Online Photo Services

Many online photo services have appeared and expanded since digital cameras became more popular and affordable. These provide free image hosting -- a place where a person can share digital photos and videos. Online editing tools allow the customer to adjust less than perfect images. A great variety of photo gifts and accessories are also available. Free online photo album tools allow the photographer to arrange the images in an interesting format for viewing by select groups. Online communities form around photographers who are interested in a particular aspect or genre of photography.

The author of Ecclesiastes 1:8 proclaims, ...the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.. Photographers delight in the ease of producing great numbers of beautiful images. One of the most attractive features of these online services is their offer of free storage of photos and videos. Depending upon the number of images, a free online photo album may free up significant storage space on a person's hard drive. This also allows the photographer to share these images easily with others. Gone are the days when sharing of pictures meant having to make copies so that others could take them home to enjoy. Now, a photographer can control who gets to see them by assigning certain parameters to the online folder where they are stored. The images can be adjusted to eliminate undesirable features like 'red-eye', where the subject's eyes glow with reflected light. Online tools provide other editing features as well.

Various levels of sharing the photographs are allowed. Using e-mail invitations, the photographer can choose to let family and friends access the photographs, view slideshows and leave comments. They may also choose to order certain prints. Most sites do not insist that those who view the photos register at the site. This makes things much simpler for those who do not wish to register for reasons of security or convenience. Some may be reluctant to give out such information because they fear a deluge of spam will shortly follow. Most providers of online photo services have strict policies about not releasing the information to other sources, but it is convenient to just be able to view the photos without having to go through any registration hassles. Other groups can be specified to view the photos, without releasing permission to buy copies. These cannot print or save high resolution versions of the pictures without this permission. A user of the photo services can create multiple groups and share different folders of images as appropriate.

Some sites which offer online photo services also encourage the formation of groups of like-minded photographers. From pet-lovers to professional artists, there is a group for nearly every conceivable segment of photographic society. The pictures are usually protected from being reprinted, at least in a high resoution format. That way an individual is free to share his or her work without fear of people swiping it for their own portfolios. Most of these sites offer some type of contest to encourage continued photographic efforts in the specific area of interest. Prizes of photographic supplies may be awarded. Some contests are more like informal assignments, which participants engage in purely for the love of the hobby. A theme may be assigned for the week or month, and the results shared for all to enjoy. Most photo storage sites also offer a free online photo album for their customers. Notes can be added to explain each photograph. A variety of editing tools is available for the customization of these albums, ranging from adjusting the cropping of images to providing framing and decorative elements. Holiday backgrounds and images can further help to create a unique and interesting album. For those who desire a simplified approach, a variety of color background combinations provide other options. Interestingly, the photo albums can be made so that the pages appear to turn, much like they do when viewing a 'real' album.

Several of the photo services provide other features as well. Helpful article about photography offer tips to novices. Videos and 'how-to' tips are also part of these websites. Along with a free online photo album, storage sites may make a large number of photo-related gifts and accessories available for purchase. One site featured more than one hundred such items. The gifts ranged from keychains, travel mugs, coasters, magnets and ornaments to bibs, aprons, totes, towels, cutting boards, and clocks. Each item featured pictures of one's favorite person or pet. Calendars can also be constructed, with images selected and usually even photographed by the customer. Archival CDs and DVDs are also available to store treasured images.

Multiple quantities of high quality prints and cards are sold at discount rates. One note on this practice: although some sites feature unbelievably low prices for prints, be sure to test the quality of a site's services before committing the family Christmas card into their hands. Discount rates are attractive, but even some large, well-known establishments produced less than desirable results in terms of color, clarity and focus. In general, though, most sites have professional equipment and will give satisfactory results. Some Internet sites rate the services, cost and efficiency of various online photo services. Sites may rate everything from the ease of using image-editing features to the variety of print sizes and delivery options. Perusing these sites before making a choice can save the photographer far more than monetary discounts.

Customer service is sometimes an overlooked feature of companies which provide online photo services. Sometimes turnaround time is not a terribly important factor when compared to costs and results, but there are times (invitations to time-sensitive occasions like parties and weddings) when this could make a difference. Also, check the site's policies on delayed or lost images. Does the company pursue such claims, or is the customer left dangling? Finding a company which treats a customer's images with the same concern as they would their own work should not be too difficult, especially with the wealth of Internet information. Enjoy the technology that is so readily available. Whether stored on a hard drive or in a free online photo album, do not forget one of the most important aspects of photography -- sharing the images with others.

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