:(

It's a sad day.  I've been in a bit of a funk since the email arrived in my inbox.  Kodak Gallery has officially been bought out by Shutterfly.  Wow.  I know their camera business wasn't doing well, but I really thought that kodakgallery.com was extremely profitable and able to sustain life beyond the main business unit.  Wasn't I single-handedly keeping them in business each year? 

Since Ian was born, I've sent out online pictures to a group of people each and every month.  This has been going on for 7 years!  Those emails with the photos posted, trigger at least four people I know who buy prints from them.  Not to mention, at the end of every May, I spend quite a bit of money on photo books for each of the kids that chronicles their year from birthday to birthday.  We're talking like 80 page photo books for each of them.  And, let's not forget the small mini photo books I do for each of them that is just their birthday parties.

But maybe I was the only one.  Maybe the competition was too tough and there are too many other players in the photo sharing war. 

As with all technology, I will need to adapt and change to this different website.  I've been told all my photos and albums will seamlessly switch to Shutterfly.  But any photo books or projects I've created will not make the move.  The only saving grace is that the timing could not be more perfect for me.  I build the kids' photo books each month.  Then when their birthdays come in May, it's very easy to add one last picture of them on their actual birthday and order the book.  Fortunately, I am not going to have to recreate the my photo books on Shutterfly.  I have until July 2nd to put the order in for these books.  And I can start the new books for next year on Shutterfly without losing any work. 

It's almost like the powers that be saw my activity each year and made this buy-out just a little bit easier on me.  Hmmm, maybe I was the only one on their site.