Another photo website to close; Shutterfly comes to the rescue
posted Monday, October 8, 2012 at 4:30 PM EDT
Photographers using yet another photo sharing service backed by a major name in the imaging industry will soon be faced with an either / or proposition. Last May, photo icon Kodak closed its Kodak Gallery service, and today its biggest rival from the film era, Fujifilm, announced that it will do the same with its SeeHere.com service.
According to Fujifilm USA's announcement, the company today began contacting SeeHere.com users to let them know that the site will be closing on November 8th. Until that date, photographers will be able to transfer their photos to Shutterfly, much like those using Kodak Gallery were able to do before that service was shuttered. Alternatively, SeeHere.com users can choose to download their images to their computer, should they not already have a backup. Customers who choose the transfer option will receive a $20 credit from Shutterfly, and who aren't existing users of that service, will receive a $20 coupon towards any single order made in their first month's membership.
Fujifilm USA launched SeeHere.com in October 2008, describing the site as the "the most comprehensive digital photo experience on the Internet". The service was overhauled in April 2011 to add access to full-resolution images, and an expanded selection of creative options for the company's photo products such as photo books, cards, calendars, and more. The company hasn't provided any public information on the number of current users of the service, but does note that customers who don't act to download or transfer their images before November 8th will lose access to them permanently.
Although Fuji USA won't directly offer photo fulfilment through its own sharing service any more, users of Fujifilm's 3D-capable cameras will still be able to order 3D prints from the company through a dedicated service.