SmugMug is following Netflix's business lesson, Now where should I host my images?

[nwoods]

Taking a page from Netflix's "Business School of Stupid", SmugMug has decided to double it's fees for Pro account users. I really like SmugMug for its general speed, amazingly good compression algorithms for displaying images clearly, its capacity to display images extremely large, its built-in watermarking tools, and the ability to set prices for both digital downloads and prints from my images. However, I have very few "customers", selling no more than a few dozen prints a year, and mostly to family members I don't really think Smug is making a big mistake like Netflix did, this change only effects pro users, and will raise the bar on who uses their service, so that they truly can be the primary vendor to the best photographers. But that leaves out millions of non-pro phototakers who value their work, but remain um, undiscovered by paying clientele

Smug mentioned that use of their servers (they actual use Amazon's servers) has skyrocketed in recent years, as Pro's have been uploading 36megapixel images from Nikon D800's Canon 5D's, HD video, etc..... Because of this, their costs have gone up and so they are adding $100 to each Pro's annual cost. To stay at the same $150/year cost I currently have, I give up setting my own print pricing, but everything else stays pretty much the same, using their new category of "portfolio account". I really don't want to give up the option to make a few bucks from prints and downloads, but I can't justify (nor afford) to bump up to the new $250-300 rate just to make $20 a year in prints.

So what are the alternatives (Besides the abysmal "Photobucket") or the very limited Flikr service?

Does anyone here use any of the following services?
- http://www.zenfolio.com/zf/all-features.aspx?loc=en-US
- https://www.photoshelter.com/signup/subscriber
- http://www.shootproof.com/features-pricing
- https://www.simplystudio.com/register.html
- added: www.pbase.com
- added: Skydrive
- added: http://www.pictage.com/
- added: http://500px.com/
- added: www.Squarespace.com (a blog site, but nice photogallery templates)
- please add to this list....

 

[DiploStrat]

I have used www.pbase.com for years. Not free, not expensive, not slick, but very nice.

As always, YMMV.

 

[kai38]

I was also using PBASE it started out as free then started charging and went up every time it was time to renew.
I moved everything to Skydrive 25 Gb free storage, you can make folders for different pictures, easy to download pics.

https://login.live.com/login.srf?wa...lc=1033&lc=1033&id=250206&mkt=en-US&cbcxt=sky

 

[photoman]

Nathan-

Couple of questions.

1. Do you currently sell prints through smugmug? If so do you sell enough to cover the increase?
2. When is your renewal?


I am in the same situation as you. I have been with Smugmug since 2006 and am debating continuing my service or not. My renewal is not up until May so I have some time to work through possible alternatives. I do occasionally sell prints via my account but most of my paid work is done through session fees or commercial fees which do not go through the account. So far I am looking at doing one of the following.

1. Transition to a Zenfolio premium account. It is not quite as customizable as Smugmug and Zenfolio places limits to professional printing versus their premium business site but it is cheaper than Smugmug, Zenfolio is customizable and nice templates, allows for everything I currently need. Zenfolio also has a lower commission charge than Smugmug does.

2. Reduce my Smugmug down to a Power account and do all prints as self fulfillment or setup online shopping cart via Google, Paypal, or another service. I have no experience with this type of system but it is readily available. Benefits to this route is not having to move all of my images to another site, still have unlimited storage, full customizable, I will get to keep all profits from any image sells, and I save a significant amount of money (Power is $60 per year). Downside is not custom watermarks, no printing through Smugmug, etc. I figure I can place a hard watermark on viewable images as well as upload a smaller file size to overcome this. Then have all the high quality uploads in hidden or even password protected galleries.

Obviously there are a lot of people that have a lot to think about. Look forward to hearing what you find in alternative sites and the course you choose to take.

 

[matt s]

Perhaps I am the odd man out but I always thought I was stealing from them with unlimited uploads, storage, store front, and pro print services for $150 a year. Basically my entire online presence for my business costs $150 a year, now $250.

Try building a site that does all that on your own and pay to host it, market it, etc.


I'm not thrilled to be paying more now, but when I stop and think about it I cannot really argue with the price point. It's still quite a value for a photography business. I do think they are going to have to come up with something in between for those that sell here and there. Caps on file size and storage but with a lower entry point might be a place to start.

 

[4lowdean]

I got my renewal email last week and was under the impression that for $150 a month everything stayed the same. Maybe I misread something but I thought current Pros were 'grandfathered' in under their old account/pricing structure. Please CMIIW.

 

[nwoods]

I cannot really argue with the price point. It's still quite a value for a photography business. I do think they are going to have to come up with something in between for those that sell here and there. Caps on file size and storage but with a lower entry point might be a place to start.

Matt, this is exactly how I feel. I completely agree that a working professional photographer should be happy to pay this, and make it simply a deductible part of their business expenses. However, I only make a few dollars a year off my photography, and I only upload a few hundred images a year, and I nearly always web optimize them down to 1600px maximum, if for no other reason than to speed up the upload time! I would be a perfect candidate for a tiered level of service based on capacity, not features.

 

[nwoods]

I got my renewal email last week and was under the impression that for $150 a month everything stayed the same. Maybe I misread something but I thought current Pros were 'grandfathered' in under their old account/pricing structure. Please CMIIW.

4lowdean, there are now three levels of pricing for Pro's now, depending on when you joined SmugMug. Early adopters (pre 2005) only pay $100/year now, their new cost will be $200. If you joined between 2005 and now, you currently pay $150/year, this bumps up to $250, and if you are just signing up, you are going to be paying $300. All this starts in October, so if you renewal is before the policy goes into effect, you will pay the normal price, and then get hit with the upgrade price next year.

 

[nwoods]

Nathan-

Couple of questions.

1. Do you currently sell prints through smugmug? If so do you sell enough to cover the increase?
2. When is your renewal?

My renewal is in May, so I have some time for one of three things to happen:
- SMugMug changes to their mind and opens up their business model for "prosumers" like me
- Zenfolio offers a migration assistance program to welcome all the legions of departing SmugMug users
- Some enterprising fellow sees a golden opportunity to offer SmugMug-like service, targeted at prosumer pricing levels, and storage/bandwidth tiers.

Interesting stats from my account:
FILES UPLOADED
5008

TOTAL STORAGE USED
9.22 GB

Photo Views
THIS MONTH
12493

Total Orders:
5
Total Items Sold:
54
Avg. Items/Order:
10.8
Unpaid Profit (est.):
$ 47.06
Paid Profit (est.):
$ 0.00
Avg. Profit/Order:
$ 9.41
Total Profit (est.):
$ 47.06

 

[nwoods]

My renewal is in May, so I have some time for one of three things to happen:
- SMugMug changes to their mind and opens up their business model for "prosumers" like me
- Zenfolio offers a migration assistance program to welcome all the legions of departing SmugMug users
- Some enterprising fellow sees a golden opportunity to offer SmugMug-like service, targeted at prosumer pricing levels, and storage/bandwidth tiers.

More prescient than I thought!
http://www.zenfolio.com/zf/tools/migration.aspx

 

[4lowdean]

4lowdean, there are now three levels of pricing for Pro's now, depending on when you joined SmugMug. Early adopters (pre 2005) only pay $100/year now, their new cost will be $200. If you joined between 2005 and now, you currently pay $150/year, this bumps up to $250, and if you are just signing up, you are going to be paying $300. All this starts in October, so if you renewal is before the policy goes into effect, you will pay the normal price, and then get hit with the upgrade price next year.

A'ight... it's that last part then. Now to decide to keep it for one more year, or jump ship.

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

I'd say this is that shot in the arm to push your Pro Sales to justify the simplicity if offers. For a working photographer, Smugmug is beyond the go-to place for simplicity

As Matt stated, I cant imagine having to go back to anything else. We can shoot an event, upload to our galleries and not have to worry about anything else. That's very worth the cost, even if I had to pay the new fee of $300.

Look at it this way. Push your photography sales, which this would be a good way to pump up your work, and one job could could easily pay for it

Couple events or modeling shoots a year can make you some good sales

Total Items Sold: 278
Avg. Items/Order: 4.0
Unpaid Profit (est.): $ 358.74
Paid Profit (est.): $ 1,024.51
Total Profit (est.): $ 1,383.26

 

[nwoods]

I know Pat, but no one seems to want to buy my admittedly pedestrian style of imagery, and I don't have the confidence to risk screwing up high school portraits let alone modeling gigs or a wedding!

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

Quit that. Your photos are so worthy of modeling shoots, senior photos or weddings. Just get out and try one and next thing you know, the ball will be rolling

 

[nwoods]

Update: Smugmug listened to the voracious outpouring of commentary about their pricing, and compromised for the semi-competent non-pro's out there, and came up with a pretty good compromise I think. They now have a "portfolio" account level, which has everything i need, for the same price I used to pay. I think this is a good plan, and I am SO THANKFUL that I don't have to migrate to anywhere else. I really do love my SmugMug features.

more info: http://news.smugmug.com/2012/11/08/new-for-portfolio-accounts-price-sell/