Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Hi all,

I've been checking/trying out smugmug.com, photoshelter.com, ipf3.com, photostockplus.com. Also contemplating building my own site (a second site) through stirsite.com.

Can't decide on which of the above sites specifically for photographers would be the best one to go with.

Has anyone explored some/all of these sites? Could use some feedback from others.

Cheers

What's the plan for the site?
Is it to promote a business?
Is it to showcase your work? (artists site?)
Is it for both?

I personally don't use any of those sites. I have my own domain, my own site, and I built it myself - granted, that means it's not exactly "cutting edge" with all the fancy shmancy "flash" based animation and music that's forced upon an unsuspecting viewer but it does the job

I would look at photographers websites that you admire, for your own style/genre of photography (be it macro, landscape, nature, sports, etc.) and see if you can spot something that is appealing to your eye and at the same time functional.

Cheers,
Dave

I use http://www.Zenfolio.com for my site. I've been really impressed with how easy it is to use and how well the photos are displayed on there. It's rather lacking as far as customization goes, but you can link the galleries into another website. You can sell prints and many other products (both custom and through third party printers) and you can sell digital downloads as well. Anyway, I like how easy it is to use - definitely far easier than designing a site from scratch. There's a two week trial and that's definitely worth checking out just to see the interface.

My website is here: http://hollynorris.ca

Anyway. that's my zenfolio pitch.. if you decide to go with them you can use this promo code GEJ-QUB-J76 and you get a $5 discount.

Oh, one thing to note - perhaps not the best option if you're into shooting erotica (not artistic nudes, but actual erotica) my friend had a bunch of her stuff censored by them - stuff that's showing in Contact, and even one photo that was on the cover of Xtra magazine last year (so clearly not that 'pornographic'). [/i]

Some more information here:

http://tpmg.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=97 ... ht=smugmug

There is a good article in this months Digital Photo Pro magazine about this very subject. It may help you with your decision.


http://www.digitalphotopro.com/business/money-while-you-sleep-e-commerce-for-professional-photographers.html


cheers

I'm really liking the zenfolio and plan to go with the premium listing. Thanks for posting the info!

No problem! Use this promo code - GEJ-QUB-J76 - and you'll save yourself $5!

Hello,

I've been quite interested in finding a solution for selling photos. I'm lucky enough to have the skills to manage my own website but would rather delegate the e-commerce to a third party.

I looked at a number of sites including some of the ones mentioned in the original post. My favourite so far is SmugMug but the problem with most of these sites is they only sell in US dollars. Now, I only discovered this a few moments ago but Zenfolio offers the option of sales in Canadian dollars (and many other currencies). I haven't figured out where they do their printing, if products are shipped from the US, and if there are any cost consequences. I think they allow self-fulfillment options which may solve this. Anyhoot, I still have questions that need answering but Zenfolio looks like a step in the right direction.

Having the sales made in CDN dollars, and the printing/delivery to occur in Canada is very important to me.

Another option is using Paypal.ca. Using Paypal, you can create an order with a client and send them the invoice via Paypal. As soon as it is paid, you fulfill the order using whatever methods you wish.