Photo Websites: A Post of Reviews

A short while ago I was inspired to create a list of good photo-sharing websites for those who might be interested. I have a collection of photo sites, and I thought I'd write a short review on some of my favorites. (And one I don't like so much..) So here they are- enjoy.

Please note that I'm only reviewing FREE photo sites, or at least the free versions of sites. I'm not judging the "upgraded versions" of some of the sites listed here.

Flickr

I've heard wonderful things about this site. I've also discovered wonderful things, but there are some drawbacks. Firstly, there's a limit to your photo stream. If you want more space, you pay more. Fine for some- but I'm a freebie seeker. Flickr is generous for such a nice site, but it might make you feel more comfortable to relax into an "unlimited," yet free, account. But then again, what free site actually lets you upload as many pictures as you want?

Altogether, Flickr is probably the best out there.

(My other peeve is that you have to have a Yahoo account to gain access. I do have one, but I want to drop-kick it out the window. If I'm wrong about the must-have-account, please correct me. I will be jumping with joy.)

PROS

• PicNik photo editing built-in
• "sets"
• good toolbar including size choices, "add to set" options, etc.
• Flickr mail, groups... where to end?

CONS

• Well, uh... let me think.
• Dependence on Yahoo!

Picasa

Do not reject Picasa because it's run by Google. Do not reject it because of its Googlish appearance. Picasa is wonderful, and if you install the free uploader, that allows you to upload pictures without going to the website- you'll find that Picasa truly does come close to being the best.

(To be fair: Flickr has a software uploader that works just fine, too.)

PROS

• "album" capabilities
• software uploader
• "face" marking
• public album sharing
  
• geographical marking (It's those Google Earth Folks again...)

CONS

• hard to select different viewing sizes when looking through the albums

EchoPic

One of my favorites. EchoPic is Flickr stripped down to the bare necessities, and it does its job well. It offers no groups, printmaking, social networking/comments, public profiles/galleries, but for those of us who just want to protect our pictures from big bad computer bugs and crashes, EchoPic works just fine. You can add tags to photos, embed and link, and view the images full size- if you ever need to save them to your computer. It's fast, clean, ad-free, and convenient. I wish there were a few more features, but right now EchoPic is something of a baby-project, and I wouldn't be surprised if it expanded. It really needs some changes, but, as I said before, it does its job well.

PROS

• simplicity
• uploading speed
• Easy to title, tag
  

CONS

• lack of public "galleries"
• sparse information about the website (i.e. how many pictures are allowed)
• no software uploader
• no batch uploading

Slideroll

Slideroll is a website for making impressive, elegant flash galleries and slideshows. Supposedly you can embed both on your website- but I haven't been able to embed my gallery, which you can see here. I won't talk much about the slideshow function- I haven't used it much. I love the gallery software though, that you download to create your online public "home" for photos. For me, it's been reliable, efficient, and easy to use, which surprised me, because I usually eye free software downloads with a wary eye. Slideroll is useless for storing plain copies of your images. It's just a fun tool to create some beautiful galleries and slideshows.

PROS

• creative fun
• beautiful results
• relatively easy to use

CONS

• Galleries difficult to embed in websites
• No plain and simple photo storage

Tiny Pic

You can register for a free account and get all the account benefits (I haven't bothered to do this), but the real hallmark of this site is the speedy, no-account uploading you can do.

PROS

For the no-account version:

• quick
• NO ACCOUNT NEEDED! So you don't have to give your email address to yet another site that might give it away or sell it. Yay!
• resizing feature available before you even upload.
• great for grabbing html codes for blogs, etc.

CONS

For the no-account version:

• Well, no account limits you considerably

Shutterfly

Hmm. I just tested this one and I don't think I like it for photo storage. I felt like I was shopping online at WalMart. They probably have some cute calendars and mugs you can make- but I was looking for good picture storage.

Don't forget to check out Splashup and Phixr, two photo editing sites that are convenient for adding text to your pictures, etc.

By the way, all you YouTubians, Vimeo is a video sharing website that is sorely overlooked! Not that the user videos are that great. (Well, you know- coming from YouTube). Rather the clean and elegant uploading and display system is something worth trying.

Thoughts on Screwtape

   

    Martin Luther once remarked, “The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn.” When C.S. Lewis wrote his series of letters, purportedly from one demon to another, it seemed as if the epitome of witty mockery had finally been directed at the Devil - for the edification of many reading the slim book.Titled the “Screwtape Letters,” C.S. Lewis accomplished the seemingly impossible task of mocking Satan while writing from a demon’s point of view.
     Screwtape, the elder demon, sends patronizing letters to his nephew Wormwood, desperately trying to instruct the youthful spirit on the right methods of sending a human soul down the road to perdition, and the “Lowarchy of Our Father Below.” We never see Wormwood’s replies, but we know how he answers, thanks to Screwtape’s reaction to his relative’s immature nonsense. The administration of Hell has assigned Wormwood a Christian convert to beguile, who remains a shadowy and nameless character throughout the book. Wormwood, as a junior tempter, is constantly reproved by his “affectionate uncle,” for making idiotic blunders and foolish mistakes.
    Not merely an amusing chunk of comic prose, or an intriguing look at demonology, the author has used some imagination to present a speculative view on hell and temptation, that is of great value to the Christian reader.

    Some non-Christians like to complain about the content and style of this book. At best it is “quite boring,” “enormously overrated,” and “old hat, very old hat.” One reviewer suggested it would be good if it was only “One-third as long, and not so centered on Christianity.” The Screwtape Letters is so seeped in Christianity that it would be absolutely useless otherwise. There have been no attempts to write an atheistic “Screwtape Letters,” and it is highly unlikely that such an effort will be made in the future. The Screwtape Letters as a piece of good British writing may be appealing to Christians and non-Christians alike, but true appreciation of the work is reserved for those who believe the Bible to be the holy and inspired word of God.
The main intent of the author was to help believers gain a clearer view on truths that can be presented powerfully from the viewpoint of the Enemy.
    One person remarked “This book is great- if you are studying for a degree in divinity.” This seems to be a very strange suggestion, since The Screwtape Letters does not focus on subjects that are above the average man’s head. Instead, Wormwood’s uncle gives him “practical” advice on how to tempt the human into sin, a subject which all people aware of sin and temptation can easily comprehend. The Screwtape Letters discusses temptations that almost all Christians have experienced- and the speculation of how the demons go about the task of tempting is a valuable tool to combat Satan.

                                                            ******

     In the end, when Wormwood’s victim dies and is sent to heaven, the story seems to recall a verse from 1 Corinthians: “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” This would assuredly provoke Screwtape to grind his teeth, and wrathfully say “This is bad.”