As per the conversation above, when uploading a photo to any NPN IC gallery - including the regional group IC galleries - you now have an option to include the URL to the page on your website where you offer a print of the photo for sale. Filling in the field enables a Purchase Print text link to appear with your photo just under the View Larger Photo link. It also makes the photo appear in the new Nature Prints Gallery, a link to which can be found in the Shop drop-down menu in the navigation header. So the photo will appear in (1) the original gallery it was uploaded to; (2) the All Photos Gallery and (3) the Nature Prints Gallery (minus the comments). The Purchase Print link will appear in all galleries.
If after posting the photo you decide not to offer a print, you can use the edit function and delete the URL, which will disable the Purchase Print link and remove the photo from the Nature Prints Gallery.
In the same way, you can update a photo that you have already posted and add the Purchase Print URL via the edit function.
Any photo with the Purchase Print activated can also be assigned to your Personal Gallery and kept in your gallery and the Nature Prints Gallery indefinitely. You can now have up to 250 photos in your Personal Gallery.
Because the Nature Prints Gallery is intended solely as a showcase for our members to sell prints of their photos, no comments appear or can be posted in that gallery.
Finally, we have made the Photo Marketing and Digital Imaging forums viewable only to NPN members. These forums will serve as resources for our members to discuss marketing, photo printing technique, etc.
We hope you find this new membership benefit useful for promoting your photography products!
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on November 14, 2010 at 10:09 AM
I'm in Jim. Should be interesting to see where this goes.
Posted by Jim Erhardt on November 14, 2010 at 6:53 PM
Some great ideas being posted - keep 'em coming!
Posted by Greg Lessard on November 20, 2010 at 6:55 AM
Thanks Jim. This is great!
Posted by Greg Lessard on November 20, 2010 at 7:35 AM
Ok Jim. I have posted a photo. I am not sure that I have done it correctly. I have posted the photo of Bass Harbor Light on this page: http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=ap3
Is that the correct place?
Also, I may have done it wrong, but I tried to edit my existing photos from my portfolio to include the for sale link. There was no option for that. Would you please put up detailed instructions for us?
Is there a limit to how many photos we can post per day? I would love to link all of my photos to my website for sale, but I don't want to overload the NENP forum. Is there a way to do that without posting photos for discussion? I am sorry if I am missing obvious stuff here. Thank you in advance for your help!
Sincerely,
Greg
Posted by Doug Roane on November 20, 2010 at 8:22 AM
Hey Jim,
I think this is a great idea and I myself would find it useful. My only concern is this: There are already a few who are posting in the critique galleries who, in my estimation, seem to be posting purely to market their work or workshops, with no real desire to have their work constructively critiqued. In rare cases, and I can't give you any specific examples, an individual like this has even gotten defensive when constructive criticism is offered. I'm not saying any of this happens frequently, but it may have some unintended consequences of the critique galleries being more of a place for kudos rather than critique. This happens alot, as it is, which is fine, but the unique thing about NPN's critique galleries is that I and many others feel free to offer constructive criticism, and people expect it and value it in many cases. Too much showcasing may dilute the constructive nature of the galleries. Just something to think about. Sorry I didn't see this to comment sooner.
Doug
Posted by Larry Fischer on November 20, 2010 at 8:38 AM
Won't mean much to me.... compared to the rest I'm still very much an amateur....
But for those who have arrived I think it is a GREAT feature of membership.
the fisch
Posted by Jim Erhardt on November 20, 2010 at 8:44 AM
Greg, this is a NPN IC Gallery feature only, not a PhotoPortfolios feature.
Your Bass Harbor Light posting looks just fine in the NENP IC Gallery! You can use the "purchase print" feature when posting in any NPN image critique gallery.
In terms of how many you can post in the IC galleries, no need to worry - the forum software will not allow you to exceed the one post per 48 hours limit in each gallery. So if you want, you could post one photo in each of NPN's IC galleries in one sitting, then do the same 48 hours later. That would be an odd way to do it, but that is essentially the posting limit. Please refer to our Posting Guidelines for additional information.
Posted by Jim Erhardt on November 20, 2010 at 8:51 AM
Doug, your point is a valid one.
This has always been the case - the vast majority post for constructive feedback, but some post simply to showcase. This has been going on for a long time and has always been a topic of conversation. Anyone who has joined NPN is free to post photos the way they see fit as long as they abide by the posting guidelines. While active participation in critique is strongly encouraged, there is really no way we can make it mandatory.
At the end of the day if we can spread nature appreciation through our photography to all of those who visit, then perhaps a greater cause is served.
Posted by Stan Rose on November 21, 2010 at 11:09 PM
I missed a lot of the earlier discussion, and i'm glad some of the original ideas were not implemented since like Doug I feel the explicit mixing of self-promotion and critique would be a disaster, it would lead to the petty cyber fights that NPN is famous for not having. But I think the plan as implenented could work, will wait and see... I do have reservations about the possible discouragement of critique, since that is what made NPN such a great resource for me personally, being able to get and give critique to some of the best without feeling like I was somehow harming one's business.
Discussion
10 repliesUpdate 11/19/'10
The new Nature Prints Gallery is now active!
As per the conversation above, when uploading a photo to any NPN IC gallery - including the regional group IC galleries - you now have an option to include the URL to the page on your website where you offer a print of the photo for sale. Filling in the field enables a Purchase Print text link to appear with your photo just under the View Larger Photo link. It also makes the photo appear in the new Nature Prints Gallery, a link to which can be found in the Shop drop-down menu in the navigation header. So the photo will appear in (1) the original gallery it was uploaded to; (2) the All Photos Gallery and (3) the Nature Prints Gallery (minus the comments). The Purchase Print link will appear in all galleries.
If after posting the photo you decide not to offer a print, you can use the edit function and delete the URL, which will disable the Purchase Print link and remove the photo from the Nature Prints Gallery.
In the same way, you can update a photo that you have already posted and add the Purchase Print URL via the edit function.
Any photo with the Purchase Print activated can also be assigned to your Personal Gallery and kept in your gallery and the Nature Prints Gallery indefinitely. You can now have up to 250 photos in your Personal Gallery.
Because the Nature Prints Gallery is intended solely as a showcase for our members to sell prints of their photos, no comments appear or can be posted in that gallery.
Finally, we have made the Photo Marketing and Digital Imaging forums viewable only to NPN members. These forums will serve as resources for our members to discuss marketing, photo printing technique, etc.
We hope you find this new membership benefit useful for promoting your photography products!
Is that the correct place?
Also, I may have done it wrong, but I tried to edit my existing photos from my portfolio to include the for sale link. There was no option for that. Would you please put up detailed instructions for us?
Is there a limit to how many photos we can post per day? I would love to link all of my photos to my website for sale, but I don't want to overload the NENP forum. Is there a way to do that without posting photos for discussion? I am sorry if I am missing obvious stuff here. Thank you in advance for your help!
Sincerely,
Greg
I think this is a great idea and I myself would find it useful. My only concern is this: There are already a few who are posting in the critique galleries who, in my estimation, seem to be posting purely to market their work or workshops, with no real desire to have their work constructively critiqued. In rare cases, and I can't give you any specific examples, an individual like this has even gotten defensive when constructive criticism is offered. I'm not saying any of this happens frequently, but it may have some unintended consequences of the critique galleries being more of a place for kudos rather than critique. This happens alot, as it is, which is fine, but the unique thing about NPN's critique galleries is that I and many others feel free to offer constructive criticism, and people expect it and value it in many cases. Too much showcasing may dilute the constructive nature of the galleries. Just something to think about. Sorry I didn't see this to comment sooner.
Doug
But for those who have arrived I think it is a GREAT feature of membership.
the fisch
Your Bass Harbor Light posting looks just fine in the NENP IC Gallery! You can use the "purchase print" feature when posting in any NPN image critique gallery.
In terms of how many you can post in the IC galleries, no need to worry - the forum software will not allow you to exceed the one post per 48 hours limit in each gallery. So if you want, you could post one photo in each of NPN's IC galleries in one sitting, then do the same 48 hours later. That would be an odd way to do it, but that is essentially the posting limit. Please refer to our Posting Guidelines for additional information.
This has always been the case - the vast majority post for constructive feedback, but some post simply to showcase. This has been going on for a long time and has always been a topic of conversation. Anyone who has joined NPN is free to post photos the way they see fit as long as they abide by the posting guidelines. While active participation in critique is strongly encouraged, there is really no way we can make it mandatory.
At the end of the day if we can spread nature appreciation through our photography to all of those who visit, then perhaps a greater cause is served.