Ofoto, My Fotos

I got an email from Ofoto.com where I've stored hundreds of photos online. What did they want from me? Ofoto, my fotos . . . . (and other online photo stories)

I've been using Ofoto.com for free for close to two years now. I've created more than 30 albums and uploaded more than 500 photos. I use Ofoto free services to share my photos with friends and family. That way, I just send them a link to the online album instead of sending a ton of photos. Try this on Ofoto: Ka Edong sa Malaysia

Ofoto has paid services too which I've abstained from using all these years. You can have prints made, put borders, put a frame (a whole slew of frames to chose from like wood, metal plastic, glass in many styles) and then have them all delivered to a specified address. For a price, of course.

And then I get an email from Ofoto. After two years of freeloading, I was asked to buy something. Anything.

Since I'm so kuripot, I plan to purchase online...
ONE wallet-size print, without any borders, without any frame, addressed to friends (mag-asawa para share sila) in the US (low shipping cost) and I'll tell them it's an advance Christmas gift from my wife and myself. Tipiiiid, 'ne?

But for some photos, I used Yahoo!Photos instead of Ofoto. Ofoto asks visitors to log-in kasi although its not required. Thus, some of my Ofoto visitors hesitate, thinking that they'll be asked to buy or pay. At least with Yahoo!Photos, the visitors don't need to sign in for anything.

My wife and I are also avid Mirror Project fans.

The Mirror Project is a growing community of like-minded individuals who have photographed themselves in all manner of reflective surfaces.

Maya and I upload a couple of photos every now and then, for approval of Heather, the webmaster of Mirror Project. It's fun. There are many Mirror Project Pinoys too.

For the recent May Elections, I began a Eleksyon 2004 - a photo blog on Phlog.net. Photos are sent to the Phlog.net via email. What's fun about it is that I'm able to mobile photo blog through Brosia, my SmartPhone. I'd take a picture through my camera phone, compose an email and attach the photo, send the email via gprs, and viola! My photo and caption are instantly available on the web! Fun, huh! The thing is, it got quite expensive. Like around 10 pesos per post (for a 40Kb photo).

Lastly, here are two Pinoy photo portals which I'd like to try out in the near future: Photo.net.ph and Photos.ph. First impressions tell me that contributors to these sites are less "album, personal candid shots" types kind of people. There are a lot of good photos here, nicely composed. The homepage of Photos.ph has a collage of photos -- fun, just reload again and again!

I wonder when I'll have photos nice enough to post there. Soon. Soon. ;-) BTW, Both sites are vying for the "Community/Portal" Category of the Philippine Web Awards. (They're competing head on with Airfagev, a smartphone community which I'm a part of.)

As heather of the Mirror Project always ends her emails ... Keep taking pictures, baby!

- Edwin

Read: The Yellow Monster - a photo printer story, Look Ma, No Wires!