Overview • Galleries (See Galleries) • Monthly Themes • Field Trips • Speakers • Projects
By George Bradshaw / Revised January 7, 2022
This article provides an overview of the online OLLI Photo Club (OPC) Galleries, including a) a description of the main OPC Galleries, b) a reference for viewing and uploading photos to specific galleries, and c) guidelines for the monthly competitions.
1. Overview
On April 1, 2016 the OPC transitioned photo sharing operations from the PBase photo repository service to the SmugMug service. All photos from PBase have been moved to SmugMug, and the gallery structure of PBase has been replicated in SmugMug. PBase is still available for viewing photos as of January 7, 2022 but has not been updated since 2016. Following are the links to each system:
2. Galleries
Note: Certain OPC gallery names were revised in June of 2020.
OPC members currently use the following galleries:
- Routine Galleries
- Competition galleries: Slideshow,
- Field Trip galleries, and
- "One Photo per Week" gallery (formerly the WIP).
- Occasional Galleries
- Occasional Short Presentations (formerly the WHIM), and
- Other galleries (special projects, catalog covers, etc.)
The Competition gallery photos are shown during meetings on the second Friday of each month; the most popular photo is determined by a vote of the membership and is then published in the upcoming OLLI newsletter. The Field Trip gallery is shown on the fourth Friday as a basis for discussing photos taken during the club’s Field Trips on the third Friday. The One Photo per Week gallery and the Occasional Galleries are also discussed on the fourth Friday.
3. Viewing Photos
One may view photos in the galleries of the public OPC Repository.
The OPC Repository has a menu- and icon-driven interface. To select a gallery for viewing, one only need start clicking through the menu item “Galleries” to find the available galleries. The organization of the commonly used galleries follows the menu/icon naming and structure. For example, menu names may include the date of a field trip or the theme of a competition.
4. Uploading Photos
OPC members routinely upload photos to the Competition and Field Trip galleries. Members may also upload to a number of other galleries. The upload process is performed through the OPC Upload Link Switchboard. The Switchboard acts as multi-page menu structure, leading the member to the intended gallery (simply follow the instructions to initiate an upload). For security purposes, the Switchboard is not a public page: registered OPC members receive an email once a month with the updated Switchboard link address and password.
OPC photos adhere to a File Naming Convention. The Convention supports organizational structures (e.g., dating and sequencing) and attribution (e.g., OLLI may request a photographer's permission for use of a photo in the OLLI Course Catalog). The Convention may be viewed at
> OPC Repository
> Site Notes
> File Naming Conventions
5. Guidelines for Monthly Competitions
A maximum of two photos may be uploaded to the current competition gallery.
Specific monthly themes are established for the year. Some months are considered OPEN. Photos must be taken within the two years of the competition, or, during COVID, three years. Prior to COVID we did not meet for a competition in August; during COVID we have been holding competitions throughout the year over Zoom.
The current themes for the year may be found in the OPC Information Portal:
> OPC Information Portal
> Monthly Themes
Overview • Galleries (See Galleries) • Monthly Themes • Field Trips • Speakers • Projects