Displaying the Pictures
Jalbum
I have used Jalbum form a long time to prepare my hiking pictures for viewing. This program is FREE but has incredible support from the author and from others who use the program. The skins are constantly being improved and more are added. Changes in the main program occur as many user suggestions are incorporated into the design. My only problem is deciding which skins to use. Right now I favor Chameleon, Fotoplayer and Nature, all of which are found on the site. If you have personal photos to process and display, give this program a try. They now offer FREE space on the web to store your pictures with reasonably priced upgrades for more storage. The website has also recently been update and improved. Try the following to view albums displayed with Jalbum.Fotoplayer (Flash based)
Chameleon (non-Flash based)
Nature (non-Flash based)
Digital Librarian (Flash based)
Matrix (non-Flash based)
Fotoplayer Rotator (Flash based)
ANVSoft Flash Slideshow Maker
Another interesting program I ran across is Flash Slideshow Maker by ANVSoft. This is more limited than Jalbum and does require Flash to be installed to work. However it does a nice job of displaying pictures. The free version simply adds an advertising screen to the end of the slide show. Purchasing removes the advertising slide. Try looking at this slide show made using the program.
Posters 3 Collection
Frick Pond
Photo Web Album
Another interesting program I ran across is Photo Web Album by Pho.to. This is more limited than Jalbum but does NOT require Flash to be installed to work. It does a nice job of displaying pictures and is very easy to use although I have only tried it on small "jobs". THe makers of this program also offer free picture hosting which can be "upgraded" and several online features to spice up your albums. Try looking at this slide show made using the program.
Fall Colors
Fortop Album Album
Another interesting program I ran across is Fortop Album by Fortop Software. This is more limited than Jalbum and does require Flash to be installed to work. It does a nice job of displaying pictures and is very easy to use although I have only tried it on small "jobs".
Westkill in Winter
PicLens
Perhaps the most interesting new presentation method is PicLens by Cooliris. This actually consists of two parts; a program to help you set up your albums and a browser plug-in. The program is rather straightforward. You supply an image folder and a destination folder and it creates all the files needed for the display. These can be viewed on your own computer or posted to be shared on the Web. Without the browser plug-in the show is a perfectly acceptable image slide show. With the plug-in, available for both Explorer and Firefox, the fun begins! The display becomes a 3D experience which you can best see by clicking on one of the links below. You can download the plug-in from the link above or from the show. Try looking at this slide shows made using the program.
Three Mines
Four Mines
Ricketts Glen
JW Imagerotator
Displaying a rotating sequence of pictures that can be easily viewed but that will continue without user intervention is always interesting. I tried various methods using Java and JavaScript but all were too difficult or lacked something. At one point, I switched to a service called Web Pasties which offered this and several other neat services. There were at least two drawbacks. The cost was about $100 per year for a set number of "feeds" and extra "feeds" cost extra money. Every click by a viewer, including me, was a feed. The number of feeds was generous and I had a LOT remaining each year. I kept those feeds but I had to continue to pay for the subscription even if they are not used. In addition, the image rotator is limited to 40 slides. In many cases this was enough but in some it was not. I ran across the JW Imagerotator when was trying to find a way to display videos. Using it requires an ability to follow simple instructions and to edit some files. If you want a completely automatic process, then try Jalbum otherwise give it a chance. Try looking at this slide shows made using the program.
Best Hiking Pictures
Taking the Pictures
Taking pictures of my hikes had become almost as important to me as the hiking itself. I sometimes forego bagging a peak to go to a place with better views. I often venture to places I have not been to see new views and take new pictures. Sometimes I return to places to get better or different shots that I missed the last time I was there. Taking photographs for me is a way to document my hikes and a way to share the beauty of nature with others.
I traded in my trusty Kodak Z650 camera for a Kodak Z980 which Kodak no longer makes! The Z650 has 6 megapixels and 10x zoom while the Z980 has 12 megapixels and a 24x wide angle zoom lens. The Z650 camera takes very nice pictures which even look good when enlarged to poster sizes. The Z980 simply has better resolution and a MUCH better lens. It also will take larger memory cards so that I can take over 3000 12 megapixel pictures on one card! I have started to get off full auto and experiment with different settings. The camera also takes decent videos and I can now display them on the site!
I got a Canon EOS Xti DSLR for Christmas and am just starting to really learn how to use it. It is bulky particularly since I have a 75-300 telephoto lens along with the supplied kit lens. It is hard for me to carry my pack AND the camera case so I have to figure out how to do both. A case that fits the camera and a separate case for the lens so that I can put both in the pack seems the best bet. There are places where I can take the camera and I have gotten some good pictures. For all the "bother" I have to admit the picture quality and versatility beats the point-and-shoot.