I agree, only worth doing if it makes life (especially yours) easier. I use PHP Gallery for my own stuff because it *is* the easiest way I've found to organize photos online. Just setting up a directory that you can dump photos/subdirectories into works on a small scale (e.g. http://nanfa.org/members/), but the downside is that you can't browse thumbnails, and there's no opportunity to annotate the photos (collection site, date, photographer, etc.) You could do all of that in pure HTML, but that's a *lot* of work as volume increases. The other major advantage of a gallery application is that you can easily give folks the ability to upload and annotate their own photos -- no need to pass through a centralized "middleman".
I also agree that NANFA probably doesn't want to become a clearinghouse for photographers hoping to earn money on their photos. Anyone posting photos to the site should be doing so with the intention of allowing at least some public use (probably non-commercial). That doesn't mean that you need to release into public domain, but I think we can all agree that we wouldn't want someone posting a ton of thumbnails and trying to sell access to any "usable" image size.
PHP Gallery has a very fine-tuned permissions system -- but only if you choose to use it. The simplest scenario is just setting it up so that thumbnails and medium-resolution images are available to *everyone*. I agree, that's by far the least hassle from a management standpoint.
I'll talk to Peter and see if this is something that could be workable -- at least as a restricted trial for a few folks to poke around with. PHP programming is one of my day jobs, so I'd be willing to help out. ;-) Wish I could just set up a demo here at home for folks to check out -- but my server took a dive a few months back...
Cheers,
Jase
Todd D. Crail wrote:
> Hi Jase,
>
> Peter would be in charge of installing any PHP modules. I've yet to bother
> with doing anything in PHP, nor do I have time. I would like to make a
> suggestion though...
>
> This is such a hassle. Why is it a problem to offer low-res images for FREE
> to anyone in the public with a _disclaimer_ that they're only for
> educational use, etc etc? Afterall, NANFA has "education" as one of the
> main missions of our organization, and offering free low-res images for
> powerpoint, whatever, is a part of that mission. People who actually have
> the money to pay for them still will (Gov't agencies esp), people who
> don't... why do you care?
>
> This mainly directed to Tony's comments... I know it grates people to see
> their images on certain things without compensation, but I say "Don't put it
> on the internet".
>
> And I can also strongly argue that I'm not interested (we'll see what the
> Board has to say) in having the NANFA website turn into a "for profit"
> adventure for photographers, regardless of what the history of "who owns
> what" is. I mean, does NANFA get a cut of the sale where the NANFA website
> was used to sell an image that the photographer maintains control over?
> Either you meet the purposes of education and surrender some control, or you
> don't participate, no hard feelings.
>
> Because I've yet to figure out who's PAYING me or Peter for any of my time
> to develop on the website, if you know what I mean.... I think we'd be able
> to jointly start our _own_ NSF funding programs on whatever we felt like if
> we got paid for the back time at a normal Internet Technologies consulting
> rate ;)
>
> Todd
> The Muddy Money Madness, Toledo, OH
> It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
> http://www.farmertodd.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jase Roberts" <nanfa_list-in-jaseroberts.net>
> To: <nanfa-l-in-nanfa.org>
> Sent: Sunday, August 27, 2006 11:57 AM
> Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- Photo Library - PHP Gallery
>
>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> As far as creating an online photo gallery goes, PHP Gallery
> (http://gallery.menalto.com/) is the Rolls-Royce of freeware software
> options. If NANFA's site allows PHP scripts (Todd?), it's a no-brainer. If
> not, it would be relatively straightforward to set up a photo gallery on a
> sub-site (e.g. photos.nanfa.org). Gallery is a self-hosted solution (photos
> on your own site), rather than a standalone site (like flickr, webshots).
> That's key to maintain your own control of the images.
>> Using something like PHP Gallery has *huge* advantages over home-rolling a
> solution. It has virtually infinite options for image security (password to
> see anything; everyone can see thumbnails, need password for full images;
> limit on resolution that can be accessed). Plus, they've done a fantastic
> job of making it easy for *anyone* to upload images in bulk (provided you've
> been given access). It takes care of creating thumbnails and resizing large
> images, and allows you to annotate all images/albums.
>> If folks are interested, I could help look into whether this is a solution
> that would work for NANFA. Todd's the current web guy, right? Would be
> awesome to have something in place before the convention ends. Heck, with
> Internet access at the Convention, folks could be uploading pictures while
> we're still there!
>> Cheers,
>> Jase
>>
>>
>> Derek Parr wrote:
>>> But if one is looking to release their photos into the public domain..
>>> does this mean they then would not be able to allow NANFA to host them?
>>> Or is this service only intended to be for licensed (or protected in
>>> some manner) photos?
>>> -derek parr
>>>
>>>
>>> Irate Mormon wrote:
>>>> I'm not against password protecting the files. Just emphasizing that
>>>> they should be viewable.
>>>>
>>>> -- Irate
>>>>
>>>>> I do not see a conflict, If you are a member of NANFA, you have
>>>>> an additional benefit, you have access to an on line photo library.
>>>>> Once you are in the library then the option to view or purchase is
>>>>> again available.
>>>>>
>>>>> I like to see increased benefits for belonging to an organization
>>>>> -- It helps membership numbers.
>>>>>
>>>>> Tony
>>> /-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes
>>> / Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily
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> NANFA,
>>> / visit http://www.nanfa.org Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are
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>>>
>>>
>> --
>> Jase Roberts
>> Lewiston, Maine
>> on the Androscoggin River
>> /-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes
>> / Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily
>> / reflect the beliefs or goals of NANFA. For more information about NANFA,
>> / visit http://www.nanfa.org Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are
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> /-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes
> / Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily
> / reflect the beliefs or goals of NANFA. For more information about NANFA,
> / visit http://www.nanfa.org Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are
> / consistent with the guidelines as per
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>
-- Jase Roberts Lewiston, Maine on the Androscoggin River /----------------------------------------------------------------------- / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes / Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily / reflect the beliefs or goals of NANFA. For more information about NANFA, / visit http://www.nanfa.org Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are / consistent with the guidelines as per / http://www.nanfa.org/guidelines.shtml To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get / help, visit the NANFA email list home page and archive at / http://www.nanfa.org/email.shtml