FTP for stock photo clients?

June 26, 2009 10:18 AM

Setting up an FTP account in cpanel for photography clients?

I'm a professional photographer who's making the move online (finally) for sales and client services. My host uses cpanel for managing my hosting account, and I need to provide clients with an easy way to access large files. FTP seems to be the standard, but when I use this it requires my stock clients to have an FTP client installed.

Is there an easier way for them to access files without using installed software, just through their web browser?

posted by klinefelter to technology (5 comments total)

ftp://username:[e-mail]

That works in a browser.
posted by nitsuj at 10:39 AM on June 26

This still requires a quick installation to Firefox, but Fire FTP works like a dream.
posted by wundermint at 1:03 PM on June 26

I use Yousendit for file delivery like this (I'm also a photographer). I used to use FTP a lot, but people started requesting I just use that. It takes out the tech/software factor.
posted by bradbane at 4:34 PM on June 26

You want Photoshelter or similar. I've been singing Photoshelter's praises here before, and I'll continue to do it. Upload your pictures once and then you don't need to have your archive with you or your own computer even to send any picture from your archive to a client. You can have trusted clients who have unlimited download access to all files, or you can set download privileges specific to individual email addresses on a lightbox/gallery basis. All of those permissions, too, allow you to set what size file can be downloaded, I think (original file, full res jpg, large, medium, small, comp)

Also, if you were to cover an event, perhaps, and want to set up a private gallery for all the guests. You can either invite people individually through email or you could set a password and hand it out on business cards at the event. They'll be able to see the pictures with the password you provided and use a credit card to buy everything from prints to hi-res license to lo-res for facebook at whatever price you set.

Oh, and you can also send pictures to any ftp server from within photoshelter, which is nice because it doesn't tie up your own internet connection.
posted by msbrauer at 7:18 PM on June 26

You could try net2ftp or oliver ftp.. they're basically web-based FTP clients. www.net2ftp.com has a form right on the page; just give your clients your FTP site info. I tinkered with them last night, but couldn't get anonymous logins to work.. but that's likely a configuration setting on my end.
posted by wuMeFi at 10:53 AM on August 17