Shoot it...

Quick question for MadridMan after seeing Eddie's pics yesterday. I have just bought a digital camera and joined the modern world, after throwing away both my pin-hole and Box Brownie things.

Not being very technically minded, I have just about worked out how to use the damn thing, but would it be possible for board members to have a designated spot on this site where we could post photos of anything interesting to do with Spain? (With the occasional naked lady thrown in, of course!
)

This is a GREAT idea, Anchovy Front! However, about 9 months ago I moved up to the "Higher Traffic/Larger Hard Drive Space" account and all this "goodness" costs me $50/month (I'm also hosting 2 other websites at half that rate -- all total = $100/month. oh, Plus the internet connection which will soon be $40/month with Road Runner) And worse yet, I'm nearing the end of my HD space already. I suppose I could move up to the NEXT level of service from my webhost, but it'll cost even more.

Another problem is that many people often take HIGH resolution photos with digital camera and these file sizes can be as large or larger than 1mb each. Add to that if that same person has a high speed internet connection and doesn't notice the amount of files sent to a server and before you know it that person has sent/uploaded 20mb in 10-20 photos.

At the moment, I only have a pokey dialup connect and have my email account setup to NOT receive files greater than 100K since people have been known to send me all their vacation photos (without warning). Besides, if I did/could receive the files/photos, I'd have to rescale them, make thumbnails, transition pages, and then upload them all again. It's a lot of work and a lot of maintenance.

How about this for an alternative (won't be a popular one, I'm sure). How about if I make a new site for Spain-Travelers' photos. Unfortunately, I don't think I could make this a free service with the webhost costs and time involved and I'm not so sure anyone would want to pay to post/upload their photos. Then I'd have to get into payment methods, etcetera. Ugh.

Anyone else have ideas on this topic? I'd be happy to entertain any thoughts/suggestions you might have. Thanks! And thanks for the idea, AF.

Saludos, MadridMan

Anchovy, MadridMan,

There are a lot of locations that members can use, that are free. They can set up their own pages, uploading pictures to that location, and use links back to the MadridMan site. Then, all that would actually exist here would be the links, and maybe a small "blurb" about what the linked pages contain.

Fishy guy! Here's one link where you can set up the "freebies" at.... check it out dude!
http://www.beads2u.com/link2.html

Wolf

Wot! Not even one naked lady??

Thanks for the swift response chaps.I had a feeling it wasn't as easy as that, or else you would have done it already, MM. One question, though.... how many hours do you get in your day? I would need at least thirty six just to get through half of what you achieve! You have the admiration and gratitude of everyone, but you know that anyway!

Wolf, I will certainly attempt to get started with that site you kindly posted and maybe frighten everyone to death with Anchovy's police department mugshots everywhere, together with views of snow on the hills near Estepona. (A white sprinkling visible from my house on the coast this morning - remember, all we Brits talk about is the weather )

Anchovy,

Weather and "nekked" ladies....

Isn't that the two things talked about? Now, on your pages you can put up just about anything you want... as long as it's in good taste... Of course, no dirty dishes in the sink, and things like that..... Nobody likes "dirty" pics...

Lots of shots.... even those from the post office sound like a winner...

Wolf (Who would like to see how others visualize Spain.)

Anchovy Front wants: "a designated spot on this site where we could post photos of anything interesting to do with Spain (with the occasional naked lady thrown in, of course)"
This is too chauvinistic - think of how the persons of the female persuasion will view your proposal; and
Serious photographers don't just 'throw in' naked ladies - they build an aura around the unclad female figure and make it the central point of the photo.
BTW
I haven't taken my digital camera to Spain yet, maybe in February.

Eddie,

I understand what you're saying, the same effect would be gained by using links from a specific page within the MadridMan site since the photos themselves wouldn't reside on the front page anyway. It's really not any different than it would be if the pics were housed on site with MadridMan, since he'd have to squirrel them away on pages of his own. Why not having the members "share" the involvement by furnishing their own pages which are free instead of MadridMan paying for them? If the pics are tasteful, what would be wrong with that approach? Heck, you're already posting pics and your link to them was fantastic. What more could we ask then a plathera of interesting pics from Spain, that we could peruse any time we wanted?

Rest assured, Anchovy was joking about the naked ladies. I'd laugh the same if it was one of our ladies saying they wanted to post pics of Antonio Banderas or myself in a speed-o.... I don't think Antonio could handle the humiliation...

Wolf (Who isn't certain speedo-o's come in his size... )

Have any of you ever tried browsing through the pics at multimadrid.com?? Not to take away from this site, though, it's wonderful. I haven't seen anything yet to match these two sites.

There are thousands (??) of pics on there of Madrid, maybe you could team up with each other on a photos page. If you examing the site closely, you can email the pics you may have and they may get put up on the site. There are photos on there of things from the Plaza to laundromats to the sheep(s). Jer will even take photos for you of anything you want for a fee.

The problem with the free sites is that they only give you 5 MB or so of space, so you wouldn't be able to fit many pics.

But, as someone suggested before, members of the forum could upload their photos themselves and link to them.
I would much prefer the thumbnail method on the main site, though, as it is the most reliable and easy to use method.

Just some suggestions.

Ben
pbchamp@intercom.net

"Antonio Banderas or myself in a speed-o...." to quote Wolf -now there's an idea

Preface with I know nada about digitial cameras and web site links - but the free space, albeit limited, and links to MM site makes a lot of sense. Perhaps under a forum designated as Pictures - or "eat your hearts out those of you not here!"

Gentlemen, please! It is universally known that the key to all sensuality is subtelty!

Allright, moving on to a more technical issue ... If any of you have access to adobe photoshop (I think version 5.0 and higher), you can create an automated web gallery with thumbnails, pages and links .. lickety-split, in a just a few minutes. Then ftp this to some freebie host somewhere, and you're good to go.

But you still need to shoot at a lower resolution so as to not exceed your MB limit. Anchovy Front, you can set up your digital camera to shoot at the lowest resolution, which for most recent model cameras is way more than you need for internet use.

The other key is judicious editing: does everyone really want to see ALL of your photos? (Speedo not withstanding?) When you have to scan your photos, you end up doing that anyway, just out of laziness.

Wolf, who wants Antonio Banderas when we can get an eyeful of our handsome host every day?

churrito

Churrocaliente: GULP! :o (blush!)

You have some good ideas on how to make web pages with thumbnails. Ahhh.. This will have to be on the ol' "MadridMan's Spain-Related Websites" project board. The darn board is FULL as it is! I'd love to make a place, like Club Photo, where everyone could upload their favorite Spain photos for free. Ahhh.. Projects!

Gosh MM, I agree with Wolf, wouldn't it better to take the expense and burden away from you? How many hours in the day are there in Ohio? And this with a day job? (I think?) Holy chorizo, that is remarkable! Anyway, I think I speak for all of us -- your site and dedication is truly appreciated.

And churrocaliente, that gets us back to the always fascinating question: what DOES MadridMan do as his "day job"? Maybe we should scour the postings on the board for clues, and pay careful attention to when he's online and posting, and figure it out!

I, for one, am curious. He writes well and gets irked at himself for misspellings, so maybe he's a high-school English teacher. But then when would he have time for grading, with all the time on the board?

Anyway, I know this has been brought up before, and it's not related to this thread, really...just silly babbling before heading off to bed here in snowy Minnesota!!

What does MM do?

Hmmm...will we ever find out?

HOLY CHORIZO, MADRIDMAN!! Hahahahaa...

Doesn't Yahoo still "house" photos? There's always www.ClubPhoto.com , but they only host for 6-12 months max and then you have to pay.

As for what I do as my "Day Job", I really can't/shouldn't say. Let's just say it's NOT a high-level job at all (in fact, sadly, I'm at the bottom in my office, but TRYING to move up), but is rather flexible (it would HAVE to be for as much as I like to travel), have a GREAT boss whom I consider a very good friend, and blah blah blah... I can't think of a more boring topic, really. hehhee.. I suppose you MIGHT (but doubt it) find a few more clues on the " All About MadridMan " bio page.

NOW! Back to MUCH more interesting topics about Spain..... Saludos, MadridMan

Hi everyone, on the subject of digital cameras and uploading photo's to a free site, it's a great idea. I am sure many members will give this a try. I have just bought one of these cameras and am just getting used to it and printing off photo's, I have noticed that the file size for just one is really huge, so will go with the advice given on a lower quality print. As I will be in Barcelona next week I will take a few photo's of the most interesting sites and try to post them onto this free site to see if it works. Watch out for my next post on the subject.
Sue.

Hi Suepycroft,

Another thing to keep in mind is that the larger the file size, the less images you can store either in your camera or the disk that you insert in the camera.

If any software came with your camera, you might be able to save your images at a lower resolution or for "email" usage, which is just fine for posting onto the web. This way you can still shoot at a higher res, but "save as" at a lower.

Looking forward to seeing your pix! Have a wonderful time in Barcelona!

Churrito

Not to digress from the subject of Spain, but one last thing ...

taravb, does the phrase "international man of mystery" ring a bell?

Yes, churrocaliente, I think our very own MadridMan may be living a DOUBLE LIFE as a groovy, swinging agent for the British intelligence service!

Shagadelic!
Tara

OH COME ON!! :o (I think I'm REALLY blushing!)

Ladies..... come on now! We all know MadridMan went to Ohio State University. He also refers to "vacations" as taking "leave." That eliminates a lot of jobs, don't it?

Now we're left with military (can't be right, or he wouldn't have referred to the person he works for as his "boss.") and basically government, where they are granted up to 30 days leave... hmmmmm! Tell you anything? Federal government not state or local, boss, not "Colonel," or anything like that, so... we now know he's a civil servant.

Let's see... online nights only... a day job for sure. Doesn't own a shirt.. poor paying job for sure... Then there's the ubiquitos tone of what he says.

I got it! He's a janitor at the post office! That would fit right in with his degree from OSU, which is the "hated enemy" of my alma mater... University of Wisconsin!

Wolf (Who thinks he really knows, but ain't telling nobody! :p )

I had forgotten the OSU clue, Wolf...that pretty much rules out being a spy. Ohioans are pretty easy to read (not like the crafty Minnesotans up here).

The janitor thing is intriguing, but his hands look pretty clean every time he waves at the camera. And he's not been wearing a mask or gloves, so he can't work for the P.O.

He does log on during the day, it seems, so he must have a computer. But he doesn't seem to wear glasses...so it's either contacts or he doesn't stare at the screen enough to mess up his vision.

Oh, this is fun. Poor MadridMan...I get the feeling he gets embarrassed easily (which means he's not an exotic dancer...but the no-shirt thing?).

Tara

OH MY GOD!!! THIS IS GETTING OUT OF CONTROL!!! We need to start a new thread or a whole new forum category: MADRID MAN: EMPLOYMENT ENIGMA.

Hey, hey now don't go making MM self-conscious about not wearing a t-shirt, ok?



PS -- I also have a job in which I can goof off and post during the day. Flexible travel schedule and a great boss. I also work on websites at night ... but I STILL have no clue as to mm's employment.

[ 11-29-2001: Message edited by: churrocaliente ]

What a fun and interesting thread! Thought it should be resurrected...

Any more thoughts on the photo idea - can we create this site-content our own and just provide the link here on the MM message board?

MM, would you want to create a new category - "Photographs". A little space to link the photos documenting our experiences...

Just a thought.

What a fun and interesting thread! Thought it should be resurrected...

Any more thoughts on the photo idea - can we create this site-content our own and just provide the link here on the MM message board?

MM, would you want to create a new category - "Photographs". A little space to link the photos documenting our experiences...

Just a thought.

Hi JJP!


I actually HAVE given it some more thought and have registered a new domain name PERFECT for such a "venture" (I won't tell you what it is just yet), but can't see this happening anytime soon. I have another website I'm developing as well as plans for additions/updates for MadridMan.com and on and on... Ugh. IF ONLY I could dedicate all my waking hours to doing this stuff I love so much and NOT have to work a REAL job. hehehe....

Unfortunately, I can't provide space on the MadridMan.com server -- it's nearly full as it is and photos take up a lot of space and new websites require time (and money) to put together.

As for a new category, I think I'd rather have people create threads in the "Spain Related Media" forum and direct people to sites which "house" their vacation photos of Spain.

I welcome more discussion on this topic. It's a good one. Thanks for bringing it back to the top, JJP! By the way, on my next trip to Madrid/Spain for Semana Santa (if it works out -- I'm having trouble redeeming my Frequent Flier miles with Delta -- desired dates NOT available. ARGH!! ), I hope to be equipped with a new, handy-dandy digital camera (still and video) -- I've been cursed with an expensive 35mm camera these past 3 years which only takes CRUMMY photos (but can't afford a new one) so they look even worse after being scanned. I'll have to "bite the bullet" (or take out a loan! ) and get something good for the nex trip.

Saludos, MadridMan

Totally understand the HD issue. Great, we can all use the "...Related Media" section.

I just bought Photoshop 6.0 - I'll have to check out the great advice from above to set up my little site of photos ... Anyone already do this and care to offer some tips or a heads-up - THANKS !!!

... ... ...

MM: Let us all know what you decide on for the digital camera (one of the new still/motion). Like you - because I like to do a lot of traveling - I'm also on a budget when I buy these expensive "little toys."

ANyone thought about (dare I say it) using Yahoo groups for a piccy gallery.
Yahooo gives me a healthy 30 megs in my briefcase, its easy to upload , well with DSL, it dont cost anything. And I think to make a group is easy too, I got picys of El escorial on http://photos.yahoo.com/pjti . I just dump my pictures so my family can see them easier than by emailing.

Just a thought, anyway yahoo groups cant compare with the MM site.

How does he do it ???

[ 01-21-2002: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

Desmo,

Except that the link said you didn't exist (just an error...) , this is a great idea. I think I'll still try to get my hands around Photoshop's options, but this should be a quick and easy short-cut!

Thanks

OOPs, I think somebody made a booboo. theres a *dot* too many on the url. Should be http://photos.yahoo.com/pjti

A lot of junk up there as I was in Uk at Xmas and scanned in piccys of my mispent youth and all my motorbikes.

Anyway I just use this to store my piccies, the I know where they are and can unload the camera.
Other members get the option of viewing as thumbnails and to view in slideshow, also full screen. This can a bit slow with big pics and 56k connection Uploading is easy if you use the yahho upload tool as it lets u dump all of your pictures in one hit, but more useful is the selective method. Once online they can be edited (enhanced) useful if like me you always send them in sideways mode round or deleted.
I did try a to make group but got some of it wrong. Basically we start a group, people log in as members. Members say "hey check out my pics at http://photos.yahoo.com/theirname and we rush off too their personal briefcase where they have up to 30 megs of high quality shots of this beautiful country. Tricky bit is they have to have yahho account, they need to upload the piccies and whats more we dont want to get bombarded porn from other users or sites. If you are interested anyone let me know and I'll try to get the control bit under control.

I'll post if I get it working. I think its esp-pics@yahoo.groups. have ta check,

Bye, its abeuatiful day in El Escorial

[ 01-21-2002: Message edited by: desmo ]

Ok Try This
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/esp-pics


It works ok now, take a look please, let me know.

[ 01-21-2002: Message edited by: desmo ]

Hey! Thanks for setting that up, desmo!! Hopefully everyone who has their images ready to send will do so.

Those who are interested can view my Madrid 2000 Trip photos HERE on the ClubPhoto.com site. They recently went from being FREE to a PAID site and I paid in order to NOT lose the previously loaded photos of my 2000/2001 Perú trip. View them at the link above.

Saludos, MadridMan