Not really sure where to put this, but since it involves web hosting and selling photos I thought I would try here first; feel free to point me in the right direction if it belongs somewhere else.
My Flickr account runs out in the next week, and I'd rather have something look more professional and also able to sell prints directly from the website if I choose. I like Flickr because it's easy to upload right to, hosting is reliable and it gives me stats for daily and past hits. I often will post a link to a set onto Facebook or Twitter for my friends to see, as well as the athletes at my school, but I do not give any for free, I only want people to have access to view them.
I'm thinking SmugMug is the best bet for what to go with, but I want to know what everyone else is using. Zenfolio doesn't appeal to me though, so unless you have a very strong argument for it, I would just leave it out. I've seen some Livebooks and Wordpress accounts that I really like, but I don't know much about either.
Ideally my website would have a few galleries that would be shown on the main site, and then a link to this new hosting site for customers to purchase photos/view large galleries. This is something I would like sooner, rather than later, but that's just to give you an idea.
Check out photobiz.com. They host two of my websites and they offer a great storefront add on and I feel the costs are actually quite reasonable. You can show and tell on the main website and have an integrated shopping cart for your work that is for sale. Good luck in your search! Ron
Ron-
Wow! I really, really like photobiz, the templates on there are sick. I definitely will keep them in mind in the future, but right now the package ($400) plus the monthly fee is a bit steep for me; $15 a month to only host 200 photos would be great for me as a 100% art photographer, but a large amount of what I shoot right now is sports, so the more space the better. Thanks for showing me that site though, I'm bookmarking it for once I am a bit more successful and I know I can make my money back on a regular basis.
New note- Looking at SmugMug right now, obviously I'm between the power and the pro options, but the only thing I see under pro is when it comes to selling. I like being able to name my own prices and also sell in packages/online, but I don't know if those benefits are worth the extra $70 a year. SmugMug is in the lead right now, photobiz looks like they might be getting my business once I'm done in school.
Still looking for some info about livebooks if anyone has experience.
How about smugmug. I have had a pro site there for over 3 years and have been happy since I am not the most techno savvy person. If you have problems, they sent you great links with info and step by step solutions....and if that does not work, then sometimes they will fix it for you! Great customer service to boot!
gourdhead wrote:
How about smugmug. I have had a pro site there for over 3 years and have been happy since I am not the most techno savvy person. If you have problems, they sent you great links with info and step by step solutions....and if that does not work, then sometimes they will fix it for you! Great customer service to boot!
Yeah, that's who I'm leaning towards right now. Right now I'm deciding if the extra $70 a month for the pro account is worth it.
I have really loved SmugMug over the past several years. Their support is top notch. If you are willing to play around with your site and learn a little bit, you can get a fairly customized look. Even though I have added another website for my portfolio, I have kept SmugMug as a proofing and ordering site. The value is just too good.
I would go with the pro if you have any interest in selling your photos for a profit. This will allow you to set prices, packages, custom watermarks, do coupons, and sell digital downloads.
I also love that they never increase your price. The pro account was $99 a few years ago and that's what I'm still paying today.
Oh, and a $5 coupon code if you want
3hc9xy0sRXL6Y
