What to Do with all Those Amateur Wedding Photos
Placing disposable cameras on reception tables has become a modern American wedding tradition. The cameras make guests feel involved because they are helping to create a photo record of the most important day of your life. Sometimes the pictures they capture are among the most heart-warming, moving images from your wedding day.
But what do you do with those hundreds of pictures once the honeymoon is over and the developing done? Will you let them languish – disorganized and unseen – in a shoebox or drawer? And what about the dozens of pictures guests will take with their own digital cameras or cell phones to e-mail to you later?
“The sad truth is many newlyweds simply don’t know what to do with all those pictures,” says Donna Burt of PhotosYourWay.com, a new social networking and photo-sharing Web site. “They hold on to them, but often not in a manner that allows the couple or their loved ones to enjoy these precious memories.”
A growing number of smart brides are turning to photo-sharing Web sites to preserve, organize and share amateur images from their weddings, and to create keepsakes like photo books and memorabilia. Most sites allow you to easily upload your images and make them available online for viewing by others. Other options such as organizing and sharing vary considerably from site to site.
Here’s what you should know about photo-sharing Web sites before you choose one to host your precious wedding day images:
* There should be no charge for uploading, storing or sharing your images. “If a site wants to charge you for these basic services, look elsewhere,” Burt advises. “Sites make their money from prints and products. A handful also make a small percentage when you sell an image – through their site – to a third party like an advertising agency or online content publisher.”
* You’ll potentially be uploading hundreds of wedding images, so look for large storage capacity. For example, PhotosYourWay.com provides 7 GB of free storage, enough to upload and store thousands of photos.
* Look for a site that offers the greatest flexibility for organizing images. Seek a site that will allow you to organize those images in a variety of ways, such as by who took the pictures (Photos by Uncle Joe), subject matter (Who Danced with the Bride) or chronology (Pre-wedding Prep, Walking Down the Aisle or Post-Reception Partying).
* Consider how the site allows you to share images. Can you send e-mails inviting friends and family to visit and view your images? Can you designate your images “private” or “public” at the time of upload? Does the site allow you to launch your own “community,” where your pictures can be viewed by not only your loved ones but other Internet users who may share your interest?
* Comparison shop on prices for prints and other products, such as photo books, canvas prints, mugs, T-shirts and other memorabilia. Be aware of shipping charges, which can amount to more than the cost of the prints or products themselves.
* Does the site allow those you share the photos with to download the images and print them on their own? Or will they be required to purchase prints through the Web site? PhotosYourWay.com will allow you or any of your family and friends to download the photos themselves and print them on their own or wherever they choose.
* Does the site offer you the opportunity to sell your images online to third parties, like advertising or public relations agencies, online publishers and others who need stock photography? PhotosYourWay.com is one of the only sites that offer users the chance to make money from their images.
“There’s a huge demand for wedding-related images,” says Burt. “That adorable photo of your father dancing with your niece may warm your heart, but it could also make you some money if someone wants to buy or rent it for use in their marketing materials.”
To make money from your wedding photos, simply designate them for public viewing – and available for rent – during the upload process. The images will be funneled through PhotosYourWay’s sister site, ImagesYourWay.com, where clients who need a steady stream of fresh, quality images will have the chance to view and rent them. You will pocket 60 percent of the rental price for your photo – as much as $180 in some cases.
To learn more about organizing and sharing your wedding photos, visit http://www.photosyourway.com/.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
