I'm looking to get some work "out there" and do not think building a website is a task I want to tackle myself. I come to you who have already done so (o.k., I know almost everyone has one! lol) to see where to even begin the process of finding the right service. Any suggestions? Thanks!
www.bludomain.com has some really good stuff for really cheap prices. I have looked at a lot of their stuff but just haven't jumped in yet. I like these real well.
My cousin's wife is doing mine now - she's a pro designer but I'm not paying pro rates . Should be ready in a couple of weeks.
To begin the process, you need to decide what you want from the site. I'm not a wedding photographer so the aim of your site might be different to me but I have opted for a showcase of my best images with links to an online printing service where people can buy prints. Once the site is finished, I will be able to upload flash galleries via Lightroom myself without having to bother her about it.
Here's a hosting site that's free: DotPhoto.com It's a simple, one page template. Easy to upload photos and they're right click protected. Also, you don't have to resize before uploading. And, you can set prices and create password protected albums for your clients to preview and order prints. They take a commission and send you a check or deposit into your credit card account. I've been using them for a few years,now, and I've gotten a lot of business from it. I am planning on putting together a more professional site with multiple pages soon, but I may link it to the DotPhoto site for viewing the albums and ordering.
You can look at my www link to check it out. It's simple but fairly effective.
Shaun at www.clearfocusdesigns.com a fellow FMer and web design is his biz. He's built two sites for us in the past two years...great guy to work with and the price is right.
he does mostly work for record lables, bands and clothing companies. but he's definitely capable of doing photographer's websites. one of the cool things he did with my site is that it has a back end just like bludomain does, which is real nice.
the cool thing about evan is that he is an artist first. he handles all the design and then he has people working for him that do the flash and programming.
Using Wordpress with Simpleviewer Pro. I already had an account at hostgator.com for multiple sites. Wordpress also has a list of hosts that offer one-click install. Wordpress is free; I haven't checked out the quality of the one-click hosts but a quick search should bring up problems with any of them.
I'm working on the design of it, but if I don't have it done soon I'm hiring a designer.
. Should be ready in a couple of weeks.
