/04/are-their-any-benefits-to-watermarking-podcast-631.html

https://podcasts.apple.com/mt/podcast/should-i-watermark-my-photos-when-posting-online/id1146822925?i=1000410679804

https://picturethis.libsyn.com/when-to-watermark-picture-this-podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI0rSFpLbnE

Are you hoping to sell your images at some point, or do you just want "show off" your best images and don't want them stolen?

 

[Man of Constant Sorrow]

 been using Flickr for years..

Well worth the money to not only host photos for display, but as an extra "backup" just in case.. I also have most photos copied to some old HDD's left over from old computers which I connect using a External Drive to my existing PC.

But Mother Nature is a fickle lady and you never know what wrath she may bring down upon your house, so having the photos stored elsewhere is a backup of a backup plan.

Thanks. I think that i will try the subscription Flickr. The price seems reasonable for the number of photos I need to upload and backup.

 

[BoltBacker]

I back up onto 3 portable HD. Two are part of my home network & the third goes into a well made fire-proof safe. But, they are all on my property. Do you advise online backup as a great need? I will do it if prudent.  

BTW: I am not familar with the Coppola reference in this ... I was offline for many years until recently.

Oh, Coppola was just very careful to ensure he had backups of EVERYTHING he did. Did a great job of it. Right up until the thieves broke into his house and stole his computer.... and all the backups in the same house.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/sep/29/argentina.film

It's smart to put a third backup into a fire-proof safe. A lot of folks prioritize having at least one backup OFF SITE. There are tons of different ways to do that, but ultimately you have to ask yourself how much risk you are willing to accept having all the copies in your house. Sounds like you are covered for fire damage but Coppola was pretty sure he was covered as well.

 

[BoltBacker]

is there a free lightroom type app I can use for a bit to stat dabbling in post processing?  I am ready to start shooting RAW. 

Have you tried GIMP yet?

 

[Don Quixote]

 been using Flickr for years..

Well worth the money to not only host photos for display, but as an extra "backup" just in case.. I also have most photos copied to some old HDD's left over from old computers which I connect using a External Drive to my existing PC.

But Mother Nature is a fickle lady and you never know what wrath she may bring down upon your house, so having the photos stored elsewhere is a backup of a backup plan.

I just gave you a follow on there.

 

[Man of Constant Sorrow]

It's a tricky topic. There are some interesting podcasts and youtubes with opinions but at the end of the day it's really a balance. 

http://thedigitalstory.com/2018/04/are-their-any-benefits-to-watermarking-podcast-631.html

https://podcasts.apple.com/mt/podcast/should-i-watermark-my-photos-when-posting-online/id1146822925?i=1000410679804

https://picturethis.libsyn.com/when-to-watermark-picture-this-podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI0rSFpLbnE

Are you hoping to sell your images at some point, or do you just want "show off" your best images and don't want them stolen?

Thanks for the links. I will definitely use them.

As for my images, I have sold some artistic prints locally for home decor, but I have never sold anything online or had anything "published". So, I have no real idea if any of my work is marketable to a wider audience. My primary goal is to create and share. I am retired and do not need money, but I would like the option to sell if there are any buyers.

Man, didn't realize I haven't been uploading any new photos.. The "latest" photos uploaded are from January....... 2018   ..

I must have killed the "Auto upload" function... Guess I know what I need to do this weekend.

Cool. I have not had time to check out your site yet, but I will soon. 

I have narrowed my choices down to flickrpro and 500px ... which is currently undergoing planned maintenance, so I will have to wait on checking it out. However, I read that they have a combined subscription with the Adobe stuff that I use. I can't find any details until later tonight when the site returns.

Thanks for all the help so far. I will report back after I research more.

 

[Man of Constant Sorrow]

First off, very nice photos @snogger. I will follow if flickr ever lets me join ... see below.

Now, I have decided to go with flickr pro but it won't let me. I have created 2 yahoo id's and 2 corresponding flickr accounts but it won't even let me get to the page to try and buy the damn service. It just tells me to try again later.

Both sites are pissing me off, but I much prefer what I have seen on flickr than anywhere else. I will try again tomorrow and contact customer service if necessary. 

 

[Brony]

I used to be more anal about this, but I've softened over time.  I do 3 HDD at home for the bulk of pictures, but usually it's 2 HDD with very sporadic back-up to the 3rd.   I upload a lot of stuff to Google Photos and it's my go-to for sharing with family, friends for both phone and dSLR stuff.  I know there is risk is having just HDD at home, but if that catastrophe hit, I'll have to live with what's on Google Photos and I'm at peace with that. 

 The rest of the world probably doesn't care about my pictures. I'll upload good stuff to Instagram, but that is rare.  I've thrown a couple of pictures up for sale on redbubble and no takers to date, but the effort to do so was very little, so no harm done.   I can't picture the effort being worth it to try and shill amateur photography nowadays.  God bless those that try. 

 

[BoltBacker]

Now, I have decided to go with flickr pro but it won't let me. I have created 2 yahoo id's and 2 corresponding flickr accounts but it won't even let me get to the page to try and buy the damn service. It just tells me to try again later.

Both sites are pissing me off, but I much prefer what I have seen on flickr than anywhere else. I will try again tomorrow and contact customer service if necessary. 

That really is just a shame, it was such a good service at one time. I'm just afraid Yahoo is a sinking ship at this point. The only time all year I go to their site now is during the ~3 days of the NFL draft. I know some folks that say their financial section isn't bad but other than that.....? WTF

Since it sounds like you are willing to pay for service I would at least look at these four to see if any of them fit your usage at the price point that you are looking at....

SmugMug

500px

Photobucket

pCloud

...  If you are dissatisfied with the pay options and wanted to just go for a "free-ish" option I'd probably go with one of these until you find a pay option that does fit your needs....

Amazon Prime Photos

Google Photos

Like others have said here, I used to suggest Flickr for most people but I don't like the general direction it's going and am worried there will be the eventual announcement, "You have <X days> until <new terrible policy/idea/etc> goes into place". The last thing I want to deal with is the hassle of changing backup services. I have used some combination of OneDrive, DropBox, Flickr, Amazon Photos and Google Photos with varying degrees of satisfaction in the past but I probably have the most faith in Amazon Photos not changing something fundamental to the service and really pissing me off. I understand that not everyone is an Amazon Prime member, but nearly everyone I know is a Prime Member and in my experience dealing with Amazon customer service is a pleasure compared to most other online entities if a problem should arise. But that's just been my experience.

 

[Man of Constant Sorrow]

That really is just a shame, it was such a good service at one time. I'm just afraid Yahoo is a sinking ship at this point. The only time all year I go to their site now is during the ~3 days of the NFL draft. I know some folks that say their financial section isn't bad but other than that.....? WTF

Since it sounds like you are willing to pay for service I would at least look at these four to see if any of them fit your usage at the price point that you are looking at....

SmugMug

500px

Photobucket

pCloud

...  If you are dissatisfied with the pay options and wanted to just go for a "free-ish" option I'd probably go with one of these until you find a pay option that does fit your needs....

Amazon Prime Photos

Google Photos

Like others have said here, I used to suggest Flickr for most people but I don't like the general direction it's going and am worried there will be the eventual announcement, "You have <X days> until <new terrible policy/idea/etc> goes into place". The last thing I want to deal with is the hassle of changing backup services. I have used some combination of OneDrive, DropBox, Flickr, Amazon Photos and Google Photos with varying degrees of satisfaction in the past but I probably have the most faith in Amazon Photos not changing something fundamental to the service and really pissing me off. I understand that not everyone is an Amazon Prime member, but nearly everyone I know is a Prime Member and in my experience dealing with Amazon customer service is a pleasure compared to most other online entities if a problem should arise. But that's just been my experience.

Great info. 

Actually, I have just begun a 2 week free trial of SmugMug. I have only uploaded one test gallery and set my home  page. I like it so far. The price, storage and image quality all seem good for the lower priced plan. I especially like the image quality display options for each gallery. I am still learning all of the other options.

I'll look into pCloud, but I have done work on the others you mention and like SM better at the moment.

Thnx again for all the help. I'll be back for more soon.  

 

[snogger]

Just as a FYI.. I know Yahoo is like the redheaded stepchild we all like to blame everything on but... Yahoo no longer owns/controls Flickr..

SmugMug purchased it back in 2018: https://www.cnet.com/news/flickr-future-under-smugmug-control-what-you-need-to-know-faq/

My favorite quote from that announcement:

SmugMug costs money. Is this the end of free Flickr accounts?
Emphatically not.

"Flickr's free accounts are foundational to its community of influential and engaged photographers. We are not making any changes to Flickr plans or rates at this time," 

seems, at least from @Man of Constant Sorrow 's experience that is  

 

[snogger]

First off, very nice photos @snogger. I will follow if flickr ever lets me join ... see below.

Now, I have decided to go with flickr pro but it won't let me. I have created 2 yahoo id's and 2 corresponding flickr accounts but it won't even let me get to the page to try and buy the damn service. It just tells me to try again later.

Both sites are pissing me off, but I much prefer what I have seen on flickr than anywhere else. I will try again tomorrow and contact customer service if necessary. 

 

Hopefully Flickr is better today.. It took me 4+ hours yesterday to upload 50 photos..
Oh, and now I know why my photo's are no longer getting auto backed up..
With SmugMug's purchase they let the uploader tool lapse so I had to go back to the "Old way" of just adding photos and uploading them from the browser.

 

[BoltBacker]

This is a little off topic from what we have been discussing but I'm curious if everyone here has already made the switch from dSLR to mirrorless or are you on the cusp? Or are most people in here just going to stick with dSLR for the types of photography that are still just awful on cell phones(telephoto and low light)?

I use both and if the market for dSLR lenses completely implodes I may actually start using my dSLR more as I can suddenly afford some good glass I've always wanted to try in the past but just couldn't actually pull the trigger on spending that money at full price. I was an early adopter to mirrorless(still use the Samsung NX1000 and an older M4/3 when I travel) but am excited for the "death" of dSLR and getting my hands on some new lenses at a discount! The drawback will be getting the dSLR bodies replaced/fixed/maintained if dSLR really does die. I'm sure today if a film photographer has something go wrong with his camera it's pretty tough to get it serviced.

The latest announcements from Nikon and Canon are pretty sobering with regard to dSLR....

https://petapixel.com/2019/07/02/nikon-to-drop-1-3-of-its-dslr-lineup-in-shift-to-mirrorless-report/

... those are some amazing cameras that will never see a successor. I am a Canon dSLR guy and we all saw this coming but I don't think I expected it to hit this quickly...

https://fstoppers.com/business/canons-dramatic-drop-sales-sign-something-much-more-ominous-photographers-360415

 

[GroveDiesel]

is there a free lightroom type app I can use for a bit to stat dabbling in post processing?  I am ready to start shooting RAW. 

This may be controversial, but I think the $70 for Photoshop Elements is all most people need. It imports and works with RAW files, it can use all sorts of PS plugins, it can do 70% of what PS and LR can do, and there are 3 different levels of handholding you can choose. 

I can do a large amount of what Light Room does with PS Elements and some of what PS does. I even have the Nik Collection plugins installed. 

GIMP is super powerful, but not user friendly in any way IMO. I haven't found a free program that does enough to make me happy or is useable enough to not make me put my head through the table.

Unless you want to spend a ton of time and $ learning PS and LR or a TON of time learning GIMP, PS Elements does pretty much everything an amateur photo needs IMO.

 

[Brony]

This may be controversial, but I think the $70 for Photoshop Elements is all most people need. It imports and works with RAW files, it can use all sorts of PS plugins, it can do 70% of what PS and LR can do, and there are 3 different levels of handholding you can choose. 

I can do a large amount of what Light Room does with PS Elements and some of what PS does. I even have the Nik Collection plugins installed. 

GIMP is super powerful, but not user friendly in any way IMO. I haven't found a free program that does enough to make me happy or is useable enough to not make me put my head through the table.

Unless you want to spend a ton of time and $ learning PS and LR or a TON of time learning GIMP, PS Elements does pretty much everything an amateur photo needs IMO.

That's all I use.  I played with a trial of Lightroom for a few days and found it overly complicated.  Also, as longtime computer user, I hate those programs that boast about non-destructive editing - always gets frustrating trying to share the processed picture and trying to delineate original v. edited.  I have always been perfectly content to us File Save As for the edited.  [Old Man Yells at Cloud]

If I started with Lightroom as my first program, I might have different perspective, since I think we are in the minority among amateur photographers. 

 

[Tom Servo]

Like others have said here, I used to suggest Flickr for most people but I don't like the general direction it's going and am worried there will be the eventual announcement, "You have <X days> until <new terrible policy/idea/etc> goes into place". The last thing I want to deal with is the hassle of changing backup services. I have used some combination of OneDrive, DropBox, Flickr, Amazon Photos and Google Photos with varying degrees of satisfaction in the past but I probably have the most faith in Amazon Photos not changing something fundamental to the service and really pissing me off. I understand that not everyone is an Amazon Prime member, but nearly everyone I know is a Prime Member and in my experience dealing with Amazon customer service is a pleasure compared to most other online entities if a problem should arise. But that's just been my experience.

That was last year when the limited free space to 1000 photos. My only photo on flickr now is one I took of a naked mannequin riding an ATV on the roof of a local bar.

 

[Tom Servo]

This is a little off topic from what we have been discussing but I'm curious if everyone here has already made the switch from dSLR to mirrorless or are you on the cusp? Or are most people in here just going to stick with dSLR for the types of photography that are still just awful on cell phones(telephoto and low light)?

I use both and if the market for dSLR lenses completely implodes I may actually start using my dSLR more as I can suddenly afford some good glass I've always wanted to try in the past but just couldn't actually pull the trigger on spending that money at full price. I was an early adopter to mirrorless(still use the Samsung NX1000 and an older M4/3 when I travel) but am excited for the "death" of dSLR and getting my hands on some new lenses at a discount! The drawback will be getting the dSLR bodies replaced/fixed/maintained if dSLR really does die. I'm sure today if a film photographer has something go wrong with his camera it's pretty tough to get it serviced.

The latest announcements from Nikon and Canon are pretty sobering with regard to dSLR....

https://petapixel.com/2019/07/02/nikon-to-drop-1-3-of-its-dslr-lineup-in-shift-to-mirrorless-report/

... those are some amazing cameras that will never see a successor. I am a Canon dSLR guy and we all saw this coming but I don't think I expected it to hit this quickly...

https://fstoppers.com/business/canons-dramatic-drop-sales-sign-something-much-more-ominous-photographers-360415

According to Nikon Rumors, the D3500, D5600, and D500 are three of the eight models that will not be replaced.

“They will most likely be replaced with mirrorless models,” Nikon Rumors says.

I just bought my Nikon D3500 back in February.  <_<

 

[snogger]

This may be controversial, but I think the $70 for Photoshop Elements is all most people need. It imports and works with RAW files, it can use all sorts of PS plugins, it can do 70% of what PS and LR can do, and there are 3 different levels of handholding you can choose. 

I can do a large amount of what Light Room does with PS Elements and some of what PS does. I even have the Nik Collection plugins installed. 

GIMP is super powerful, but not user friendly in any way IMO. I haven't found a free program that does enough to make me happy or is useable enough to not make me put my head through the table.

Unless you want to spend a ton of time and $ learning PS and LR or a TON of time learning GIMP, PS Elements does pretty much everything an amateur photo needs IMO.

  Elements does all I need to do and more..

I suppose if I was making "boat loads" on pics then I might look at Light Room or the Full Photoshop..

But to date Elements has covered my needs  

 

[Man of Constant Sorrow]

Just as a FYI.. I know Yahoo is like the redheaded stepchild we all like to blame everything on but... Yahoo no longer owns/controls Flickr..

SmugMug purchased it back in 2018: https://www.cnet.com/news/flickr-future-under-smugmug-control-what-you-need-to-know-faq/

My favorite quote from that announcement:

seems, at least from @Man of Constant Sorrow 's experience that is  

Thanks for the info ... I have been reading a lot of reviews and some of them were before this.

Hopefully Flickr is better today.. It took me 4+ hours yesterday to upload 50 photos..
Oh, and now I know why my photo's are no longer getting auto backed up..
With SmugMug's purchase they let the uploader tool lapse so I had to go back to the "Old way" of just adding photos and uploading them from the browser.

As for Flickr, it still will not let me login or join, plus, I can find no way to contact customer support. Too bad - as I really wanted to try it out.

SmugMug has been a good experience for me so far. I am now installing a Lightroom Classic plugin that should allow me to speed up my work flow considerably. Since I am going to redevelop most all my RAWs for online, this is a huge plus.

As for your stuff, I started with your Home album. I really like your fireworks long exposure shots and the dogs. The moon pics are really nice too. Oh - and the Christmas lights ... and can't forget the food (that color is really nice) ------ oh - and the family and house kick it too.

Eventually, I want to start talking more about the pictures themselves - and developing opinions - but for now, I need to get some work done.

 

[Man of Constant Sorrow]

This is a little off topic from what we have been discussing but I'm curious if everyone here has already made the switch from dSLR to mirrorless or are you on the cusp? Or are most people in here just going to stick with dSLR for the types of photography that are still just awful on cell phones(telephoto and low light)?

I am horrendously ignorant on everything mirrorless.

And, my favorite things to shoot tend to be low light, telephoto and macro. How does macro fare on the newer non-dslr?

Honestly, I do not have a true macro lens - rather I use a bellows with a EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM. It has worked for me so far, but I would love to get a true macro lens eventually. Leading to this:

I use both and if the market for dSLR lenses completely implodes I may actually start using my dSLR more as I can suddenly afford some good glass I've always wanted to try in the past but just couldn't actually pull the trigger on spending that money at full price. ... but am excited for the "death" of dSLR and getting my hands on some new lenses at a discount! 

I agree 100%. 

The drawback will be getting the dSLR bodies replaced/fixed/maintained if dSLR really does die. I'm sure today if a film photographer has something go wrong with his camera it's pretty tough to get it serviced.

Hmmm. I guess that I will not be selling any of my old bodies now. 

Thanks for the info. I was unable to be active in photography for a while, and I have fallen behind the times.Catching up may take a little while.

 

[BoltBacker]

Just as a FYI.. I know Yahoo is like the redheaded stepchild we all like to blame everything on but... Yahoo no longer owns/controls Flickr..

SmugMug purchased it back in 2018: https://www.cnet.com/news/flickr-future-under-smugmug-control-what-you-need-to-know-faq/

Wow, I had no idea that was the case. Thanks for the info, although it sounds like it has gotten worse since SmugMug took over. It's odd they didn't use Flickr as a limited product to something more advanced and comprehensive with a SmugMug account(for a price, obviously).

 

[Man of Constant Sorrow]

I am now installing a Lightroom Classic plugin that should allow me to speed up my work flow considerably. Since I am going to redevelop most all my RAWs for online, this is a huge plus.

OK, this plugin is incredible. I can use Lightroom Classic CC (or Lightroom CC) to develop and edit, and with a button press, the results are automatically published and synched with my SmugMug photos. This eliminates so much work that I am giddy. 

I am leaning towards the Power Plan ($72/year) rather than the lowest plan ($48/year) for the added site customizability and private sharing options. I have not committed yet, but things are looking promising.

 

[snogger]

Thanks for the info ... I have been reading a lot of reviews and some of them were before this.

As for Flickr, it still will not let me login or join, plus, I can find no way to contact customer support. Too bad - as I really wanted to try it out.

SmugMug has been a good experience for me so far. I am now installing a Lightroom Classic plugin that should allow me to speed up my work flow considerably. Since I am going to redevelop most all my RAWs for online, this is a huge plus.

As for your stuff, I started with your Home album. I really like your fireworks long exposure shots and the dogs. The moon pics are really nice too. Oh - and the Christmas lights ... and can't forget the food (that color is really nice) ------ oh - and the family and house kick it too.

Eventually, I want to start talking more about the pictures themselves - and developing opinions - but for now, I need to get some work done.

After awhile you kind of forget to revisit the albums.. Your post on my home album sent me there and reminded me I have a "year 1" yard picture and a "year 5" so it is time to get a "year 10" pic for comparison..

 

[Man of Constant Sorrow]

Good news - I finally got a free Flickr account. I used it to follow you @snogger, but I have not uploaded any photos. I am still working on my SmugMug site, but I have a good ways to go. 

I have a decent amount of my older photos uploaded, but I am still tweaking them all. This has been much tougher for me than printing.

I am using an i1Display Pro for calibration.

1) I have my monitors set at 100 cd/m3 luminance at the moment, but have gone as high as 120 and low as 90 for testing. Do you all have a preferred luminance to develop with for web viewing (in a well darkened room)?

When I printed, it really did not matter, as long as I knew how it translated to ink. Here, I am having a hard time finding a good brightness/exposure. I'll let "auto" set it for reference ... and use my histogram for checking clipping ... but I always seem to adjust. 

2) As far as white point, I am using CIE Illuminant D65 (Noon light). I set this because it seems to be in the middle - not too warm or cool - but I am not sure if another would be better.

3) Gamma 2.2

4) My Color profile has been Adobe Color (from my printing), and it has caused some issues when uploading to the JPG view files (and auto conversion to sRBG). I am now going to try and convert to sRBG before exporting. 

I think that is it for now.

 

[SwampDawg]

Just saw this thread for the first time. Looking forward to following it. I started using Zenfolio this summer , $60 a year but it's unlimited space. I've only got photos from this spring, I need to go back and upload older ones. https://waltersahaydak.zenfolio.com/

I've had different free sites all the way back to Webshots in the early 2000's, finally got tired of having to move every couple of years 

 

[snogger]

Good news - I finally got a free Flickr account. I used it to follow you @snogger, but I have not uploaded any photos. I am still working on my SmugMug site, but I have a good ways to go. 

I have a decent amount of my older photos uploaded, but I am still tweaking them all. This has been much tougher for me than printing.

I am using an i1Display Pro for calibration.

1) I have my monitors set at 100 cd/m3 luminance at the moment, but have gone as high as 120 and low as 90 for testing. Do you all have a preferred luminance to develop with for web viewing (in a well darkened room)?

When I printed, it really did not matter, as long as I knew how it translated to ink. Here, I am having a hard time finding a good brightness/exposure. I'll let "auto" set it for reference ... and use my histogram for checking clipping ... but I always seem to adjust. 

2) As far as white point, I am using CIE Illuminant D65 (Noon light). I set this because it seems to be in the middle - not too warm or cool - but I am not sure if another would be better.

3) Gamma 2.2

4) My Color profile has been Adobe Color (from my printing), and it has caused some issues when uploading to the JPG view files (and auto conversion to sRBG). I am now going to try and convert to sRBG before exporting. 

I think that is it for now.

Well, at least now I know who that was that followed/faved some photos  

 

[GroveDiesel]

Do any of you frame your stuff in larger-ish sizes? I'm thinking of getting a few of my photos printed as 8x10, 10x20, 11x14, and 11x17s. Just the prints are pretty reasonable for high quality prints in those sizes, but to have them framed by anyplace gets really pricey really fast.

It seems like if I don't use a mat, there are quite a few frame options online. Or, optionally, I know from previous browsing that Goodwills tend to have a ton of frames. I'm fairly sure I could find frames there eventually.

But if I want to mat them, it's a different story. Michaels (the craft store) has plenty of frames with mats for 8x10 photos, but there don't seem to be a ton of options for larger photo sizes. And while Amazon has some options for larger mat sizes (but not all), it seems like I'd have to buy packs of like 10-20 mats which I don't want to do.

Thoughts? Options?

 

[snogger]

Do any of you frame your stuff in larger-ish sizes? I'm thinking of getting a few of my photos printed as 8x10, 10x20, 11x14, and 11x17s. Just the prints are pretty reasonable for high quality prints in those sizes, but to have them framed by anyplace gets really pricey really fast.

It seems like if I don't use a mat, there are quite a few frame options online. Or, optionally, I know from previous browsing that Goodwills tend to have a ton of frames. I'm fairly sure I could find frames there eventually.

But if I want to mat them, it's a different story. Michaels (the craft store) has plenty of frames with mats for 8x10 photos, but there don't seem to be a ton of options for larger photo sizes. And while Amazon has some options for larger mat sizes (but not all), it seems like I'd have to buy packs of like 10-20 mats which I don't want to do.

Thoughts? Options?

We've used https://www.mpix.com/ for quite a few and found the quality of the  , as well as the frames to be top notch.

Here is one of my Photo's 11X17 over our Fireplace

 

[GroveDiesel]

We've used https://www.mpix.com/ for quite a few and found the quality of the  , as well as the frames to be top notch.

Here is one of my Photo's 11X17 over our Fireplace

That's awesome and looks fantastic. Great photo.

 

[snogger]

We've used https://www.mpix.com/ for quite a few and found the quality of the  , as well as the frames to be top notch.

Here is one of my Photo's 11X17 over our Fireplace

That's awesome and looks fantastic. Great photo.

 

 

[GroveDiesel]

I get stuff in the 8x10 to 11x14 range printed at mpix, then just buy pre-cut frames and mats from Aaron Bros. They've started to carry more "digital" size pre-cut mats (digital prints are closer to 2x3 (1.5) ratio). Knowing what digital-size mats are available, I'll have the print match. If you're keeping the full frame ratio, they should have one the right size. I don't think they were expensive, maybe a few bucks each for the mat and another 8-10 for the frames? 

So first step seems to be to go back and do a better job framing pictures so I don't have to crop...

 

[CrossEyed2]

Any other ON1 Photo Raw users here? The 2022 update looks pretty impressive. I've bounced around between ON1, Luminar and Topaz products for years, but I think I'm going exclusively to Photo Raw this year.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Anyone have specific places that they use for medium/large size wall prints?

And what is everyone’s thoughts of metal wall print versus acrylic? I’d like to get one or two of my shots from national park vacations made into some nice wall art to hang in the house. Recommendations seem to be all over the place.

 

[Don Quixote]

Anyone have specific places that they use for medium/large size wall prints?

And what is everyone’s thoughts of metal wall print versus acrylic? I’d like to get one or two of my shots from national park vacations made into some nice wall art to hang in the house. Recommendations seem to be all over the place.

I’ve printed some stuff out with mpix. Happy with what I’ve received from them.

 

[mr. furley]

@pantagrapher

wtf

 

[Brony]

Anyone have specific places that they use for medium/large size wall prints?

And what is everyone’s thoughts of metal wall print versus acrylic? I’d like to get one or two of my shots from national park vacations made into some nice wall art to hang in the house. Recommendations seem to be all over the place.

I like metal the best nowadays. Might be worth getting the smallest version of your wall print first as a test case. If you are spending $200+ on the final, you probably want it to be as good as possible. Metal seems best for photos with rich colors. More muted colors it's a toss up.

 

[beer 30]

Bumping an old thread because I don't want to start a new one. Anybody into astrophotography? Trying to get a crash course on pointers. Heading to some dark sky areas next week and hoping to snap a few good pics. Assume I'm a dolt, have a Nikon D5300 with standard lens and a telescopic lens but probably won't use that one much for the night shots.

 

[Don Quixote]

Bumping an old thread because I don't want to start a new one. Anybody into astrophotography? Trying to get a crash course on pointers. Heading to some dark sky areas next week and hoping to snap a few good pics. Assume I'm a dolt, have a Nikon D5300 with standard lens and a telescopic lens but probably won't use that one much for the night shots.

Since you did not mention it, going to need a good tripod too. Going to want to play around with ISO and shutter speed depending on amount of light to get a good balance. Be prepared for the first few photos to suck until you figure out the balance (or maybe that is just me).

I try to dial down the ISO with longer shutter speed. It can’t be too long though or else have the sky starting to move on you. Maybe can start with an ISO of 800 and shutter speed of 2 minutes, and aperture as low as can go to let in as much light, and tweak from there. There are some YouTube videos out there that can give you some good pointers too.

 

[beer 30]

Bumping an old thread because I don't want to start a new one. Anybody into astrophotography? Trying to get a crash course on pointers. Heading to some dark sky areas next week and hoping to snap a few good pics. Assume I'm a dolt, have a Nikon D5300 with standard lens and a telescopic lens but probably won't use that one much for the night shots.

Since you did not mention it, going to need a good tripod too. Going to want to play around with ISO and shutter speed depending on amount of light to get a good balance. Be prepared for the first few photos to suck until you figure out the balance (or maybe that is just me).

I try to dial down the ISO with longer shutter speed. It can’t be too long though or else have the sky starting to move on you. Maybe can start with an ISO of 800 and shutter speed of 2 minutes, and aperture as low as can go to let in as much light, and tweak from there. There are some YouTube videos out there that can give you some good pointers too.

Yep, forgot to mention the tripod but I do have a decent one. I'd really like to get a wide angle lens but time & money prohibit right now.

The impression I get is what you said, pick a starting point and then mess with the settings to dial it in. There seems to be a fine line between ISO speed & shutter time. I've played around a bit in the driveway but I live in a city that has enough ambient light that it drowns out the night sky. Doesn't help that I have a freaking street light in front of my house Think I'm going to play around with it a little more at home to get comfortable with the setting and which way they need to go to effect the picture then just have to play with it when I get out there next week. Heading to Moab, UT so dark skies will be good, hoping the moon doesn't block too much. I'm missing a new moon by about 5 days unfortunately.

 

[Don Quixote]

Bumping an old thread because I don't want to start a new one. Anybody into astrophotography? Trying to get a crash course on pointers. Heading to some dark sky areas next week and hoping to snap a few good pics. Assume I'm a dolt, have a Nikon D5300 with standard lens and a telescopic lens but probably won't use that one much for the night shots.

Since you did not mention it, going to need a good tripod too. Going to want to play around with ISO and shutter speed depending on amount of light to get a good balance. Be prepared for the first few photos to suck until you figure out the balance (or maybe that is just me).

I try to dial down the ISO with longer shutter speed. It can’t be too long though or else have the sky starting to move on you. Maybe can start with an ISO of 800 and shutter speed of 2 minutes, and aperture as low as can go to let in as much light, and tweak from there. There are some YouTube videos out there that can give you some good pointers too.

Yep, forgot to mention the tripod but I do have a decent one. I'd really like to get a wide angle lens but time & money prohibit right now.

The impression I get is what you said, pick a starting point and then mess with the settings to dial it in. There seems to be a fine line between ISO speed & shutter time. I've played around a bit in the driveway but I live in a city that has enough ambient light that it drowns out the night sky. Doesn't help that I have a freaking street light in front of my house Think I'm going to play around with it a little more at home to get comfortable with the setting and which way they need to go to effect the picture then just have to play with it when I get out there next week. Heading to Moab, UT so dark skies will be good, hoping the moon doesn't block too much. I'm missing a new moon by about 5 days unfortunately.

Yeah, it’s all about the triad of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, and need to find what works with your light. There is a Bryan Peterson book mentioned earlier in this thread entitled “Understanding Exposure.” I’ll echo that recommendation as a good book with an intro on that.

 

[beer 30]

Bumping an old thread because I don't want to start a new one. Anybody into astrophotography? Trying to get a crash course on pointers. Heading to some dark sky areas next week and hoping to snap a few good pics. Assume I'm a dolt, have a Nikon D5300 with standard lens and a telescopic lens but probably won't use that one much for the night shots.

Since you did not mention it, going to need a good tripod too. Going to want to play around with ISO and shutter speed depending on amount of light to get a good balance. Be prepared for the first few photos to suck until you figure out the balance (or maybe that is just me).

I try to dial down the ISO with longer shutter speed. It can’t be too long though or else have the sky starting to move on you. Maybe can start with an ISO of 800 and shutter speed of 2 minutes, and aperture as low as can go to let in as much light, and tweak from there. There are some YouTube videos out there that can give you some good pointers too.

Yep, forgot to mention the tripod but I do have a decent one. I'd really like to get a wide angle lens but time & money prohibit right now.

The impression I get is what you said, pick a starting point and then mess with the settings to dial it in. There seems to be a fine line between ISO speed & shutter time. I've played around a bit in the driveway but I live in a city that has enough ambient light that it drowns out the night sky. Doesn't help that I have a freaking street light in front of my house Think I'm going to play around with it a little more at home to get comfortable with the setting and which way they need to go to effect the picture then just have to play with it when I get out there next week. Heading to Moab, UT so dark skies will be good, hoping the moon doesn't block too much. I'm missing a new moon by about 5 days unfortunately.

Yeah, it’s all about the triad of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, and need to find what works with your light. There is a Bryan Peterson book mentioned earlier in this thread entitled “Understanding Exposure.” I’ll echo that recommendation as a good book with an intro on that.

Awesome! Thanks for the recommendations