Zenfolio forcing archiving on all accounts.

[frdjohns]

I've been a long time Zenfolio user, with quite a few photographs stored for viewing on their site. Until now, you paid for the level of account you wanted and could display as many galleries (collection of photographs or folders) as storage permitted. No more.

Zenfolio announced that in August 2023 they will begin automatically archiving any galleries that are older than 14 months. You don't lose the photos, however, no one can see them after this. There are exceptions. You can dig down through the menu system and turn off archiving for individual galleries. This is limited to 20 galleries, and you have to set each one individually - there is no group or mass assigning of this exception. After 20 galleries, you can NOT change the archive setting for a gallery. If you want to keep one open, you must archive another. Note this new policy doesn't limit the number of active (recent) galleries you can create. Just the age of them. Once a gallery hits 14 months old with no changes or additions, it gets automatically archived.

Twenty galleries may sound like a lot, but actually it is quite limited. For example, let's say you shoot high school sports. You assign each team it's own group (groups hold collections of galleries), with each game being organized into a gallery (folder). Click on a group for a team, and you see every game saved its own gallery (folder). It would only take a couple of teams before you hit your twenty gallery limit. If you shoot basketball, you could hit your limit in about a month.

This scheme doesn't effect your storage limit; you retain the same amount of storage space, ie. 2GB, etc. It simply limits the age of your work. So if you use Zenfolio for more than 14 months, your images could begin being archived against your wishes, regardless of the plan you purchased. No exceptions. Yes, you can unarchive your galleries as long as you chose another to take its place. Zenfolio notes it could take up to 10-12 hours to restore your images. I hope you or you client is not in a hurry.

I can think of many reasons a photographer may want to keep an older gallery. Apparently Zenfolio can not.

Might be time to find a new web hosting site. Any suggestions? Smugmug, Flickr, others? If you suggest one, please list the good and the bad (or less good) for your suggestion.

 

[bleirer]

I guess I'm with Zenfolio on this one. It may be too much for us to expect others to be interested in all our old work.

 

[Butlerkid]

So glad I re-hosted my husbands galleries on SmugMug a few years ago!!!!!!

Just hope this idea doesn't migrate to SM!

 

[Molesworth]

I've been a long time Zenfolio user, with quite a few photographs stored for viewing on their site. Until now, you paid for the level of account you wanted and could display as many galleries (collection of photographs or folders) as storage permitted. No more.

Zenfolio announced that in August 2023 they will begin automatically archiving any galleries that are older than 14 months. You don't lose the photos, however, no one can see them after this. There are exceptions. You can dig down through the menu system and turn off archiving for individual galleries. This is limited to 20 galleries, and you have to set each one individually - there is no group or mass assigning of this exception. After 20 galleries, you can NOT change the archive setting for a gallery. If you want to keep one open, you must archive another. Note this new policy doesn't limit the number of active (recent) galleries you can create. Just the age of them. Once a gallery hits 14 months old with no changes or additions, it gets automatically archived.

Twenty galleries may sound like a lot, but actually it is quite limited. For example, let's say you shoot high school sports. You assign each team it's own group (groups hold collections of galleries), with each game being organized into a gallery (folder). Click on a group for a team, and you see every game saved its own gallery (folder). It would only take a couple of teams before you hit your twenty gallery limit. If you shoot basketball, you could hit your limit in about a month.

This scheme doesn't effect your storage limit; you retain the same amount of storage space, ie. 2GB, etc. It simply limits the age of your work. So if you use Zenfolio for more than 14 months, your images could begin being archived against your wishes, regardless of the plan you purchased. No exceptions. Yes, you can unarchive your galleries as long as you chose another to take its place. Zenfolio notes it could take up to 10-12 hours to restore your images. I hope you or you client is not in a hurry.

I can think of many reasons a photographer may want to keep an older gallery. Apparently Zenfolio can not.

Might be time to find a new web hosting site. Any suggestions? Smugmug, Flickr, others? If you suggest one, please list the good and the bad (or less good) for your suggestion.

My understanding is that any Galleries listed on your site's main menu will not be archived and will not count against the 20.

 

[frdjohns]

My understanding is that any Galleries listed on your site's main menu will not be archived and will not count against the 20.

This is for those Galleries listed on your site's main menu prior to the change (which has occurred). Any new galleries fall under the new policy, regardless.

 

[frdjohns]

I guess I'm with Zenfolio on this one. It may be too much for us to expect others to be interested in all our old work.

Bill, I get your point. What if this was a means of sharing pictures with family, and grandpa passed away 15 months ago? I'm not saying every old picture needs to be public - I have some that are private and password protected.

Seems to me that if you pay for 2GB of storage (or 20 or 200, etc.), then the age of the images you've placed in the storage that you've paid for should not matter.

 

[Cameron T]

Bill, I get your point. What if this was a means of sharing pictures with family, and grandpa passed away 15 months ago?

Then I'd expect people to have gotten those pictures already, or reach out if they want copies of them.

Seems to me that if you pay for 2GB of storage (or 20 or 200, etc.), then the age of the images you've placed in the storage that you've paid for should not matter.

I agree with this though. I'm not sure why the change happened, since I don't use them. It seems pretty dumb, since the images still exist.

 

[Patrick M]

That’s one reason I use a Synology disc station on my nas. It’s a one off purchase, no licence required and I can access it from anywhere I can get on the Internet. So I can share when I want, with whom, and there’s no fear I’ll lose access. I have backup etc etc, but this is about accessing your images.

 

[flashpixx]

I'm a bit annoyed with this as a few of my sales each year come from folk looking back at their sporting careers and purchasing an image from 5 or more years ago.
Those images wont be available any longer so these folk will miss out

 

[DanCarr]

Hey folks! I have seen a few people who are less than pleased about this change.

I have a call tomorrow with Zenfolio's head of marketing and their product manager. I want to try and get to the bottom of this. I have some workflow and SEO concerns, among other things.

If anyone else has a specific question, reply here and I'll try and get an answer.

Cheers

 

[Heinphoto]

I’m also a long-time Zenfolio user. It seems like every year I contemplate switching to another platform, but the hassle factor is high enough that I just keep renewing. However, this new archiving policy may well be the thing that finally pushes me over the edge. With that said, my understanding is that you (or your clients) will still be able to pull archived galleries out of storage, but that could take 12+ hours to complete. I’m not sure who will have the patience for that!

 

[DanCarr]

I’m also a long-time Zenfolio user. It seems like every year I contemplate switching to another platform, but the hassle factor is high enough that I just keep renewing. However, this new archiving policy may well be the thing that finally pushes me over the edge. With that said, my understanding is that you (or your clients) will still be able to pull archived galleries out of storage, but that could take 12+ hours to complete. I’m not sure who will have the patience for that!

I think concerns about the 12-hour timeframe are valid. We live in a world where consumers (our clients) expect things instantly. Sad, but true. I will add this point to my list of questions for them. I'm curious why it will take 12 hours.

 

[Heinphoto]

I think concerns about the 12-hour timeframe are valid. We live in a world where consumers (our clients) expect things instantly. Sad, but true. I will add this point to my list of questions for them. I'm curious why it will take 12 hours.

Thanks - I will be interested to hear what you learn from your call.

 

[TiggerSLT]

DanCarr - Please post after your meeting with Zenfolio head of marketing & product manager.

I've used Zenfolio for many years to host photos I share with friends and family. I am not selling photos today. Limiting the number of unarchived (older) galleries to 20 does not work for me. I also don't want to add a junk photo to keep older galleries considered "updated" as a possible workaround.

I'm taking this news as Zenfolio has a different business model today and I no longer fit as their customer. Unless something changes quickly... I'm taking the hint and won't stay where I'm not wanted. There are other solutions to look into (Squarespace, SmugMug, etc.).

 

[DanCarr]

DanCarr - Please post after your meeting with Zenfolio head of marketing & product manager.

I've used Zenfolio for many years to host photos I share with friends and family. I am not selling photos today. Limiting the number of unarchived (older) galleries to 20 does not work for me. I also don't want to add a junk photo to keep older galleries considered "updated" as a possible workaround.

I'm taking this news as Zenfolio has a different business model today and I no longer fit as their customer. Unless something changes quickly... I'm taking the hint and won't stay where I'm not wanted. There are other solutions to look into (Squarespace, SmugMug, etc.).

I had a good chat with them today. I'm just trying to process everything, and then I'll start writing something up. It might take me a day or two but once it's done, I'll come back here to update you all.

 

[Replytoken]

DanCarr - Please post after your meeting with Zenfolio head of marketing & product manager.

I've used Zenfolio for many years to host photos I share with friends and family. I am not selling photos today. Limiting the number of unarchived (older) galleries to 20 does not work for me. I also don't want to add a junk photo to keep older galleries considered "updated" as a possible workaround.

I'm taking this news as Zenfolio has a different business model today and I no longer fit as their customer. Unless something changes quickly... I'm taking the hint and won't stay where I'm not wanted. There are other solutions to look into (Squarespace, SmugMug, etc.).

I am in the same boat and my subscription just renewed for another year. The hard part for me is that I am grandfathered in an older, more affordable plan, and moving will probably cost me more annually.

--Ken

 

[Butlerkid]

I am in the same boat and my subscription just renewed for another year. The hard part for me is that I am grandfathered in an older, more affordable plan, and moving will probably cost me more annually.

--Ken

I have the SmugMug power plan and love it!

For a free trial download SmugMug HERE......if you sign up for a year, you will get a discount on the first year. My website link is in my signature.

Feel free to contact me with questions.

 

[Replytoken]

I have the SmugMug power plan and love it!

For a free trial download SmugMug HERE......if you sign up for a year, you will get a discount on the first year. My website link is in my signature.

Feel free to contact me with questions.

I appreciate the offer, Karen, but I actually had SmugMug before ZF a number of years ago. It is a similar service, and well liked by many, but my needs have really changed over the years and I need to re-tool my presence on the web. Family members are not really interested in family photos from events like weddings other than to download them, so I am looking at file sharing services that are easier and more flexible than ZF. I have not been able to blog for some time and I will probably either pull my blog or at least not list it in my signatures on some sites until I decide if I want to resume blogging. I'll probably redirect folks to a simple Adobe Portfolio page or two if people want to see some samples of my work.

To be perfectly honest, the world is saturated in photos and while my first interest is in shooting for pleasure, my second interest is in using images for gifts of various sorts (as well as pro bono work for nonprofit organizations). I often print out images in a variety of forms and find that more satisfying than putting up more images on the web. Quality over quantity in sharing seems to work better for me. Perhaps I'll feel differently in the future, possibly when I retire, but right now I am not really able to keep up with processing and posting.

--Ken

 

[Butlerkid]

I appreciate the offer, Karen, but I actually has SmugMug before ZF a number of years ago. It is a similar service, and well liked by many, but my needs have really changed over the years and I need to re-tool my presence on the web. Family members are not really interested in family photos from events like weddings other than to download them, so I am looking at file sharing services that are easier and more flexible than ZF. I have not been able to blog for some time and I will probably either pull my blog or at least not list it in my signatures on some sites until I decide if I want to resume blogging. I'll probably redirect folks to a simple Adobe Portfolio page or two if people want to see some samples of my work.

To be perfectly honest, the world is saturated in photos and while my first interest is in shooting for pleasure, my second interest is in using images for gifts of various sorts (as well as pro bono work for nonprofit organizations). I often print out images in a variety of forms and find that more satisfying than putting up more images on the web. Quality over quantity in sharing seems to work better for me. Perhaps I'll feel differently in the future, possibly when I retire, but right now I am not really able to keep up with processing and posting.

--Ken

Just check out SM. They work with Bay Photo and other premium printers.

 

[Replytoken]

Just check out SM. They work with Bay Photo and other premium printers.

Thanks, I am familiar with SM, and I am also familiar with their sister site, Flicker, as well. Both are good services, but I am not looking to replace ZF with another photo gallery service. And I already have accounts with Bay and other labs that I use, like WHCC.

--Ken

 

[NorthernFocus]

I've been a long time Zenfolio user, with quite a few photographs stored for viewing on their site. Until now, you paid for the level of account you wanted and could display as many galleries (collection of photographs or folders) as storage permitted. No more.

Zenfolio announced that in August 2023 they will begin automatically archiving any galleries that are older than 14 months. You don't lose the photos, however, no one can see them after this. There are exceptions. You can dig down through the menu system and turn off archiving for individual galleries. This is limited to 20 galleries, and you have to set each one individually - there is no group or mass assigning of this exception. After 20 galleries, you can NOT change the archive setting for a gallery. If you want to keep one open, you must archive another. Note this new policy doesn't limit the number of active (recent) galleries you can create. Just the age of them. Once a gallery hits 14 months old with no changes or additions, it gets automatically archived.

Twenty galleries may sound like a lot, but actually it is quite limited. For example, let's say you shoot high school sports. You assign each team it's own group (groups hold collections of galleries), with each game being organized into a gallery (folder). Click on a group for a team, and you see every game saved its own gallery (folder). It would only take a couple of teams before you hit your twenty gallery limit. If you shoot basketball, you could hit your limit in about a month.

This scheme doesn't effect your storage limit; you retain the same amount of storage space, ie. 2GB, etc. It simply limits the age of your work. So if you use Zenfolio for more than 14 months, your images could begin being archived against your wishes, regardless of the plan you purchased. No exceptions. Yes, you can unarchive your galleries as long as you chose another to take its place. Zenfolio notes it could take up to 10-12 hours to restore your images. I hope you or you client is not in a hurry.

I can think of many reasons a photographer may want to keep an older gallery. Apparently Zenfolio can not.

Might be time to find a new web hosting site. Any suggestions? Smugmug, Flickr, others? If you suggest one, please list the good and the bad (or less good) for your suggestion.

As I understand it galleries with a "modified" date more than 14 months old get archived. A simple workaround is to simply "modify" older galleries. I'm sure that adding or removing a photo would be modifying it. But might be as simple as altering text etc. I'm remote right now so haven't been able to look into this yet.

 

[frdjohns]

As I understand it galleries with a "modified" date more than 14 months old get archived. A simple workaround is to simply "modify" older galleries. I'm sure that adding or removing a photo would be modifying it. But might be as simple as altering text etc. I'm remote right now so haven't been able to look into this yet.

Dan,

Things like uploading a new image will re-start the clock. I don't believe altering text will. In their notice, Zenfolio listed a few things that would count as "modifying", but they were kind of vague. Even so, it doesn't take long to accumulate a bunch of galleries. I have landscape, wildlife, some travel photo's, sports (baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball), JROTC competitions, High School Extra-curricular activities, and a locked folder with prom and homecoming pictures of young ladies with their dates.

I don't know off of the top of my head how many gallieries I have, but it is a bunch. I don't want to have to modify each gallery one by one; and no - you can't modify en-masse. Has to be done one at a time according to the Zenfolio FAQ on this issue.

I do have all of these images stored on a HD and processed in LRc. I can recreate them if Zenfolio archives them. However, if they stick with this plan, I will probably cancel my account. It is due for renewal; I have until August 22nd to decide.

 

[Butlerkid]

Does this apply to all account levels.....even "professional" accounts on Zenfolio?

 

[frdjohns]

Does this apply to all account levels.....even "professional" accounts on Zenfolio?

Yes, I believe it does. Zenfolio states its intent is to keep their site (which is made up of our sites) current and to speed up its service since older images will be archived and not filling up their active servers.

 

[Replytoken]

Yes, I believe it does. Zenfolio states its intent is to keep their site (which is made up of our sites) current and to speed up its service since older images will be archived and not filling up their active servers.

I understand the intent, but it makes me wonder how others can host at reasonable speeds without archiving, but not ZF. Or perhaps others are facing the same issue?

--Ken