Hi everyone - I've had a quick look at the chain of posts and agree a public platform of some form where we could all post pictures would be a useful innovation.

There is always the LDWA FaceBook site:
LDWA Facebook page
which is a closed group but open to all LDWA members. There are already quite a few photos and a video of the 100 up there already and as "stopgap" it's quite a good way of sharing photos.

There are also public photo sharing sites like Flickr and Picasa though personally I prefer PhotoBucket as it seems to be a bit simpler to password-protect albums.

We could also consider building a photo sharing function on the LDWA website though it could be more complex to administer and may also slow down the operation of the website if it got very large.

Local Groups share photos and reports from events on their own website (see for example the London walk reports at
LDWA London walk reports ) and we could consider putting a similar page for photos on the Dorset LDWA website (though it would require someone to be the central uploader of photos and administer the process)

But we'll give the matter some thought and see if there's a way to meet this member requirement which isn't going to cost the earth and which isn't technically convoluted. Bear with us though - there are lots of pressures on the IT team and we don't have a huge budget!

Having now seen Andrew's Google album I agree it's an attractive platform.

The point of trying to have a standard approach (for those who wish) is that it becomes possible for the webmaster for LDWA or a particular event to set up just one link, though I can quite see they might prefer to link solely to the official photographer's album.

As such I also agree that it's a good idea for the LDWA webmaster to consider about this. Over to you!

The parkrun websites were down (again) when I started this chain, but here's an example of how having a flickr group makes it possible to have one standing link that continues to work even when a new photographer posts pictures:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/leamington-parkrun/pool/

A drawback, I concede, is that one photographer's good pictures can be knocked several pages back by less good images. Something to consider.

And now I'll just post my own images and share the link... as soon as I'm back in urban broadband land.

Quick look at the google API suggest that it should be possible to create an album automatically for a walk, doesn't look too difficult.

The link to that could then be simply included in the walk page, in just the same way as the site currently has a map.

Simon - Previous 100's have their own photograph gallery and photos provided by the 'official' photographer. There were photographers working hard on the Dorset 100 and at some point we hope to see the photos in the gallery that will be linked to the Dorset 100 website.

Many groups display their own photos from their social walks and a mixture of different platforms are used that suit the needs of those local groups. Andrew has identified that the South Wales group uses FB. We use that simply because we also use FB to advertise our weekly walks, social events and to publicise what we do to the wider walking community.

Your idea of having a gallery per event is an interesting one but would certainly need central management and I'm not sure that we have the volunteers to manage that process or necessarily the interest for every event. However, if there was a way of automating that process then it might be viable.

I've replied because my name was mentioned but I really have no expertise on how your idea would be brought to fruition but you might wish to speak to Adam Dawson who might be able to provide some advice.

Hi Andrew - Why not contact Adam Dawson to discuss further. Improvements to the website are planned in the future and this might be the sort of thing that is being looked at.

Dave

I know you have found the google photos of mine ;-)

I would suggest that aim would be to have groups on all the platforms people use. If you say only on X then those that dont use X will be excluded, South Wales use Facebook, I dont. I use Google photos simply because it is simple, integrates with android, and free.

As said it should be a simple job for the LDWA web site to automatically create albums for every walk that is entered into it, and show the link on the walk page.

Thanks Andrew. Could you give us an example of the way Google Photos are displayed, and say what you think the merits of Google are against those of flickr?

I think getting some sort of co-ordination on all of this will take more than a couple of days and I will want to upload my Dorset 100 pictures by Thursday afternoon, on flickr. I'll await further responses in case anyone else is interested in a dedicated group for the Dorset 100, or indeed for hundreds generally.

Input from Dorset organisers, David Morgan and other photographers welcome.

Incidentally, I'm a happy snapper, not a proper photographer... I'm fond of saying I have no idea how my camera works but I seem to be good at pointing it.

Would be a sensible thing to do, although I would want it to be/also google photos.

Certainty for google photos there is no reason why the LDWA website could not automatically create albums for all social/challenge walks

Event photographers: could I take soundings on the idea of setting up one or more flickr groups for LDWA events, please?

We have them for parkrun, and they mean that all images relating to a specific parkrun event can be accessed in one place.

But it only really works if pictures are assigned to a group (as well as the photographer's own album) at the time of uploading. Otherwise it's a nightmare.

Should there be separate groups for major events? One mass LDWA group, which would show a lot a lot a lot of pictures? Both?

I'll await responses before uploading my images from the early stages of the Dorset 100.

(with apologies to John Pennifold for not suggesting this before he uploaded his own fine shots).