In defence of Flickr
In response to David Cook’s recent letter about price rises on Flickr, I’ve been a member of Flickr for some time and prefer the ‘pro’ subscription. Yes the price has gone up but Flickr is now owned by SmugMug, which supports the photo industry and provides extra services and support to all photographers if they need them – including a dedicated website if so required. There is still a free, but limited, edition but this requires adverts to support the hosting. If used carefully you would never reach the photo limit. I prefer my Pro version so that I can leave all the images I have on there with full back-up if required.
I cannot fault the web-based upload function – it’s fast and allows easy multiple renaming of images. The tag system picks up your metadata but also allows you to add more if required. It is quick and easy to display your images under Collections etc. For what you get, I can’t nd fault with either the free or paid versions. Flickr is now deemed ‘old fashioned’ by some but SmugMug is working to make it better, and faster, and I hope it will continue providing a space for photographers for years to come.
I subscribe to 1x, 500px and some others but their subscription prices make Flickr look very cheap in comparison, plus they don’t allow multiple uploads. You pays your money and takes your choice but, at the moment, I nd Flickr works, and at a price I consider reasonable. Graham Burton