RFF Gallery: What do you use it for?

[OurManInTangier]

I've been a RFF Gallery user since my first day as a member here back in 2006. It's been a great way to improve my personal photography, to view some excellent images from other RFF photographers and to generally keep those creative juices going.

However, I recently decided that I needed to tidy up my work website and get rid of some of the images that are personal rather than work, as such I thought I should get another site dedicated to showing those images rather than point any interested people to my RFF gallery. The reason for this is mostly aesthetic ( I went for a Zenfolio account as I could essentially clone the look of my work site as well as the other features, such as easy album and slideshow set-ups, that turned my head toward them.) This set me to thinking about the Gallery here and places like Flickr and I'm curious as to what people here use the Gallery for most; storage? comments? a sense of community interaction? it's the best way to show off you pictures?

How and why do you use, either soley or in conjunction with another site, the gallery here at RFF? No fixed poll answers as such in this thread as I'm intrigued to here your reason or reasons.

Thanks
Simon

 

[Mackinaw]

I'v been uploading pictures to the RFF gallery since I first joined (2006?). Originally, I tried to add photos that were only taken with a rangefinder camera, though I've moved away from that idea in recent years. I have also always tried to put my better work on the Gallery. For no particular reason, I find myself using it less now.

Jim B.

 

[OurManInTangier]

Are you using Flickr or another online gallery instead Jim?

 

[Mackinaw]

I'm putting more of my photos on Flickr and on the Leica Users Group gallery. Actually, I've been putting most of my pictures on my Apple MobileMe gallery page, though I'm going to lose that option (I think) once iCloud comes out.

Jim B.

 

[FrankS]

No other on-line galleries, just a few pics in RFF, simply to prove that I actually do take pics. I'm not so keen on indiscriminate on-line sharing. Prints are my end product.

 

[f16sunshine]

I like to post more experiment type shots for feedback here. I have done the same on flikr but, flikr is sort of watered down. The gallery viewers here are much more sophisticated photographers than flik.

 

[ferider]

After a long time without, I decided today to start using them again - to make an RFF visit a little less about gear (for me).

 

[paulfish4570]

learning ...

 

[huntjump]

Same as paul. I use it to share, learn, critique, compliment and have fun

 

[back alley]

i put most of my shots on flickr and recently started an image only blog for some of my better edited stuff. i don't use the rff gallery...or facebook etc., too much work if at too many places.

 

[KEH]

This is a place with knowledgeable and civilized discussants. Always a buzz when something of mine gets noticed.

Kirk

 

[Keith]

The gallery is an important part of this forum and without it we would be much 'less.'

I love browsing and leaving comments with photos that interest me and really enjoy and value the feedback I get with my own images. The unique symbiosis between the gallery and the 'picks of the week' thread is long running and hopefully will remain so.

I love gear chat as much as anyone but the gallery and photgraphs is why I'm here because personally I can't stomach flickr! 🙂

 

[barnwulf]

I only have some of my work on RFF Gallery. I don't have a website or a blog or use any other image posting service. I am mostly a print person but I have enjoyed the encouraging comments that I have gotten here on RFF. It's interesting to see what others respond to and sometimes I am surprised that a few images that I like get almost no response. It's a learning experience. I have learned a lot by looking at the work of others and reading the responses. I really enjoy my time spent on RFF and I think the gallery if a very important part. Jim

 

[Peter^]

I don't post anywhere else but here. I like the "community" feeling. I've often thought about posting on flickr as well, but why the effort? I need the inspiration from the great work everybody is doing, and the feedback I get on my work. The highlight of my week is the "picks of the week" thread.

 

[gho]

1. There are quite some regulars in the gallery and it is interesting to follow their photographic output and developments.

2. The shared pictures and the accompanying comments in the gallery are helping me to train my photographic eye.

3. Feedback in the gallery is very helpful, constructive and appreciated.

4. It's fun. 🙂

In general there is quite a broad range of valuable information about various aspects of photography in the threads here, ranging from technical matters to composition and ethics.

 

[SciAggie]

... I have enjoyed the encouraging comments that I have gotten here on RFF. It's interesting to see what others respond to and sometimes I am surprised that a few images that I like get almost no response. It's a learning experience. I have learned a lot by looking at the work of others and reading the responses. I really enjoy my time spent on RFF and I think the gallery if a very important part. Jim

These are prety much my feelings. I use zenfolio for hosting my images online. I post images here for the feedback and comments. I have learned a great deal from viewing other's images and reading the associated comments.

 

[Frank Petronio]

While I like to read the comments, I don't think they are particularly constructive outside of getting positive feedback.

I think it is a good idea to put small portfolios of work up in various online venues as a way to market oneself, to be more prominent in search engines, and in case of a huge disaster, to at least have some 800-pixel wide versions of your finest work floating around in cyberspace, even if we get nuked tonight.... sort of a survivalist ideal.

The other nice aspect of the RFF is that it is free and I can hotlink the images to other places, like QT's large-format photo forum, when I want to post an image there. It's easier than Flickr in this regard.

However... the RFF site performance has recently grown so dismal and tedious that I am posting less and less often because it take so long! I really don't enjoy this site nearly as much because it is so darn SLOW.

 

[lynnb]

I use the gallery to see through other photographers' eyes and learn, which helps refine my own way of seeing. RFF members are more visually literate than most, so even the number of image views is useful feedback.
The gallery is also a friendly, supportive and polite community for sharing experimental ideas and supporting each others' efforts. It's a visual conversation and many of the participants have interesting things to say.
The gallery user size limit means I now just post small images with links to larger ones on Flickr. (Anyone know how to delete your own images from the gallery? It would be useful to edit out the dross).
When I get around to it, I'll set up my own web gallery for selling my prints. RFF will continue to be a great place for sharing ideas and support. A special thank to the mods for keeping it that way!

 

[dct]

I like to browse the RFF galleries and learn from the fellows here.

Having a small website already before joining RFF, my few public images are there and not here. I use the gallery in RFF only for inline images in posts, because I really dislike external links which becomes death some times 😡

I try to avoid that situation in my posts.

 

[Greyscale]

The gallery user size limit means I now just post small images with links to larger ones on Flickr. (Anyone know how to delete your own images from the gallery? It would be useful to edit out the dross).

Lyyne, if you view the image that you want to delete, click on the "edit" icon beneath the image. On the "edit" screen, you will see a checkbox that allows you to delete the image.