Why I like being a SmugMug Pro Account Holder

Someone asked me the other day why I like SmugMug so much and what I do with it that is making my life easier. So I figured it was worth answering. The main reasons I like it can be summed up in one sentence: "SmugMug lets me easily control, distribute, and manage my images." That single phrase however overlooks a few of the items that are rolled into that process. It also doesn’t take into account all the little nuances that I thought about before purchasing a Pro level license.

The main features that made me go to SmugMug was the ability to not have to make my own webpages to share images. I used to use Dreamweaver or a hosted application on my web host to create the galleries. However this still was not the easiest or fastest way to do it. I would have to go through the images, create the web page, edit the HTML, worry about the resizing of the images to have a multi user friendly web page. Previously this was my work flow for sharing pictures with people:

1. Take pictures
2. Load pictures onto computer
3. Rename pictures into meaningful names
4. Run resize routine and rename using Fireworks to make images 1024 x 768, 640 x 480, and 102 x 77. (Small, Medium, and Large)
5. Bring images into Dreamweaver
6. Create web page with links for images in Dreameaver
7. The typical process:

• create a table
• put caption under the image
• link to both the large and medium size image.

8. Upload images and web page to website using Dreamweaver. (Not all hotels will support FTP connections so not always easy)
9. Wait for page and images to upload and then check that everything worked okay
10. Share links with people

Now if I wanted to do something like right click protect or watermark the image, I would have to do some tweaky stuff. Not saying I couldn’t do it, just that it would add more steps. It also resulted in the watermark being embedded in the image that I upload, it was not a separate overlay.

Now the process using SmugMug is much simpler and faster

1. Load pictures onto computer
2. Create gallery in SmugMug
3. Set gallery settings the way I want in SmugMug
4. Upload images using various tools, does not require anything other than a web connection.
5. Send link to gallery (don’t even have to wait for uploads to finish)
6. If want to add captions and names there are many ways to do it, ranging from LightRoom to Bridge to using the tools in SmugMug

Now if you notice there were not as many things that I could do with my personal site. The reason is that basically it was things I was not capable of doing on my own or things I had not thought about. So now with SmugMug there is much more control over the sharing and protection. I can turn on the right click protection, I also can have SmugMug add a watermark to the displayed image, not to the original image. I can also create a better setting for searching and finding images. Plus SmugMug will also properly scale the image for the user’s display.

Where the control and features of SmugMug really made me chuckle was few weeks ago at a company conference. A coworker decided to borrow a few pictures without asking me. He took them from my SmugMug site which I had previously distributed. The images were pictures from the beta testing of new products in an unlisted gallery, I have no trouble sharing them. However I want to protect my images and where they are going, so I have set the defaults for all my galleries to be "Watermark enabled" (a Pro feature) and "Right Click protected". These settings resulted in the following situation for the presenter. The person was not able to simply right click on the image and select "Save Image As…" instead an alert appeared that says "These photos are copyrighted by their respective owners. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited." In addition to that trouble there was also a contrasting X through the image in their PowerPoint. So that the person had to explain that he had taken the images from my site to a room full of people.

I know it seems petty, but I want credit for my images and when they are being used. The amount of grief I get from coworkers for taking pictures is out of proportion to the amount of people that ask me for copies of images. So I think that making it difficult for people to "borrow" my images is well worth it. It kind of pokes them back simply saying, hey you wouldn’t have this image if not for me so how about a little respect. The amount of effort it takes is literally none, I have set up a template that sets the gallery settings the way I want them without having to change it again and again. While I am not a professional photographer, this Pro feature has made my work have more value at the office as people have to ask me for images.

The fact that I can also easily search and review the images online without having to travel with my images also makes my life easier. Being able to search quickly and easily by date range or by keywords or through the galleries, I can triangulate in on an image if needed. When I was asked on short notice to provide an image for a magazine article I had written, I simply sent over to the editor a few links to my Smugmug images; I let them pick which one was most appropriate for them. I then provided them the original image quickly and easily by simply placing it in a gallery for them with the option to save the original. I did not have to reupload the image or go back home to get it. I was able to provide it quickly and easily without having to do anything out of the ordinary.

The fact that I can also easily print an image through the services provided is also great. I can simply select an image and decide to print it and then a few days later it is delivered. Can I just as easily do this through some "local imager" the answer is yes. However the options available are not even close. Being able to get an image color corrected and printed on metallic paper that is 24 x 36 inches is not something that my local supplier cannot do as easily or cost effectively. Also being able to print directly on metal and have it ready to hang on the wall is really nice.

The customer service is also very reactive and able to respond to the questions without making one feel dumb for asking. Even when the answers are in the help files, they don’t simply say look in the help files. Often times I am trying to do something on a wireless broadband card from a job site, so browsing the internet is very slow. Using the Blackberry to send and receive an e-mail asking a question is much more time efficient for me. I am well aware that it is not for them as I used to manage my company’s Tech Support team and realize how much those questions take time that is not easily recovered. However at no point does that come through to me as the customer.

Not everything is perfect and they will admit it, that is actually quite refreshing. When I have had problems it is not like talking to a corporate conglomerate that is unfeeling. Rather I can talk directly with the people in charge and get real answers, not a politically polished and crafted answer from a script. While the answer might not always be what I want, it is honest and is respectful of my requests and needs. It is actually a conversation and trying to come up with solutions, not simply a "you can’t do that" answer.

They have also fostered a great free community, Digital Grin, where one can go and learn an awful lot about photography, the process, and tools. The people in the Digital Grin forum will share knowledge from all levels, ranging from people who are Canon Explorers of Light to weekend shooters. However all of these people are treated the same and with respect. It is something special when your images are being critiqued by photographers that are also shooting for the New York Times, and their responses are not condescending or trite but helpful and give one a tools to use to improve. This involvement also includes their SmugMug’s artist in residence program and the entire photography community is the beneficiary. Plus they have also donated photo hosting to my favorite charity (www.bmwmoafoundation.org) with no cajoling,

You are probably thinking that I am a shill for SmugMug, and to be honest, I am shilling in this blog post as they are giving away a year’s subscription (http://twitter.com/jeffjochum) which is well worth the effort as I do really like the service. Yup, gotta be honest.