First off, I am NOT a web guy. But I was wondering if there are any programs out there that would allow some without knowledge of coding to make a website with flash galleries etc?
Are programs like Adobe Dreamweaver idiot proof?
Currently I own a domain name but I just have it redirect to my smugmug site but I'd like to get a little more creative and use Lightroom to build some nice galleries, maybe add some etc.
If you want to get more creative then I would suggest you learn the basics of CSS (cascading style sheets). All of the work under the hood has been done for you in your smugmug page. I would keep it that way. You can code CSS to customize the look of your smugmug page. CSS is fairly easy to learn.
I would stay away from Lightroom galleries, I don't find them to be easily customizable, but I'm sure others have had different experiences with them.
Honestly your website seems fine, it just needs to be cleaned up a little by using standard size fonts and text sizes throughout your pages, align text the same way on all your pages (instead of mixing center alignment and left alignment), reduce or remove graphics that can be converted into text (use text instead as it loads more quickly), etc.
Joe,
If you don't want to do coding you can use Sitewizard, a free web editor. But you're better to learn some html and css, so you will understand what the editors are talking about.
I knew nothing about website building, so I googled and found a forum, www.killersites.com
These guys really helped each step of the way as I learned Notepad, and managed to build a site from scratch using it. The one thing I did and might be interesting for you in terms of flash is I built my gallery from another free software called, Jalbum.
iweb comes standard on new Mac's. It has numerous boilerplates and allows for drop and drag placement and you can even add video and music. Go into an Apple store and someone will show you how simple it is. This is one option of "idiot proof" software.
Honestly I don't know much about web desing but I do know that your site should good as it is the face of our business nowadays. It's like putting a new face on your storefront.
As a full time photographer I don't have a whole lot of time to invest in building my own site from scratch by learning css, html and java script. But if there were a nice program I could use to toy with site building in my spare time I wouldn't mind giving it a go.
Otherwise I'll have to find someone to build it for me...which could get expensive I gather
I would say it really depends on what you are trying to accomplish. All my web design stuff has been with freebies. Wordpress, Joomla, Gallery2, etc. Those three in particular have a huge following, meaning there are tons of plugins (stuff to help you with your photography site).
Did I mention they were free? And you don't really need anything software wise. Open Source software can be just as effective in creating a good site as anything.
My main page was made in iWeb on my mac. It's just a jump page, which for people trying to make money is probably not the best idea. I use my blog just for that. But there are ways to set up Wordpress to showcase your photography. And finally, I use Gallery2 to host my pics (mostly for family) and use it for showcasing some peewee football shots. There is a plug in for Gallery2 for having an online store etc.
Don't fall into the trap of needing to spend money (other than your host costs). You can do wonderful things with open source Content Management systems.
Every opensource CMS (content management system) is on that page, you can see what a basic page looks like to visitors, as well as the back end. Nice place to test drive.
hell, just down load a few, upload em and give it a shot. Most take minutes to install, and are not hard to customize.
Hope that helps.
And remember, Google is your friend! Little time searching can help a ton.
I can only recommend wordpress. There's plenty of templates available, and they're fairly easy to modify. Even without coding knowledge. You will have to spend some time trying to learn and understand the way it works if you want a nice result.
There was a recent thread about companies that offer online websites for photographers. They offer numerous templates and make it very easy to upload your photos, taking the learning curve and knowledge of code out of the equation. The only one I can remember is Clickbooq, but they're expensive. There are about two dozen of these companies that you can use ranging in prices from $100 - $1000. I'm sure some of the people on this board can offer up some of the names of these companies.
PhotoMaximum wrote:
If you are serious and do not want a generic off the shelf solution then talk to professional web guys.
Max
I was just thinking the same thought Max... If you're full time your can't afford to spend your time hacking at a site that will look like someone else's site, or may not reflect your business in the right light. You need a professional designer to make the site match your vision, your style and the image you want to pass on to your clients. If it's built right, then updating and making small changes should be easy to learn and do with any of the readilly available WYSIWYG editors out there.
Well, the reason I say this is because this is the "pro" area of this forum. This is my first post here.
There are a zillion ways of doing a website. Bottom line is this: if you are presenting a web presence that shows your professional abilities then I think the more you learn the better.
I am not saying you have to learn everything about web design, far from it. You just have to learn how YOUR site works. I think the best skills or technology you need to familiarize yourself with is XHTML and CSS. If you go with a "static" site or one of the many CMS (Content Management Systems) then knowing some of the theory behind CSS is a big plus.
Hiring a good designer will create this for you. A really helpful designer will school you on how it all works so that you can maintain the site yourself. Its WAY WAY WAY easier to learn this with your site than it is to build a site from scratch. The more you become involved with your site the better.
I do both: professional photographer and web design, and its interesting how the two professions are overlapping these days...
