Shutterbugs around the world! Who else wants to be a more successful photographer? Do you want to organize your photographs quickly online? What if you can manage and sort your photographs easily by using categories and tags?
Common Query by Photographers:
My friend used Smugmug but they doubled their prices! That really sucked. I am looking for alternatives for my photo storage and printing needs. I was wondering what the professionals are using so far.
My main requirement is ability to publish on my own domain name.
In other words, it should have clean, stylish and fully customizable designs so that photographers like me is able to upload, present and sell photography.
Expert Answer:
You have 2 options when it comes to photo hosting. You can either get a solution as a service host, or you can build your own website, i.e DIY. You will have full control of your website with the later.
Option 1:
If you do not want to get into web development, then all-in-one service such as Zenfolio is what you want.
You must try Zenfolio. Zenfolio is very easy, very managable, much faster than smugmug. Heck I do not even like looking at smugmug galleries because they are too slow.
Their free 14-day Trial subscription provides access to all the Premium features including uploading full size photos, printing and selling. No credit card required. Click here to get your own website up and running today.
Why Zenfolio? What appealed me the most is the Unlimited level subscription, which adds truly unlimited storage to all the features of the Basic plan.
This particular option will save hours of education that it takes to become a web developer, while allowing you an impressive degree of freedom and customization on an ongoing basis. If you are just looking for a fast way to share photos online with your potential customers after a shoot, and allow them to purchase photos online, go for this option. If you are just a leisurely photographer who just want a basic website to send clients to, then this is definitely your best solution.
Option 2:
This is the method where you first get a web hosting account from a website hosting company such as Hostgator. Then you install a content-management system such as WordPress. Last but not least, you configure your website which includes a professional photography theme.
This may sound complicated but actually it is quite straightforward. Only a bare minimum of programming knowledge is needed to get started and if you get stuck help is available from either the WordPress forums or your hosting support service. It is useful (but not essential) to know HTML and CSS to be able to modify the layout.
There are a wide choices of website hosting services in the world today but you want a reliable hosting provider at the right price. We have used Hostgator for almost 8 years and we are still amazed with their quick customer support and fantastic uptime. We have tried some other 10 hosting services but HG is simply beyond compare. If you are unsure if this option can meet your requirements, or you have specific question, try the Live Chat at HG. They are fast and knowledgeable. You can also try Hostgator for $0.01 only.
Many professional photographers believe this is the better option for hosting your photos. Here are four (4) important reasons why:
- At Zenfolio, you have to pay 12% fee when you sell products from partner labs, pay 4% fee when you self-fulfill your own orders, and pay 8% fee when you sell digital products. If you host your own website, you pay nothing from your sale (as oppose to the first option above)
- Unlimited storage space not only for your photos, but for everything you want to put on your website (including PDFs, presentations, videos, raw images, designs, digital products)
- You can host more domain names when you want to expand your business
- The hosting from the first option above may increase the fees (just like what Smugmug did), but with your own hosting your cost is stable which is the web hosting which is only about $10/month.
You can get additional discount by using the coupon below.
