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Passwords and Hints
Pure Energy
Registered Users Posts: 180 Major grins
I'm looking for guidance for passwords and hints for galleries of events on my SmugMug page. The latest consensus is that selling prints online is tough, but once someone finds your site there are options for those password protected galleries that will either make it easier or harder for someone to view your photos. A password that is:
- So simple even a caveman can figure it out, such as, where were the photos shot, team mascot, etc.
- A combination password most caveman can figure out, but not all because is there a space in between words? in between the year and word? etc.
- More secure that involves random letters and numbers that pretty much insures that people will have to contact someone else if they don't know it.
- Some other idea?
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You are shooting public events as I understand it, not personal Boudoir Portraits.
I have been forced on a couple occasions shooting kids performances to put passwords on galleries I have posted online and I made them as simple as possible. I put a hint right on the page that any stranger to the event could figure out. Despite the stupidity of virtually putting the password on the site, the powers that be that insisted on it said nothing.
Clearly it was based more on a mentality than an actual concern or understanding.
I don't believe in "Protecting" galleries of photos that were taken where any person could walk off the street and see what was happening or take their own pics.
It is merely an impediment to my business of selling images and not in my interests.
It's also a fundamentally flawed and illogical idea with no benefit to anyone.
Personally, I'm leaning towards password protecting aquatic sports and maybe the banquets for high school sports. Although, if you're local or aware of the teams, the password might be easy to figure out. Kind of opposite from the best use of password protection as I'd be more worried about the person next door, not someone 3000 miles away. All other sports/events may be by request only. As for age-group sports below high school level... I just might password protect irregardless of sport.
It really sounds like Australia is a bit different when it comes to posting photos online. Everyone seems pre-occupied with "what can happen" over here (i.e. some hs pole vaulter or worse). What were your simple passwords and hints?
Another Aussie here.
I have only password protected galleries of private functions or of school events where I was in my capacity as a teacher at that school. At our school, parents must give permission for photos of their children to be used for editorial/promotional purposes outside of school environment.
I take sports on weekends - both senior and junior. Although I am still taking photos of the same kids, it is in a public event, not school organised/run and I am not there as a teacher. No password protected galleries for these and these photos make up 95% of my website. In Australia junior sport is generally not organised/run by schools but rather by community based clubs.
Back to password issue. I try to make them short - simple - easy to remember by the participants.
eg one wedding had drinks on a boat so my password was "love boat"
another wedding was between two from farming backgrounds - so password was "farm hands"
another had the bride and groom leaving for jobs overseas - so password as "over seas"
another between a plumber and graphic designer - so password "tap and go"
school sports meet was "kcs run" (kcs were intials of the school)
school formal (bit like your school proms) was "lamrof" (formal backwards)
If I was going to have a number of galleries of a particular team (say games for the season), I wouldn't have a different password for each game. I would use the same password that would apply to every game for that team/group.
So for the Kansas City High School basketball under 12's I might use "Tiger cubs 12"
I can see Glort's point of view. Password protection would only be used because it was a requirement of my being allowed to shoot the event. If you are really into maximising sales, then a password is one more impediment ... but you know your environment. You will know what obligations you have regarding posting photos. In Australia, it just isn't an issue (so long as you don't post something which is clearly inappropriate and likely to defame or cause lose of reputation)
www.acecootephotography.com
What is the real concern, that some sicko may look at the pics of their kids?
Firstly, if they wanted to do that they could go walk through the local shopping centre and see all the kids they wanted. They could also go to the local sports field on the weekend and blend in with the crowd and take all the pics they wanted. These people don't walk round with raincoats on and stand out like sore thumbs, they look like everyone else.
Secondly, I find the notion that some weirdo is going to look at kids playing sports to get their jollys idiotic. It's a bit like a teenager wanting to look at naked women buying a gardening magazine. It's not what they want or are after.
The Net is crawling with all sorts of sick and perverted kiddy porn and those that are twisted enough to be into it know where to how and where to find a huge supply of it. I have seen it first hand and it really is frightening and uncompromisable how anyone would want to look at it.
What I saw also came exclusively from eastern block countries where the law or upholding of it is slack and so are moral standards. When there are pick of young kids available doing all sorts of unthinkable things, why the hell would any waste of oxygen interested in this stuff be looking at kids dressed in sports clothing or even in a bathing costume?
It's irrational.
To think that they are going to be interested in kids doing normal things like playing sports is again the same as the hormonal teenager going to a senior citizen dance to satisfy their lust.
There will always be one parent that bitches about something and wants to cause a problem no matter what you do or how well you do it.
I refuse to be a party to their stupidity by bending over to accommodate and perpetuate their irrational demands. If they are so worried about someone seeing their kid, then keep them safely locked indoors where no one can see them at all because that's all that will really protect their kids from the danger they are creating in their own mind that does not add up with reality.
I have also had the argument put to me that some kids may have a parent trying to find them against the other parents wishes etc. I came across info that here in oz, that applies to less than 1 in 100,000 kids.
As such, I don't make the rules for the exceptions and the parent shouldn't be letting the kid out in public if they are so concerned. If someone dosen't want their kid Photographed, they will soon come tell me. So far in all the years I have been shooting kids sports I have had to tell me they didn't want their kid photographed. Both times it was because they didn't want to buy pictures and thought they were obligated to if I took them not any safety concern for their kids.
But playing devils advocate, again the argument is full of holes.
If the other parent didn't know the where about of the kid, what are they going to do, look at every photographers website in the country and troll tens of thousands of images to find a image of the kid they are looking for? Much easier to just pose as someone in authority and ring schools and ask for the kid by name I'd say.
The reality here is that this sort of crap is as I say sensationalist media beat up but that creates the impression there is a dozen boogie men hanging out on every street corner just waiting to prey on YOUR kid. When you talk to a lot of parents, they think its crap as well. At least the properly educated ones that don't think Judge Judy is anything more than TV entertainment.
As a parent of 2 kids, mine have had more pictures of them on the net in all sorts of different places than most. They have done advertisements and promotions on the web and in print.
IF someone is going to look at them and get their Jollies, what am I going to do, ruin their lives by never letting them out of the house?
I guess I better keep my Mrs locked up as well in case she walks past a building site or a horny teenager and they have carnal thoughts about her. And geez, I better stay inside myself because any woman that found me attractive really would need a lot of mental help and I'd possibly be in more danger than the rest of my family!!
The paranoia is moronic and plays right into the hands of the do gooders that are making life so damned complicated and everyone appear to be some sort of a criminal, especially if you have a camera.
They can go take a running jump as far as I'm concerned.
Yeah Pure, the only time I'd recommend a password is if it was required to shoot the event. You're not gonna lose any sales from those few irrational parents.
If I use a team password, then they'll have to enter a different password for the league or championship galleries if I end up shooting a game they aren't in. (i.e. Game 1 has team 1&2, game 2 has team 3&4 = minimum 2 team passwords needed for the season... one of which could work for league meet... i.e. track & field)
If I use a league champion or league host password it will unlock all games in that league for the season and if similar to other years... those years as well. Example being, the league champion password for that year could unlock galleries five years from now but not the most recent ones.
If someone doesn't know the league champion or host for that year, then they will end up guessing who it is and unlocking more galleries than I prefer.
If I use a where was it shot / location password then I could end up having multiple passwords for the same season (and would then open up galleries from other years shot at the same location). [OR IS THE PASSWORD SUB-CATEGORY SPECIFIC? and would have to be re-entered, even if the same, under a similar sub-category under the same category?]
So, it seems that a season password for a league that only works for one year and not multiple years seem best. That would then only be four passwords if they competed all four years in high school.
Glort is completely correct about passwords being ridiculous, but when it comes to shooting less than a certain age for sports such as swimming and water polo, I think a good password will be appreciated and help keep some distance between the photographer and from the idiots.