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07/13/2012 08:20:16 PM · #1 |
Hi,
I am looking to create my own website to showcase my photography. I am going to register my name BeckyTPhotography. I have been doing a blog with Blogger but was thinking of going with WordPress.org and taking it one step further by actually setting up a website that I plan to use professionally. Wordpress recommends BlueHost, DreamHost and LaughingSquid. On my research of the internet IPage comes up as the top webhosting site that also supports WordPress tools. The only reason I have been looking at anything that handles WordPress because is because of some of the photographers that I like do. I am new at this whole thing so I am very unsure of most things.
All suggestions and comments are welcome! I am here to learn from the best. Thank you! |
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07/13/2012 11:04:16 PM · #2 |
I have a Wordpress blog hosted with BlueHost. They have been very reliable and I've never had any reason to complain about the hosting.
I don't have it set for photography, so I can't provide a lot of insight about that other than to say I know there are photography templates for it.
My blog has been around as a writing blog for a long time, and lately it has been dormant while I consider moving it over to photography.
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07/14/2012 06:01:12 AM · #3 |
I whole-heartedly recommend the bluehost/Wordpress combo, Becky. The following pulls together various posts I've made related to this.
Wordpress for Photography
Wordpress itself is a great platform for just about any type of site, including supporting your photography business. I've been using bluehost for years and they've served me well. I've received excellent customer service from them and my sites have been up and running without any unplanned downtime. One nice thing is that you have unlimited storage space for images that support your site! (This means that you can't use their site as a cloud-based archive service, that the images you upload have to be associated with your site.)
With your own hosted site, you are virtually unlimited as to how much customization you can do. You'll have access to many more themes, plugins, and tools, as well as much more support. You'll also be able to fine-tune your site for speed and SEO. Even though it may take a little more work, you can make your site stand out from the one-size-fits-all sites.
As with anything, it's just a matter of becoming familiar with it. I'll agree that its administrative dashboard leaves a lot to be desired. the one-size-fits-all, let's-include-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach can be fairly overwhelming and intimidating. However, once you start to learn your way around, it really is the simplest place to set up a website.
You also have to learn the vocabulary ("themes", "plugins", "widgets", etc). Fortunately, the platform is mature enough that there are a ton of books available; most notable would be "wordpress for dummies".
From a business standpoint, the most important thing is to understand the difference between "pages" and "posts". Quite simply, you create "pages" to hold your static information (contact info, about/bio, mission statement, etc). You use "posts" for your dynamic content, such as galleries, recent shoots, and the like.
One warning, though, is to be careful about how you invest in a wordpress site. There are many things you can do for free, and even more that you can do if you are inclined to poke around in the code. However, if you need help, there are even more companies out there willing to help you - but not for free. I don't advise buying into any customization unless you have a clear understanding as to what you are going to get. Many, if not most, of the companies that sell templates do not offer refunds. It's also hard to find companies that offer anything more than forum-based or email-based tech support. Depending on one's level of self-sufficiency, it might be worth it to spend a little more for real one-on-one hand-holding in getting a site up and running.
Photo Presentation
I use a sweet little HTML5 gallery system that not just plays well just about anywhere, but also has a Wordpress plugin! Produced by the same folks that brought us SimpleViewer, it is quick, light, configurable, and does not require flash! Through it, your galleries are viewable not only on desktop computers, but also just about any mobile device (phone or tablet) that can connect to the Internet!
You can find out everything you need to know at the juicebox website. While it's probably not the be-all-end-all, it's a lot better than most, and it's a big step up from SimpleViewer. What I like the most about it is that it can give you a nearly full-screen slideshow that will not only run on just about any device, it automatically resizes for the device display. While they do have a free one, it's not very customizable. On the other hand, $50 ain't bad, and their customer service is pretty decent.
Here's a simple example and here's a site with a lot of galleries (some with lots of images).
This will give you about the same gallery slideshow functionality you get with bigblackbag and similar sites, except that you embed this into your own site where you should be free from any of the limitations that come with subscription-based sites.
As a rule of thumb, 12-15 images per gallery is a minimum. You want to show enough unique imagery that your visitor will get a sense of versatility and range without becoming bored. If you don't have enough good stuff in a particular portfolio, don't highlight that. If you need more stuff and want to kick things off quicker, consider throwing a shootfest some weekend morning. No sitting fee, discounts on prints, all in return for model releases. do this a few times and you'll quickly have your gallery images, as well as bucket load of contacts for future business and referrals. You'll not just get images and exposure, but you'll also get a lot of practice!
Along these lines, the upper limit on a gallery is in the 25-30 image range. Go for less if the images are very similar, use more if you have a lot of people involved and/or a bigger story to tell. Also, don't try to make a client gallery do double duty as both a marketing gallery and a shoot preview gallery. Prospects and clients are different audiences with different needs.
Hope this helps. If you have any specific questions, feel free to post here at dpc or pm me directly.
Message edited by author 2012-07-14 06:24:16. |
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07/14/2012 09:30:11 AM · #4 |
i created a site with bigblackbag, i needed something simple and easy to set up and it fit the bill. i however am underwhelmed by the value for what it costs and i would like slightly more customization. once things slow down a bit here i plan to try the route that  skip suggests. |
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07/14/2012 10:16:37 AM · #5 |
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your input to my question JiaBob and mike_311.
A special big thank you to you, Skip, for your detailed and indepth input to my question. I have a lot of work to do :)
Thank you,
Becky |
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07/16/2012 07:37:37 AM · #6 |
what software does one need to modify a wordpress template?
i know waaaay back i used to use Microsoft frontage or Dreamweaver to create my websites, i haven't done it in almost a decade. |
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07/16/2012 07:44:49 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by mike_311:
what software does one need to modify a wordpress template? |
notepad ;-)
or you can use the editor built into the dashboard to access the php and css files associated with a theme. keep in mind, *premium* theme publishers typically provide their own customization interfaces and block access to their core files.
if you are really interested in getting under the hood, i highly recommend Smashing Wordpress. |
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07/16/2012 08:00:59 AM · #8 |
| oh, and no matter what you end up doing. Always back-up your files in case you need to re-upload one. Whenever I make edits to the framework of any site, I always do it in increments and then upload and check the site every few 'major' edits... |
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07/16/2012 09:16:45 AM · #9 |
anyone ever used microsoft expression web?
i can get it for free as a student perk. it appears they replaced frontpage with expression web. |
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07/16/2012 11:24:37 AM · #10 |
[quote=mike_311] anyone ever used microsoft expression web?
i can get it for free as a student perk. it appears they replaced frontpage with expression web. [/quote
Never even heard of it. I used Frontpage way back in the day.. Now I primarily use Dreamweaver, Notepad++ or if I'm desperate, I edit the files through ftp.. |
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