SmugMug Exit Stage Right

Two years ago this image placed first in a monthly contest on the long since gone SD Photo Forum. The prize was a one year Pro membership to SmugMug. I was able to customize the site with all of my fancy logos, create multiple galleries, sell and purchase prints of my work; I loved it. The first year went by pretty quickly and before I knew it I was faced with the renewal fee. With all the great features I had been enjoying I gladly ponied up the $150 annual fee and went on with my SmugMug business. Now another year has gone by and they want another $150 from me. While I’ve enjoyed SmugMug, that is a lot of money to me, and I imagine it is to most people nowadays. If I was spending my time working as a photographer it would be completely worth it, but as a prosumer – not so much.

I was very upset when my membership was cancelled. I sulked around the house, mourning the loss of my site and the hundreds upon hundreds of processed photos I had uploaded. I tried to rationalize the continued use of the site, “But what about all my extended family that used it to view and purchase prints?” or “What about all the cool galleries I had created and the viewing options?”. After sleeping on it for a night, I see my arguments don’t really hold up. With Facebook, and now Google+, majority of my photos and videos are shared on social networking sites and the extra effort on the part of a viewer to click a link taking them away from their social site is one step too many for most. Yes, it was nice to order cheap prints but there are many other sites online I can utilize as well. This has also forced me to finally put a site together integrating my photography with my music, art, gaming, etc; which you’re looking at now.

So it’s been a great two years SmugMug. I’ll see you around.

-Garry