Online Photo Storage: Why I Use Flickr

In a world full of online photo hosting sites, which one is the best?

For me, Flickr has beaten out the competition and provides the greatest service as a result of these features:

1) It’s Free (well… mostly). For the everyday collector, Flickr allows up to 1,000 photos to be uploaded, organized, and shared at no cost. If your collection outgrows these constraints, the site allows you to upgrade your account to a PRO membership, which allows for unlimited uploads. The cost for Flickr PRO is around $50 per year (a little over $4 per month), which is a small price to pay for the enhanced site features and ad-free browsing. Joining the PRO account also unlocks advanced stats for your photos, a fun feature which I’ll come back to in just a bit.

2) Personalized Organization. Flickr offers a variety of built-in tools such as folders and groups to help organize any collection. The best part is the freedom Flickr provides, as the user can personalize their folders to display their collection any way they choose. For example, I’ve personally broken my collection down by medium: photos, cards, posters, etc. Perhaps you’d rather list your items by film? It’s all up to you — and Flickr allows you to do it all.

3) Statistics. One of the most interesting aspects of using Flickr can be found in the stats section of the site. This tab actually generates data on the views each of your uploaded photos get. Being a Flickr user for many years now, it has become clear to me that from the public’s perspective the most popular photos seem to showcase female Twi’leks and Boba Fett… I wonder why?

4) Tags. I’ve saved the best for last! My absolute favorite aspect of using Flickr is their option to give photos customized tags. Now, this might not seem like the most exciting tool, but these tags have made my life so much easier when prepping for upcoming signings. When it comes to my multi-signed projects, I’ve tagged each photo with the names of who still needs to sign the pieces in order to complete them. Using Flickr’s search feature, I can simply type in an actor/crew member’s name if a signing is announced and voila — all the pieces that need their autograph are listed as search results. It completely takes the risk away of forgetting to get a project signed!

If you have thoughts and opinions about using Flickr, or any other photo hosting site, please let us know in the comment section below. If you’d like to check out my Flickr page and see how I’ve utilized the above features, you can follow the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/palpatine1fan/albums