I'm interested in upgrading my website to look more professional.
Currently, I use the Yahoo (my hosting) provided "Sitebuilder" non-HTML software. I am at the "idiot level" and found I was able to build my site and keep it updated, but now I'd like to change to more of a filmstrip or possibly some motion graphics, which the Yahoo product can't supply.
I'm sure that I am losing some work when potential clients view my current site. All I can say is that it is better than nothing, but not by much.
www.jimharrisphotography.com
I would like something simple, even plug-and-play templates, so long as they look good and are easy to update.
With no knowledge I would suggest buying a template. A wordpress would be the easy way. Of course you can get thousands of free templates after you install the wordpress at your site.
For specific photography Google wordpress templates for photography. Just stay away from flash. One such I have seen used quite a lot is from http://www.photocrati.com/
Another way would be to look into Droopal. Without knowledge I would limit it to use on a web host that has it set-up as an instant install...same as everyone does for wordpress.I am installing it on one of my sites and it is a bit involved.We will see if I get it working but that is because my host does not support the instant install feature. I think they list some providers on the site that do. It has lots of free templates and you can purchase some also. This is what many large corporations use as it can handle most any use you require.
Thanks! I had seen photocrati on another thread and it looks the best to me for the kind of presentation I'd like (at this point). I'll need to find out if I can use it easily on the Yahoo hosting, or if I should find a different web host. I have two sites hosted on Yahoo and it costs about $25 per month.
I really appreciate you getting back to me with further ideas.
Best, Jim
I am very happy with my Photocrati-based site. My site was tweaked by a designer but I've found that there is is a lot of flexibility with Photocrati.
I've had my sites hosted by Dogbark for quite a number of years. They know what photographers need and many of my fellow ASMP members have sites hosted by them. When you email them or talk with them on the phone it is quite obvious that they know their stuff - especially Wordpress.
For my plan I'm paying less than $ 200/year for 2 GB web storage 10 POP email accounts, 100 GB traffic, and 1 MySQL database. I get a small discount as an ASMP member.
I'm very happy with Photocrati and with my host.
By the way, I like your architectural photography.
billkoe -- Thanks so much for your recommendation and how you use the photocrati package. Looking at your site, I think I can see some of the tweaks compared to the promotional photocrati site templates (nice work -- very strong B&W). The looks like the frontrunner so far. And thanks for your kind words about my architectural shots. I've still got more to learn, but making progress.
I have a server I lease and can host off of if you need cheap space. PM me and I can get you a quote. If you get normal photog traffic levels, I can definitely lease out space I am not using for less than what you pay yahoo.
I use Photocrati as well... I like it but customization can be a pain at times. However their stock templates are not bad. You can try out the site for 30 days with a full return policy if it's not to your liking.
I host my photocrati site on Bluehost... I pay something like $7/month for more space, bandwidth, sql databases and email accounts than I could ever want or need.
