Smugmug Vanity - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

10/10/2007 12:33:10 PM · #1

I thought the following tip might be useful for others that are using Smugmug as the hosting site for their business.

The way I use smugmug, I generally have a Share Group for a given couple and then many folders under it. The individual folders are meant to help my customers find the pictures they are looking for (wedding ceremony, bridals, engagements, etc), without having to wade through hundreds of other pictures.

BUT... I don't want their pictures directly accessible to just anyone that stumbles on my web site. So I make their folders private. But I don't want hundreds of "locked" folders visible all over my web site either. So I simply make them private, without a password.

The trick is ... anyone that knows the URL for what smugmug calls a Share Group can then find all of the folders that belong to that Share Group.

The downside to Share Groups ... is that the URL is long, it's ugly, and it's hard to remember.

Here is an example Share Group URL:

//www.dterryphotography.com/share/MSdoel5HdGG4s

But now, through a little bit of Javascript magic, Smugmug does Vanity URLs!

Here's a link to that same set of folders in an easier-to-remember form:

//www.dterryphotography.com/ChaseAndHeidi

The advantage is that, Chase and Heidi can now easily remember both my web site name, and the location to their pictures and can tell their friends and family where to go to find the pictures.

To read more about Vanity URLs on smugmug, click here.

digitalpins

Canon EOS-60D

10/10/2007 12:46:42 PM · #2

very nice little option I never knew about thanks alot :)

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

10/10/2007 01:06:28 PM · #3

Ah, interesting!
Do you have to have the "Pro" subscription to use this?

Nikon D200

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

10/10/2007 01:08:55 PM · #4

Originally posted by kirbic:

Ah, interesting!
Do you have to have the "Pro" subscription to use this?

Pro or Power, yes.

Neil

Fujifilm X-T30

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

10/10/2007 01:21:23 PM · #5

Great! Thanks for pointing that out!

Smugmug works great but they don't exactly make it easy to customize. I managed to customize mine, but it took digging around their forums. You would think they would have "templates" at the ready to implement the basic "customized" pro website.

(You can get to mine, for anyone interested, as //www.nrshapiro.com)

Message edited by author 2007-10-10 13:22:29.

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

10/10/2007 01:42:46 PM · #6

Coolio, thanks, I'm going to remember that!

I did the locked gallery method this time. After most of the excitement was finished at the reception and everyone was relaxing a bit, I visited each of the tables and took a couple of photos at each one. When I was finished, I put one or two cards at each setting and/or handed them out (with the bride's permission). They were just business cards I picked up at the Office Depot with a pre-printed B&W floral. I simply printed something to the effect of "So-n-So's wedding photos will be available at www....com. the password is 1234." I featured the gallery, so it would be easy to see.

I like your idea too, but I do like having the password on those cards, just in case people are touchy about having their photos out in the interweb.

JenniferDavidGA

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

10/10/2007 02:31:05 PM · #7

Thanks for posting this. I have been wondering about that for a while now. I suck at coding so I would have never figured that out on my own.

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

10/10/2007 03:09:21 PM · #8

Originally posted by Strikeslip:

I like your idea too, but I do like having the password on those cards, just in case people are touchy about having their photos out in the interweb.

I just tell them that the folders themselves are private. Nobody can "find" them, except by going through their URL. I, too, distribute cards. I have them out next to the slide show (which always garners a lot of attention on its own). The cards are customized for each wedding couple, such as this one:

Front:

Back:

Notice the long ugly URL? Well... thanks to this "Vanity URL" idea, I won't have to put the long ugly URL on there any more. Nor will I need any kind of explanation about case sensitivity or interpretting 1's vs l's or 0's vs O's. YEAH! :-)

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

10/10/2007 03:36:44 PM · #9

Originally posted by dwterry:

Originally posted by Strikeslip:
I like your idea too, but I do like having the password on those cards, just in case people are touchy about having their photos out in the interweb.

I just tell them that the folders themselves are private. Nobody can "find" them, except by going through their URL. I, too, distribute cards. I have them out next to the slide show (which always garners a lot of attention on its own). The cards are customized for each wedding couple, such as this one:

Front: Back:

Notice the long ugly URL? Well... thanks to this "Vanity URL" idea, I won't have to put the long ugly URL on there any more. Nor will I need any kind of explanation about case sensitivity or interpretting 1's vs l's or 0's vs O's. YEAH! :-)

Suh-weet! I see. :-)

You must have everything down to clockwork to find the time to set up a slide show at the reception. I was busting ass to get the "formals" done between the ceremony and the reception, then be to the reception before the B&G to get the "introductions". I barely had time to swap memory card and flash batteries, haha. But I was grinning from ear to ear the entire time. :-)

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

10/10/2007 03:51:11 PM · #10

Originally posted by Strikeslip:

You must have everything down to clockwork to find the time to set up a slide show at the reception.

Yeah, it only works if there are a couple of hours in between when I finish with the B&G and when the reception starts. Luckily, here in Utah, many weddings are done in the morning or very early afternoon with the reception in the evening. So I'm usually finished with the couple by around 2pm. Then I have my laptop in the van ... I process the photos via Lightroom and show them using ProShow Gold. And have everything done in time to be at the reception by about 4:30 (I tell them I want group photos starting at 5:00 so this gives me time to set up the projector or LCD and also get my lights set up to take pictures).

It's a mad rush ... but I find I enjoy the pressure! :-)

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

10/10/2007 04:07:31 PM · #11

Originally posted by dwterry:

It's a mad rush ... but I find I enjoy the pressure! :-)

Ha, we're alike that way. I've been called an adreneline-junky at work, for the times things get hectic and most others crumble under the pressure. I blame my slack attitude.