# I need to make my own website but I don't know where to start



## Kbarredo (May 25, 2012)

Ok so I came across someone that just might help me get into an actual business. She is an owner of one of the salon franchises in town. While I was getting my hair cut by one of the workers we started talking. I told her I was a photographer and she asked if she could see my work and if I could leave her some cards. She says she does many grad students hairs and she will send them to me for grad photos.  I didn't have cards or a website. I don't really want to tell all my potential clients to go look at photobucket for my work. I told her I would have some cards next time I get my hair cut.
Anyways I need to start developing a website but I have no clue how to do it? I can't rely on facebook anymore as it's very inconvenient to non friends. What did you guys use to make your first website?


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## TheFantasticG (May 25, 2012)

SmugMug for the website and vistaprint for the cards.


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## The_Traveler (May 25, 2012)

or zenfolio.


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## 12sndsgood (May 25, 2012)

I'm using Zenfolio as well. but you might want to take a step back and look at everything involved with the business side of things before just throwing up a site and taking money.


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## Robin Usagani (May 25, 2012)

my website except the blog is 100% zenfolio.  They even have blog but I dont use it.


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## 2WheelPhoto (May 25, 2012)

12sndsgood said:


> I'm using Zenfolio as well. but you might want to take a step back and look at everything involved with the business side of things before just throwing up a site and taking money.



^^^that


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## AceCo55 (May 25, 2012)

Smugmug is very customisible ... it may feel daunting at first but there are some fantastic volunteers who help people out with coding to get that personalised look. You can create both public and private galleries, password protected galleries and depending on account type, it can automatically add your watermark if you are wanting to do that.


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## Kbarredo (May 25, 2012)

does smugmug put my name in the domain name first. I just don't want people to have to remember smugmug.com/barredophotography/blah you know what I mean?


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## Robin Usagani (May 25, 2012)

I think both zenfolio and smugmug do but you probably want your own domain.... like imakickassphotographer.com or something.



Kbarredo said:


> does smugmug put my name in the domain name first. I just don't want people to have to remember smugmug.com/barredophotography/blah you know what I mean?


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## sandraadamson (May 25, 2012)

My website www.sandraadamson.com is hosted by hostmonster.com. They charge around $75US a year and you can build your site to suit your needs. Mine was designed by me from ground up actually going thru a design change right now some tweaking left. If you want help I'm more than willing to help I love web design as much as photography-my newest hobby. Mine is built for SEO maximization too.

www.sandraadamson.com www.sandraadamson.blogspot.com


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## tirediron (May 25, 2012)

TheFantasticG said:


> SmugMug for the website and vistaprint for the cards.


And Wal-mart to have your family portrait taken; that's really what is being said here.  It never fails to amaze me how many photographers (Note, this is NOT aimed at you FantasticG) rail on about professional photography, and the importance of quality work, and how people who do things such as having their wedding album printed at Wal-mart are doing themselves a huge dis-service because the quality will be so bad, and then in the same breath will recommend these "McDonald's" solutions.  If you want a website, build it.  If you can't build it, hire someone (a PROFESSIONAL) who can.  If you want business cards, go to a printer; a PROFESSIONAL printer.  In both of these examples, as with our craft, quality costs, and quality shows.


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## Robin Usagani (May 25, 2012)

John, are you saying my website is not professional enough?  I dont think there is anything wrong with using smugmug or zenfolio.


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## KmH (May 25, 2012)

Kbarredo said:


> does smugmug put my name in the domain name first. I just don't want people to have to remember smugmug.com/barredophotography/blah you know what I mean?


First you have to rent a domain name. Then you can set up the domain DNS settings so SmugMug is not part of your web sites URL. Until then SmugMug has to be primary domain.


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## IByte (May 25, 2012)

As above get your domain, its an anus trying to get .coms or .net, since they are the most popular.  As you web sight is concerned get a decent looking template, there is nothing wrong using, a template, while you find or make your own site.  Business cards should have made since you became a photographer.


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## DiskoJoe (May 25, 2012)

Word Press has lots of nice layouts too. You would need someone that knows a little web design to customize it but the results can be very nice. They have some really nice layouts for photography websites.


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## tirediron (May 25, 2012)

Schwettylens said:


> John, are you saying my website is not professional enough? I dont think there is anything wrong with using smugmug or zenfolio.


Aside from the grammar you mean?   Your website looks fine to me, but there's a LOT more to a good website than what it looks like, so I really can't comment.  That aside, I'm not pointing a finger at anyone, rather making that point that IMO, many photographers are rather hypocritical in their thinking that you must only use the best labs, but that there's nothing wrong with cut-rate solutions for websites and business cards.


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## Robin Usagani (May 25, 2012)

I need all the help I can get since english isnt my first language.. PM me the errors please 



tirediron said:


> Schwettylens said:
> 
> 
> > John, are you saying my website is not professional enough? I dont think there is anything wrong with using smugmug or zenfolio.
> ...


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## HughGuessWho (May 25, 2012)

tirediron said:


> Schwettylens said:
> 
> 
> > John, are you saying my website is not professional enough? I dont think there is anything wrong with using smugmug or zenfolio.
> ...



I am SO glad to hear a MOD say this. 

Isnt this EXACTLY likes the "noob" wanting to become Pro and start a photography business and getting pounded by everyone for it?
Why do people think that anyone can create a successfully website by the seat of their pants? You will NOT be successful by simply using some template to post your pictures with Fotomoto &#8220;Buy Print&#8221; buttons and submitting your URL to Google. It just doesn&#8217;t work that way. There are highly trained and educated SEO experts out there that know what they are doing and still have a tough time getting in the top 100.
You can buy an entry level camera and become a professional photographer over night.
Nor can you buy web space from Go Daddy and be a professional Web Designer.


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## DiskoJoe (May 25, 2012)

tirediron said:


> TheFantasticG said:
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> > SmugMug for the website and vistaprint for the cards.
> ...



I have a friend that does professional webdesign and she does not charge too much. Good work. She has made other photosites.


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## HughGuessWho (May 25, 2012)

DiskoJoe said:


> tirediron said:
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> > I have a friend that does professional webdesign and she does not charge too much. Good work. She has made other photosites.
> ...


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## IByte (May 25, 2012)

HughGuessWho said:
			
		

> I am SO glad to hear a MOD say this.
> 
> Isnt this EXACTLY likes the "noob" wanting to become Pro and start a photography business and getting pounded by everyone for it?
> Why do people think that anyone can create a successfully website by the seat of their pants? You will NOT be successful by simply using some template to post your pictures with Fotomoto &ldquo;Buy Print&rdquo; buttons and submitting your URL to Google. It just doesn&rsquo;t work that way. There are highly trained and educated SEO experts out there that know what they are doing and still have a tough time getting in the top 100.
> ...



You forgot about Facebook


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## HughGuessWho (May 25, 2012)

IByte said:


> You forgot about Facebook



OOops


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## imagemaker46 (May 25, 2012)

I used to build my own sites using DreamWeaver and they worked just fine, it helped having a good graphic background and I kept it all simple.  I use Photoshelter now as it works best for my online sales, they have a good set of templates and it's easy to set up.

The Op is an amateur, has no registered business, or cards or web name. Photographer or photography, as usual, will be added to their name and that will magically turn them into a professional, the web site will complete the illusion...and another one is born.


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## Robin Usagani (May 25, 2012)

People have to start somewhere.  This isn't rocket science.



imagemaker46 said:


> I used to build my own sites using DreamWeaver and they worked just fine, it helped having a good graphic background and I kept it all simple.  I use Photoshelter now as it works best for my online sales, they have a good set of templates and it's easy to set up.
> 
> The Op is an amateur, has no registered business, or cards or web name. Photographer or photography, as usual, will be added to their name and that will magically turn them into a professional, the web site will complete the illusion...and another one is born.


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## HughGuessWho (May 25, 2012)

imagemaker46 said:


> I used to build my own sites using DreamWeaver and they worked just fine, it helped having a good graphic background and I kept it all simple.  I use Photoshelter now as it works best for my online sales, they have a good set of templates and it's easy to set up.
> 
> The Op is an amateur, has no registered business, or cards or web name. Photographer or photography, as usual, will be added to their name and that will magically turn them into a professional, the web site will complete the illusion...and another one is born.


Dreamweaver is the best. No doubt. But much like Photoshop... you dont learn the thing overnight reading the Help section. And, youve been around a long time and may very well be good at it, but most only THINK they are.


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## HughGuessWho (May 25, 2012)

Schwettylens said:


> People have to start somewhere.  This isn't rocket science.
> 
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> ...


I agree, 100%. But cant the exact thing be said about photography noobs? huh? Same thing, isnt it? You godda start some place. OR, you can leave it to the real pros.


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## HughGuessWho (May 25, 2012)

Sorry, OP, I didnt mean to hijack your thread. Go for it, study all you can about it and do it right. Just dont get your hopes up too high because it will likely be a long time before you see any action on it.
Good Luck


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## imagemaker46 (May 25, 2012)

Schwettylens said:


> People have to start somewhere.  This isn't rocket science.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



No it's not rocket science, it's another amateur that has been asked to to shoot for someone and the only way they can charge people is to create the illusion of being a professional. I guess you're right, it is a start.  Step one, buy a camera, step two, make money, step three, start a business, step four, learn how to use the camera.


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## DiskoJoe (May 25, 2012)

HughGuessWho said:


> DiskoJoe said:
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> > tirediron said:
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## imagemaker46 (May 25, 2012)

HughGuessWho said:


> imagemaker46 said:
> 
> 
> > I used to build my own sites using DreamWeaver and they worked just fine, it helped having a good graphic background and I kept it all simple.  I use Photoshelter now as it works best for my online sales, they have a good set of templates and it's easy to set up.
> ...



I bought Dreamweaver and a dummy guide on how to use it, took me a couple of days, it's pretty basic stuff.  I'm not a very technical person and if I could figure it all out,  anyone could. I also started off but getting my domain name first and finding a good place to host it.


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## Robin Usagani (May 25, 2012)

If someone telling me they have EVERYTHING to run a legitimate photography business the first time they take $$ for their service, I call it BS.


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## HughGuessWho (May 25, 2012)

DiskoJoe said:


> HughGuessWho said:
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## HughGuessWho (May 25, 2012)

imagemaker46 said:


> HughGuessWho said:
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And you learned SEO from that dummies book and were successful? 
I smell something.....


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## Robin Usagani (May 25, 2012)

Why does it matter?  I have a friend who made an amazing wedding cake for another friend.  She got paid (not much).  No she doesnt have an industrial kitchen, she doesnt have a website.  Why does it bother you for an amateur to earn some $ for photography?  You are not anything special.



imagemaker46 said:


> Schwettylens said:
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> > People have to start somewhere.  This isn't rocket science.
> ...


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## imagemaker46 (May 25, 2012)

Schwettylens said:


> If someone telling me they have EVERYTHING to run a legitimate photography business the first time they take $$ for their service, I call it BS.



I would say that more than 3/4 of the people on this forum or that have passed through, have taken money for pictures without having a business. I would also guess that there are a lot on here that are running  businesses without a licence and not paying taxes on money made from it.


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## HughGuessWho (May 25, 2012)

imagemaker46 said:


> Schwettylens said:
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> > If someone telling me they have EVERYTHING to run a legitimate photography business the first time they take $$ for their service, I call it BS.
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Agreed. That is everywhere.


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## imagemaker46 (May 25, 2012)

HughGuessWho said:


> imagemaker46 said:
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Well I used Dreamweaver when it first came out, maybe 20 years ago, at that time had never heard of SEO. 

So for the Op, hire a professional web designer that understands SEO and knows how to get your web site loading on the first page of all the search engines.


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## 12sndsgood (May 25, 2012)

i guess it depends on what the definition of having everything for a business is.


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## Robin Usagani (May 25, 2012)

OK, so we are all in an agreement.  



HughGuessWho said:


> imagemaker46 said:
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## krath (May 25, 2012)

www.bludomain.com  has some awesome templates! That is where I built my website at kalarathphotography.com it is so user friendly!!!I do recommend that you look into the part about the music on your website though before just adding songs. My husband was in law school and he said that you can use music but you have to gain permission through a few people if you are using a song that everyone knows like a Yo-Yo Ma song on your website. Good luck!


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## fasihjee (May 25, 2012)

You can either use WORDPRESS templates available online to download or SMUGMUG would be brilliant for website builder. Alternatively you can check Wix Free Website Builder | Wix.com for flash based websites.

I would personally grab a website developer and would ask him to get me simple fading slides for my photography website.


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## HughGuessWho (May 25, 2012)

krath said:


> www.bludomain.com  has some awesome templates! That is where I built my website at kalarathphotography.com it is so user friendly!!!I do recommend that you look into the part about the music on your website though before just adding songs. My husband was in law school and he said that you can use music but you have to gain permission through a few people if you are using a song that everyone knows like a Yo-Yo Ma song on your website. Good luck!



I rest my case, Your Honor


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## tirediron (May 25, 2012)

Schwettylens said:


> If someone telling me they have EVERYTHING to run a legitimate photography business the first time they take $$ for their service, I call it BS.


I suspect that's true in 99.99999999999 1/2% of the cases.


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## Robin Usagani (May 25, 2012)

tirediron said:


> Schwettylens said:
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> > If someone telling me they have EVERYTHING to run a legitimate photography business the first time they take $$ for their service, I call it BS.
> ...


Cant mix decimals and fractions john


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## EdithLPhoto (May 25, 2012)

Hi, I also use and absolutely love zenfolio. It has really been a great tool for me to showcase my work. My blog is 100% wordpress and I feel wordpress is the best platform for blogging. Here are my sites so you can check them out!
Professional Photographer; Weddings, Events, Portraits. New Jersey, Tri-State area. and Photography with Wings « Musings about Photography, Life & Following Your Passion Photography with Wings 

I hope this helps!


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## c.cloudwalker (May 25, 2012)

I totally agree that you have to start somewhere. However you also have to understand that you will NOT make any money for quite a while. Most new businesses fail because they are under-funded. The owners didn't plan enough cash to carry them long enough with very little business. When I went "pro" as an independent photojournalist, my first sale came the 8th month... and I had expenses to take care of all that time 

Some of the problem is directly related to the type of business you are starting but some is just the way it is with any new business.

I'm in the process of starting 2 companies right now. One is a retail company and is sorely needed where we are going so that it will start generating revenues very quickly. Yet our business plan (very conservative as it should be) is telling us we are going to carry the company financially for about 5 months.

The second one is a graphic design company "kinda thing" and we are expecting to carry it for about a year, even though we are going to use my address book (I know a lot of potential big spenders through my studio) to help it along. We still need to prove ourselves and it's not done overnight.

Anyway, this brings me back to the OP's question.

One of the things this 2nd company will be doing is websites... Our starting price for what is called here in France a "shop-window" site (it is a site from which you do not buy, just look at services and/or products offered) is 2,500 euros (about $3,500.) Believe it or not we are just a bit over average. Our starting price for a site from which you buy is 3,500 euros. Multiply that by 4 and we guarantee you'll be on the first page of 50% of Google searches on the subject but it also involves monthly fees for monitoring the site which are not low.

There are millions of sites, most of which are never seen by anyone other than the owner. You want to be seen, pay a pro. And I don't mean pay the cousin who does a lot of websites. I mean, do a whole lot of research into the results designers are getting.

In websites, you get what you pay for. Design your own and, if you get any return on it, it will be pure damn luck. Prices are somewhat lower in the US, by the way.

Good luck to you.


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## tirediron (May 25, 2012)

Schwettylens said:


> tirediron said:
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I just did!


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## yo13dawg (May 25, 2012)

Smugmug user here as well. When I first signed up it was between smugmug and zenfolio. I was very happy with the smugmug support community and the ability to customize my site to my liking. I think there are other sites out there such as photoshelter that are suppose to have better SEO capabilities, however the cost is a lot higher.

I believe there are also sites out there that have no up-front fee and just take a percentage of sales but I don't know of any off the top of my head. You can also join a photo community like deviantart where you can opt to sell your photos as well.


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## IByte (May 25, 2012)

I'd say kick everything to curb, bring back good ol' geocities with some GIFs and bring back some retro flavor...BAM!


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## Robin Usagani (May 25, 2012)

OMG OMG .. geocities! hahahaha  I totally forgot about that.



IByte said:


> I'd say kick everything to curb, bring back good ol' geocities with some GIFs and bring back some retro flavor...BAM!


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## HughGuessWho (May 25, 2012)

IByte said:
			
		

> I'd say kick everything to curb, bring back good ol' geocities with some GIFs and bring back some retro flavor...BAM!



Yeah. With blinking marques!!!


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## IByte (May 25, 2012)

HughGuessWho said:
			
		

> Yeah. With blinking marques!!!



With polka dotted background and mini strobe lighted gifs.


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## c.cloudwalker (May 25, 2012)

One thing I forgot: I wouldn't know where to start building a website either 


We are five partners in this venture I was talking about and I'm in charge of the visual aspect of things here. I will not touch the technical aspect of the websites at all. Two of the partners are the ones to do that part and that is the way it should be.

YOU do what you are good at and you take/hire the best person possible to do the stuff you CANNOT DO!


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## Kbarredo (May 25, 2012)

DiskoJoe said:


> Word Press has lots of nice layouts too. You would need someone that knows a little web design to customize it but the results can be very nice. They have some really nice layouts for photography websites.


I was looking at that last night. So here is my plan on a website. Since I don't know squat about coding. I'm going to register my domain name and use hostgator as a hosting sight. Then I was going to use wordpress to create it. I've seen lots of nice themes meant just for photography on it.
Lol holy I go to bed with only 4 answer on here and wake up with a few pages.


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## c.cloudwalker (May 25, 2012)

Kbarredo said:


> DiskoJoe said:
> 
> 
> > Word Press has lots of nice layouts too. You would need someone that knows a little web design to customize it but the results can be very nice. They have some really nice layouts for photography websites.
> ...



Yeah that's funny.

It is even funnier that you are still talking about doing it yourself.

:lmao:


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## Kbarredo (May 25, 2012)

imagemaker46 said:


> I used to build my own sites using DreamWeaver and they worked just fine, it helped having a good graphic background and I kept it all simple.  I use Photoshelter now as it works best for my online sales, they have a good set of templates and it's easy to set up.
> 
> The Op is an amateur, has no registered business, or cards or web name. Photographer or photography, as usual, will be added to their name and that will magically turn them into a professional, the web site will complete the illusion...and another one is born.


Do you know that I haven't registered my company name? You have to start from somewhere do you not? I have already shelled out $300 to register my business and another $100 to print out some business cards. I may not be the best photographer but before my divorce I helped my wife launch her daycare business that made 50k net a year. I was in charge of the advertising and paperwork. Not bad for a 23 year old kid.
Just please don't assume I don't know anything about how to run a business. I would personally hire a web designer but it is currently out of my budget. Plus you would have to keep calling that web designer to update your sight. 
One more thing just because I don't now how to make a website doesn't mean I don't know how to use a camera properly.


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## Kbarredo (May 25, 2012)

c.cloudwalker said:


> Kbarredo said:
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You know what, it doesn't matter if I am doing it myself at the moment. Maybe in the near future I can hire a web designer to do it for me but today having my own website is better than telling someone to look at my facebook. Do you have a thousand dollars you can lend me.
Ever since I was laid off my job I've had more time to focus on my photography. Every client I have had has offered to pay me. Now I know they may not have a critical eye like other photogs but there were some photogs here that gave me some good advice. You're ready to charge when people want to pay you.


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## Robin Usagani (May 25, 2012)

dude.. seriously.. zenfolio.com.


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## camz (May 25, 2012)

Kbarredo said:


> DiskoJoe said:
> 
> 
> > Word Press has lots of nice layouts too. You would need someone that knows a little web design to customize it but the results can be very nice. They have some really nice layouts for photography websites.
> ...



OP, I also recommend wordpress. It's probaby has the most friendly plugins that will boost your SEO. Facebook plugins for comments, s1, s2(content aware stuff), searches, etc etc. Being that having both static and dynamic content is a solid approach, if I were you just get the blog/website template - there are templates out there that are a website and a blog in one. It'll be cost effective that way for you.

Regarding hiring web designers, I've met decent ones and got quoted from as low as $400 up to the many thousands. Depends on how much work on the design and SEO. If you are not an expert I would wait and save a little bit more money and hire someone with good references to design your site(if you buy a template it should be cheaper). I'm sure you can find someone that will do it right and be within budget.


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## Kbarredo (May 25, 2012)

Schwettylens said:


> dude.. seriously.. zenfolio.com.


I already started on zenfolio but I would eventually like to develop my own. It's a good start for now. It definitely looks more professional than "you want to see my photography skills, look at my facebook and add me as a friend".


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## Liban (May 25, 2012)

To 'develop' your own, definitely try wordpress. Play around then when you get the hang of it, buy a theme from one of the theme sites. I spent $40 on my theme and that came with support showing you how to use it. Sounds like you want your own website. That's the best way imo. Buy the domain name yourself. Setup a wordpress account (it's free) then install a theme you like to display your photos. If you want to sell your work, then look for an e-commerce theme. It can get a little complicated but you can solve all the issues by looking around. It will be a great exercise for you.


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## Eveamlizya (May 28, 2012)

tirediron said:


> TheFantasticG said:
> 
> 
> > SmugMug for the website and vistaprint for the cards.
> ...



...not everyone has the luxury when starting out...  Hell, when I really first started (and this goes for the vast majority of my photographer friends), my website was Facebook and my business cards were printed from my home inkjet...  You build your business to that point.  If you jump right into paying for all that, you'll never make any money.  Having a "professionally" designed website and "professionally" printed cards doesn't insure customers.  Let's face it...(in my experience) the majority of my customers wouldn't know the difference if you held up a business card printed at one of these printers you're talking about or the card I printed myself with a design that I spent hours working on.  Customers aren't paying for your website...they're paying for your work and creativity.  I use wordpress for mine because I like the many different layouts you can get.  Also, there's plenty of tutorials online that will show you further customization.  Vistaprint is good for cards; their paper is a good weight.


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## dustin0479 (May 28, 2012)

SEO importance scales depending on where you are.  If you search for photographers in my area you will see about 8 locally and they will be on the first page of the search results.  As I know most several of them I can promise you they do not do any SEO.

If this is a part time gig and you have good outlets and referrals that will likely keep you busy enough,  your site will just be an outlet for people to view your work, not a traffic driver.

Opinions vary..


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## jamesbjenkins (May 28, 2012)

tirediron said:
			
		

> And Wal-mart to have your family portrait taken; that's really what is being said here.  It never fails to amaze me how many photographers (Note, this is NOT aimed at you FantasticG) rail on about professional photography, and the importance of quality work, and how people who do things such as having their wedding album printed at Wal-mart are doing themselves a huge dis-service because the quality will be so bad, and then in the same breath will recommend these "McDonald's" solutions.  If you want a website, build it.  If you can't build it, hire someone (a PROFESSIONAL) who can.  If you want business cards, go to a printer; a PROFESSIONAL printer.  In both of these examples, as with our craft, quality costs, and quality shows.



I couldn't disagree with you more with regard to Smugmug.  Vistaprint is crap, so no arguments there.

Smugmug (or Zenfolio, they're good too) are specifically made for photographers.  They take care of so much of the backside of the site (SEO, site mapping, etc.) and the Pro option gives me 3 full service professional photo labs to offer to my clients. 

If you know ANYTHING about building a website, you can get a great site through Smugmug. You have all the same tools available if you built your own site through a stand-alone host.  The only difference is, the CSS, HTML AND Java are user friendly.

If you have a well designed Smugmug site, no visitor would ever be able to see the difference.  You can remove all their branding via CSS. If you don't have any xpertise, there's a huge community of volunteers to answer questions and train you up.  My site is through Smugmug, and when I started in 2009, I knew zero about web design.  I did everything on my site myself. I'm no professional web designer...

John, I'm going to guess you have no firsthand experience with Smugmug, cause your assessment is way off.


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## Rodz (May 28, 2012)

I have used zenfolio.com for over 6 years! No complaints and excellent service and offerings


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## JSER (May 28, 2012)

Kbarredo said:


> Ok so I came across someone that just might help me get into an actual business. She is an owner of one of the salon franchises in town. While I was getting my hair cut by one of the workers we started talking. I told her I was a photographer and she asked if she could see my work and if I could leave her some cards. She says she does many grad students hairs and she will send them to me for grad photos.  I didn't have cards or a website. I don't really want to tell all my potential clients to go look at photobucket for my work. I told her I would have some cards next time I get my hair cut.
> Anyways I need to start developing a website but I have no clue how to do it? I can't rely on facebook anymore as it's very inconvenient to non friends. What did you guys use to make your first website?



I wanted something fast and easy  click on my website and go to the company at the bottom


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## murklemark (May 28, 2012)

These days using backed systems like Wordpress or Drupal make managing and setting up your website a breeze with only limited knowledge. 

I did my site in Wordpress using a theme then applying plugins to get the extras I needed, then your able to easily manage your content and cross link with your social media.


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## LizardKing (May 28, 2012)

tirediron said:


> TheFantasticG said:
> 
> 
> > SmugMug for the website and vistaprint for the cards.
> ...



Couldn't agree more... I was reading the previous messages and noone even suggested getting someone qualified to build your own personal, creative and unique site. 
Think of it the other way around... Let's say someone asks in a web-programming forum where to get good photos for a site he's building for himself, and people suggest instagram or him to go out take a couple of pictures and then photoshop them... what would you think about that?

I don't know, there are tons of great web designers out there and it's not even that expensive at all... I always prefer to give work to a freelancer rather than paying one of these big companies. I like my things to be different.

edit: just make sure to ask for good easy-to-use admin tools, so you can manage the site yourself...


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## czach2012 (May 31, 2012)

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/members/5212.htmlTirediron your website looks like a 3ed grader made it. I guess your right quality does show... I wouldn't dog on others work/quality until you can back it up.


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## Rodz (May 31, 2012)

lol, it is perty basic!


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## Eveamlizya (May 31, 2012)

czach2012 said:


> Tirediron your website looks like a 3ed grader made it. I guess your right quality does show... I wouldn't dog on others work/quality until you can back it up.


...glad I'm not the only one that's been thinking that same thing...

Quality really is just a matter of opinion though...I'm betting Tirediron is pretty proud of his site.  I'm pretty proud of how mine is turning out, but I know I still need to work on it so I'm not even making it public until I'm confident in it.  A friend of mine recently did her site and I'd say she's done pretty darn good.  When we were in high school she did all the graphic work for the school paper and the yearbook. Her site>>> Kourtney Allyse Photography 

For me, your site should reflect your personal style or the style of photography you do.  Don't just focus on what everyone thinks your site should look like...make yourself happy first or else you'll never be happy in this business.  I think that goes for all businesses...

Another thing, start out just playing around with things on wordpress, zenfolio, smugmug or whatever you plan on using.  Don't start out being so serious about it, just play.  You'll change your mind a million times as you learn to do new things design-wise.


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## sarahbaby (Jun 1, 2012)

So do I , i met a froeign friends, he said i should have a website of myself, but i do not know what content  the website should be about.


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## sarahbaby (Jun 1, 2012)

Schwettylens said:


> John, are you saying my website is not professional enough?  I dont think there is anything wrong with using smugmug or zenfolio.



YOur website is good, professional, I like it


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## Rodz (Jun 1, 2012)

Eveamlizya said:


> czach2012 said:
> 
> 
> > A friend of mine recently did her site and I'd say she's done pretty darn goodWhen we were in high school she did all the graphic work for the school paper and the yearbook. Her site>>> Kourtney Allyse Photography
> ...


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## WhiskeyTango (Jun 1, 2012)

Anyone have any experience with photobiz?  I've seen them recommended elsewhere a few times.  I'm currently using smugmug, but strictly for galleries.  No professional page setup...


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## Pookie (Jun 1, 2012)

I use both Zenfolio and Wordpress for my business.

If you are planning to sell them online and/or wanting to have client galleries, I suggest checking into either Zenfolio or Smugmug.  Zenfolio is associated with Mpix/MpixPro and Smugmug with BayPhoto and White House, so you may want to choose depending on which lab(s) you prefer. 
 I chose Zenfolio because I like the user interface a little better than Smugmug.  My geeky friend prefers Smugmug for its flexibility in customization since he knows how to customize using html, CSS, etc.

If you are only wanting to show your work in blog style (good point to start), then Wordpress is easy and very good.  I use ProPhoto templates for my sites but there are many free/inexpensive templates available.  I have my menus set so my Zenfolio galleries are accessible from my Wordpress site.

Unless you are an IT geek, I do not recommend creating your own website using programs like DreamWeaver.

Good luck

ETA: I use Moo.com for my business cards. Very good quality cards but a little more expensive than average.


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## Carny (Jun 11, 2012)

I'm looking at making a website for my real life job, and I've been looking into Joomla.  I've looked at a couple of youtube videos and it seems like a pretty good deal.  It's an opensource program like gimp and there are tons of free extensions for it.

Have you decided on something else already?


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