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Site Builder for Photographers?

A

alexxk

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 29, 2010
425
118
Hello all,

I'm going to build a web site for myself and I would like to hear some feedback from you guys about which one to choose.. the cheaper the better for me right now!!

I've been looking into

Squarespace, Wix and Wordpress.. others?

The idea is to have a minimalist style.. clean and only a few pages displaying some of my work and a Blog.

What would you guys recommend?

Thanks in advance!!
 
I quite like SmugMug. It's specific to photo hosting and photo website design. Easy to set-up with their templates that can be customized, vanity url's, unlimited uploads and storage and, IMO, a bargain at $60 US per year for the plan that I have.

For me the big advantage of service like this is that I have very little experience with web design and custom coding yet I was able to get something up and running in one evening. I've modified it since but the initial set-up was relatively easy.

SmugMug also has an extensive and very active online forum community where people share information on site design, help trouble shoot and even post custom code that you can use to get the look you really want.

Details: https://www.smugmug.com/

~ Peter
 
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Cheese&Apple said:
I quite like SmugMug. It's specific to photo hosting and photo website design. Easy to set-up with their templates that can be customized, vanity url's, unlimited uploads and storage and, IMO, a bargain at $60 US per year for the plan that I have.

For me the big advantage of service like this is that I have very little experience with web design and custom coding yet I was able to get something up and running in one evening. I've modified it since but the initial set-up was relatively easy.

SmugMug also has an extensive and very active online forum community where people share information on site design, help trouble shoot and even post custom code that you can use to get the look you really want.

Details: https://www.smugmug.com/

~ Peter
Click to expand...

Thank you. Wow the 60 dollars/year looks really good. I'm now leaning toward this tool. Still doing some research but this is looking really good

Thanks for the tip!!
 
Another SmugMug user here. I use the second level Power plan that allows me to upload a logo. There's a very good set of tutorials online (not SmugMug's) that shows you how to set one up step by step, which I found very useful. It's got a very good customer service too.

I haven't really seen many of my pictures online despite making the galleries public. They're more likely to show up if I post them on PoD here! Don't know if others have found this or whether I haven't yet built up many links.
 
I know Jared Pollin recommends Square Space a lot, and has a money off code on his website. However as he is undoubtedly being paid by them, it's hard to take any review too seriously.
Use code Fro for 10% off.
 
Last edited:
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Another vote for Smugmug here.
I'm not a pro, but I've had nothing but great experience using it for the last few years.
 
Is there a way to see the Smugmug themes before signing it. I can't find a way to visualize them. Squarespace does allow it. I found a theme there that I really liked but I wanted to check Smugmug as well.
 
alexxk said:
Is there a way to see the Smugmug themes before signing it. I can't find a way to visualize them. Squarespace does allow it. I found a theme there that I really liked but I wanted to check Smugmug as well.
Click to expand...

Cant you start with a free account on SmugMug, see them then upgrade later to the paid plan?
 
kenoh said:
Cant you start with a free account on SmugMug, see them then upgrade later to the paid plan?
Click to expand...

I think that might be the only way.. Didn't want to sign up just to see but I might have to follow that path!!
 
alexxk said:
Thank you. Wow the 60 dollars/year looks really good. I'm now leaning toward this tool. Still doing some research but this is looking really good

Thanks for the tip!!
Click to expand...

You're welcome.
alexxk said:
Is there a way to see the Smugmug themes before signing it. I can't find a way to visualize them. Squarespace does allow it. I found a theme there that I really liked but I wanted to check Smugmug as well.
Click to expand...

I don't see a way to view them other than signing-up for a trial. Once you do, you'll have access to see them, upload some shots and see what you think. You can try different themes to see if you like the look without saving and publishing. Remember, with a little research, you can customize your design to get just about any look you want.

Your personal URL is fun as well and can be used with the Pro ($60/year) plan and greater. They'll steer you to GoDaddy to set that up. I paid $150 for a 10 year licence.
 
The Bad Guy said:
I use Squarespace and highly recommend it.

www.acampbellphoto.net
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I was looking for.. very clean and minimalist style.. You are using Forte Template right? Same I liked.

is there a way to change the way you navigate photos? Looks like all Fortes templates uses a carrousel style but are there options to change?

I also looked at SmugMug.. but I didn't like their template as much as I liked squarespace...
 
Do you want to JUST show images, or do you want a full on web site by your rules? You can build your on website with Wordpress, for example (or any one of a zillion other Content Management Systems). In this way, you can define the terms of service yourself, but you get to manage the headaches.

Jalbum is an interesting gallery solution, but you have to rebuild it to add photos (or manage multiple separate albums). With plugins, you could even sell photos through the gallery you made, watermarks, and many styles to choose from.

Lightroom exports basic web galleries. Darktable does so also (I have tried Darktable's and did not like it).

Piwigo (spelling?) also makes galleries and had export plugins for iPhoto and Aperture.

Joomla and Wordpress both have gallery modules. Drupal, if you can manage it, will do almost anything. Most Content management Systems offer some photo gallery support.
 
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alexxk said:
This is exactly what I was looking for.. very clean and minimalist style.. You are using Forte Template right? Same I liked.

is there a way to change the way you navigate photos? Looks like all Fortes templates uses a carrousel style but are there options to change?

I also looked at SmugMug.. but I didn't like their template as much as I liked squarespace...
Click to expand...
Yes, I think it's the Forte template. My memory is hazy because I looked at so many different ones. To my understanding you can have different navigation options via some extra coding, but I can't be bothered with any of that. :p
 
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After much research I've finished my web-site..

If you guys could take a look and give some feedback on the design and quality of my photos, that would be great to improve further..

Thanks for all the great responses here. Much appreciated

www.alexgesse.com
 
alexxk said:
After much research I've finished my web-site..

If you guys could take a look and give some feedback on the design and quality of my photos, that would be great to improve further..

Thanks for all the great responses here. Much appreciated

www.alexgesse.com
Click to expand...

Your new site looks great! Only piece of feedback I'd give is to break up your portraits of the same people rather than grouping them all together. That's purely personal preference, though. Also, if you only have photos of a couple of models, it's ok to limit the number of shots in the portrait gallery. Personally, I'd rather see just the top 3 photos of one particular model rather than lots of the same person. Don't worry about having small galleries - it's ok to leave people wanting more.

And purely form a business sense, I would not limit the number of photos that people can buy to 1 image per month. Customers buy on their terms, not yours - if someone wants to buy a specific photo and it's not your photo of the month then the chances that they'll come back next month (just in case it's the new featured image) are very slim. The more photos you have for sale, the more money you will make.

All the best!
Iain
 
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alexxk said:
After much research I've finished my web-site..

If you guys could take a look and give some feedback on the design and quality of my photos, that would be great to improve further..

Thanks for all the great responses here. Much appreciated

www.alexgesse.com
Click to expand...
Nice clean site. I viewed it on my iPhone and it looked good on the smaller screen as well.
A bit about you page might be a nice addition, but lots of great images.
 
alexxk said:
After much research I've finished my web-site..

If you guys could take a look and give some feedback on the design and quality of my photos, that would be great to improve further..

Thanks for all the great responses here. Much appreciated

www.alexgesse.com
Click to expand...

Can you tell us which route did you go (service)?

Thank you, I was about to start a thread asking the same question.
 
I have been on Livebooks for a couple years but have been looking for alternatives. A friend suggested 22Slides but I thought they lacked flexibility within their designs. Yesterday, I went with forum.com and am beginning to receive positive comments from friends in my industry. At $60 a year, I see it as a great value and I can personalize my site quickly. I don't see much difference between the Livebooks and Format mobile sites but the computer layout is what sold me.

www.tonyclarkphoto.com
 
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