I’m sorry if I made an impression that photo uploads are kind of drag. It is exactly the opposite. Photo galleries are very important and inseparable part of Overgrow nature. Discussion is not about whether to provide permanent photo archive, it is just about how detailed photos we should keep ad infinitum.
Let me make recommendations based on how I’m approaching my personal upload. I’m trying to show important parts and avoid duplicate photos (it is not necessary to upload 5 photos of the same plant or bud from the same day). I’m uploading maybe only 1/10th of photos I shoot. My goal is to make gallery attractive and show only the best shoots.
If you have DSLR you have big advantage over mobile phones. You have the opportunity to shoot very quality photos, especially make great close-ups using telephoto lenses (phones are generally equipped only with medium-wide lens and good close-ups are impossible because they are usually achieved by digital zoom not optical).
If you have the skills you can also adjust levels (to use the dynamic range optimally - increase contrast) and sharpen the photo. Very important is also to crop it to show only important parts or close-ups. Cropping image is also great when you want to point to some detail - e.g. pests or trichomes. Definitely thinking twice about uploading each photo helps. Not because you don’t want to clutter OG, but because you want to make your own thread attractive. For me it is not about quantity but more about quality. But I understand not everyone has the tools, ability or time for photo post processing.
That said, every photo is welcome!
Regarding our services I think that guaranteeing some standard level of quality for permanent photo archive free of charge to all members and providing higher quality to paid subscribers would be eventually good model.