Recommendations for website for photos and trip reports??
 

I am trying to decide (again) what website to post photos to. I've used Kodakgallery, and it's pretty easy, but I really don't like the way the photos look. I've tried a few other sites, and it just frankly took too long to upload the photos, or once I had them uploaded I had to re-arrange them all over again. I like the way photos look on smugmug, but I found the site very slow both for posting and for viewing. I settled on Picassa because I can make minor tweaks to my photos on my computer, then upload them. I also like it because the upload is fast. But I don't like the fact that it doesn't have subfolders. And now that I've found Fodors (about 1 1/2 yrs ago), I'm writing trip reports, so I'd like a site that I can put that information into as well, not just photos.

What I'd really like is a site that I can use to edit photos (I don't do any fancy photoshop stuff or anything like that), and also post narratives. I'd like to include a few paragraphs as an introduction, and a bit of a narrative for various pieces of trip (longer than captions). I've looked at several sites that are true blogs, where you enter information each day, and people respond, but honestly I don't want to answer questions on the site. I just want a place to post everything and leave it alone, and send people the link. I also looked at a number of sites that focus so much on the narrative that the photos are secondary. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

What sites do you use, and why?

Hi Dana,

Try Flickr. That's the one I use and it is very user friendly. I found it to be the most efficient upload of lots of photos and it allows captions/subtitles under each photo. I had tried Kodak gallery also and found it less user friendly; maybe I just couldn't figure it out or didn't try hard enough but Flickr was intuitively easier for me.

Dana,
I just started my Travel Blog on Wordpress.com. I have only been creating it for the past week, so I am not sure if everything you want can be done on it. I too was looking for a site to share my travels with friends and family, when I am on the road, without e-mailing the same thing, again and again.
Uploading photos is pretty quick, and you can arrange them in "categories", i.e. by country, event etc. I am not an expert, but you can look at my blog in its early phase: [email protected] I started it to record my Oct. trip to China.Let me know what you think.
I think you can also "upgrade" for a few dollars, i.e. domain name, photo storage, design etc. if the basic free wordpress site is not enough.

lollylo-- I think you posted your email instead of your blog's address by accident.

I think a blog might still be a good idea for you Dana-- you could turn off the comments section so people don't write you.

You don't happen to have a Mac do you? I was recently looking into this program iWeb--- it looks like everything you would want. Obviously more of an investment though.
http://www.apple.com/ilife/iweb/

I'm curious to hear other recommendations because your journey through photo sharing sites echoes my own.

I'm still with smugmug for photos. I did a lot of looking around, and thought the display was better than the competition. I do agree that uploading (although not viewing) is slow - I just run it in the background and go do something else.

I have had my own website for several years (hosted by Future Quest) where I post my trip reports, but I have been considering switching to a blog, so I'll be interested in replies on that.

Oops! I forgot the www.stone99.wordpress.com
Go to wordpress.com to look at their FREE blogs.

Dana,

Another idea!
You can buy a domain name pretty cheaply for a website used exclusivley for your travelogue and photos at www.godaddy.com.
I am in the process of investigating this.

thursdaysd- If you already have a website where you post your travelogues, you might find you don't like the blog format. I didn't.

I've had my own website for the last 10 years where I post my photos and trip reports ( http://www.wired2theworld.com ).

A couple of years ago, I thought I'd start a blog version so I could post while traveling without bringing my laptop. I used Google's Blogger format.

I discovered that I didn't like the formatting limitation. Photos only sm, med or lg and only in the middle of the page. I also didn't like not being able to edit my pictures beforehand (because I did not have the laptop with me). But the biggest deal breaker was the "last post first" format. For people who have a blog which is looked at for new content every day, this makes sense. But for my travelogues, which are much more linear, it does not. I don't like having to read a story backwards.

So, I bought myself a lightweight laptop and and can download my photos, write, and work on my website at will. I usually end up posting my travelogues when I get home though (having too much fun while traveling). I also like the versitility I have with web design software like Dreamweaver. It's more work, but I'm very happier with the end product.

It does seem however, that most people opt for the "blog" format nowadays rather than the more traditional website.

I enjoyed visiting Hawaii so much that I created my own blog to record my trips, post special photos and pass along tips to save money and make the most of a vacation. It's at www.govisithawaii.com

I post almost all of my vacation photos on flickr and my blog is on Wordpress.

It's a lot of fun and a low investment to get started. Warning: if you start blogging about your trips, you may bet addicted. :)

Kristina - the newest post first format has always annoyed me about blogs - I'm forever scrolling down to find the start, or where I left off. However, I'm currently reading one by crellston using www.travelpod.com that is oldest first. May have to investigate them.

shutterfly.com

photobucket.com