SmugMug and Flickr have joined forces once again, and this time, it’s to expand of their efforts to promote and preserve photography online. They’ve started Flickr Foundation, a new non-profit foundation dedicated to preserving billions of historic and culturally significant photos. Flickr and SmugMug want to keep them “safe, sound, and accessible for future generations,” so they can have a remarkable and easily available insight into history.
SmugMug has acquired popular photography podcast, This Week in Photo (TWiP)
SmugMug has acquired the popular photography podcast, This Week in Photo – otherwise known as TWiP. It’s the second acquisition by the company after picking up Flickr in 2018. As well as acquiring the podcast itself, TWiP Editor in Chief Frederick Van Johnson is also joining SmugMug. He will lead content and new media while maintaining his role with TWiP to help it continue to grow and evolve.
SmugMug+Flickr VP of Marketing, Scott Kinzie says that “It’s an ideal match”, with both companies and TWiP having the goal of increasing the influence and impact of photography worldwide. TWiP was created by Frederick in 2008 as a primarily gear-focused podcast. It’s evolved since then to cover just about every topic in the photography industry.
Amazon, Google, SmugMug, Apple: what’s the best home for your photos?
When last we met, I pointed out the perils of using Apple’s iCloud Photos for photo backup for one simple reason: if you delete an image off your iPhone, Apple will in turn also delete it from iCloud*.
This time I’d like to go over the best alternative photo backup options for you in more detail, because like it or not, in today’s world, just like paying for food, shelter and taxes, if you snap photos on your smartphone or camera, you will be paying for online storage. And paying more in the coming years as well, as you snap more images.
There’s no such thing as free backup anymore.
Flickr now limits NSFW photos to paying members only
Since it was acquired by SmugMug, Flickr has undergone a bunch of changes. In my opinion, mainly positive ones. The company has now announced another big change – and I’m not sure how to feel about it.
From now on, the ability to share restricted and moderate content will be reserved for Flickr Pro members only. In other words, if you share NSFW work that would be banned from other platforms, you’re welcome on Flickr, but only if you pay.
SmugMug adds raw storage service with file management & AI-powered search
Popular photo hosting service, SmugMug, has just launched a new feature that photographers have wanted for a long time. SmugMug Source is a new add-on service for your regular SmugMug subscription that lets you upload and manage your raw files with integration into its desktop and mobile apps, as well as Lightroom.
The new feature lets you backup and manage your raw files online with AI-driven search tools while providing you to access your raw files from anywhere at any time. Unlike many other cloud backup services for photos – even ones that support raw files. There’s no cap on your account and you only pay for the data you use, so those with smaller needs pay less!
How Bella Kotak takes you on a magical journey with her dreamy images
If you are a fan of dreamy, whimsical images, you’re probably familiar with Bella Kotak‘s work. She creates her own fantasy scenes and stories that take you into magical worlds when you look at them. Thanks to SmugMug Films, we can take a peek behind Bella’s dreamlike worlds and find out more about how she creates them and what stands behind her inspiration and ideas.
Kristina Makeeva combines fashion and travel photography to create pure magic
Us at DIYPhotography always look forward to SmugMug Films. They are fun to watch, inspirational, and we get to discover some amazing photographers. This time, SmugMug features Russian photographer Kristina Makeeva.
Kristina’s photos are a unique, dreamy blend of fashion and travel photography. The latest SmugMug film follows Kristina on a shoot to southern Siberia’s Lake Baikal: the deepest lake in the world, frozen over for the majority of the year. The place is beautiful on its own, but captured in Kristina’s style, it becomes even more magical.
Lizzy Gadd’s photography truly shows the difference between a “selfie” and a self-portrait
Selfies are probably the most common photographs created today. Most of us shoot them, but how many of us shoot them the way Lizzy Gadd does? Lizzy photographs herself in the various landscapes of the world and her work truly illustrates the difference between a simple “selfie” and a “self-portrait”.
Lizzy’s also the subject of SmugMug’s latest film, which sees her exploring Scotland’s beautiful Isle of Skye looking for new worlds in which to place herself. She talks about her motivation and technique, and it’s fascinating to listen to her insights and thought process.
Travel photography isn’t just shooting pretty landscapes – It’s a way of life
Travel photography seems like something that only social media “influencers” do these days, but that is absolutely not the case. Travel photography as a genre and as a specialism for professional photographers is as strong and vibrant now as it ever was. And they don’t get much better than photographers like Karen Hutton.
For Karen, though, travel photography isn’t just about shooting pretty landscapes. It’s a philosophy. An entire way of life. SmugMug caught up with Karen to find out more about her philosophy and what makes her tick in their new film. It’s wonderfully inspiring and packed with amazing photography.
Breaking news: Surprise – Flickr bought by SmugMug, swears to make Flickr awesome again
Here is something we did not see coming. SmugMug, a photo management company, just bought Flickr, one of the foundation pillars of online photo sharing.
The purchase amount remains unknown, as well as the other terms of the deal.
Alastair Jolly, Global Marketing Manager for SmugMug tells DIYP that “Through this acquisition, SmugMug will now extend this dedication to the largest photography community in the world benefitting tens of millions more photographers and putting their work and inspiration first. The acquisition also builds on SmugMug’s vision to help photographers at all levels share and sell stories”
If you are a user of either of those services, Smugmug tells DIYP that each site will keep its entity and separate operations. If I had to guess though, I think we will see at least some integration in the future, such as direct import and export and maybe some level or portfolio display utilizing Flickr photos via the SmugMug display system.
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