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DPChallenge Forums >> Business of Photography >> Website...Zenfolio, Smugmug...or?
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05/08/2010 05:41:52 PM · #1
I want to set up a website for my photography...I'd like to have intro, portfolio, bio, services pages as well as a password protected client login/download area and probably print ordering and a blog area as well. I also want to use my own url and not have anyone elses logos/ads on my page either. I don't really know much about the mechanics of building webpages, but I have a pretty good idea of what features and the look I want.

Does anyone here have experience with using Zenfolio, Smugmug or some other option? Likes? Dislikes? General experiences?
05/08/2010 07:12:12 PM · #2
I personally use exposure manager due to advice from skip but I have a front end page I designed and host with godaddy.
05/08/2010 08:03:30 PM · #3
Originally posted by Spork99:

I want to set up a website for my photography...I'd like to have intro, portfolio, bio, services pages as well as a password protected client login/download area and probably print ordering and a blog area as well. I also want to use my own url and not have anyone elses logos/ads on my page either. I don't really know much about the mechanics of building webpages, but I have a pretty good idea of what features and the look I want.

Does anyone here have experience with using Zenfolio, Smugmug or some other option? Likes? Dislikes? General experiences?


Please search through the threads for more of these threads. There must be about 20 or so.
05/08/2010 08:12:59 PM · #4
Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:

Originally posted by Spork99:

I want to set up a website for my photography...I'd like to have intro, portfolio, bio, services pages as well as a password protected client login/download area and probably print ordering and a blog area as well. I also want to use my own url and not have anyone elses logos/ads on my page either. I don't really know much about the mechanics of building webpages, but I have a pretty good idea of what features and the look I want.

Does anyone here have experience with using Zenfolio, Smugmug or some other option? Likes? Dislikes? General experiences?


Please search through the threads for more of these threads. There must be about 20 or so.


For what it's worth, while there are several threads where others show their websites, none really discuss the virtues of one service over the other.

In any event, if you don't have anything positive to add, why reply at all? Did someone piss in your Wheaties and you're just looking to pass it on?
05/08/2010 08:30:55 PM · #5
Originally posted by Spork99:



For what it's worth, while there are several threads where others show their websites, none really discuss the virtues of one service over the other.

In any event, if you don't have anything positive to add, why reply at all? Did someone piss in your Wheaties and you're just looking to pass it on?


No I'm not mad at anyone, and I do have something positive to add, my addition is to do a simple search for keywords like smugmug or zenfolio and he YOU should find what he YOU are looking for.

1. //www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=956547&highlight=smugmug+zenfolio

2. //www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=829941&highlight=smugmug+zenfolio

3. //www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=938019&highlight=smugmug+zenfolio

4. //www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=937512&highlight=smugmug+zenfolio

5. //www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=935077&highlight=smugmug+zenfolio

6. //www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=913663&highlight=smugmug+zenfolio

7. //www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=925212&highlight=smugmug+zenfolio

8. //www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=878362&highlight=smugmug+zenfolio <--One I added a lot of info.

9. //www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=865837&highlight=smugmug+zenfolio

If you want more just look through here: //www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=search&id=480723

eta: All you had to do was a little leg work.

Message edited by author 2010-05-08 20:33:53.
05/08/2010 08:39:42 PM · #6
AND...

I'm not going to say that I haven't started a thread without searching for one first EVERYTIME but being a member for as long as you have I'm sure you've either seen a thread like this (smugmug vs. Zenfolio) or know about rule #3 found here

I'm just saying.

Oh and BTW, I'll save you some time, Use smugmug they are so much better and when you use my code (44wZkC1o2fqvU) you can save $5.00 on a membership.

Don't waste your time with Zenfolio!

05/09/2010 04:41:46 PM · #7
Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:

Don't waste your time with Zenfolio!


I have to reply and say that Zenfolio has done me just fine.
My referral code for $5 off @ Zenfolio is VFH-BJH-P6Z
05/23/2010 01:46:27 AM · #8
heheh i like wix
05/23/2010 04:52:03 AM · #9
check out www.bludomain.com.. they have some really great designs and templates and relatively inexpensive..
06/12/2010 12:39:08 PM · #10
I'm using wordpress with a premium theme I'm customizing for my site and my client login/ordering area is going to be smugmug.

06/12/2010 02:32:09 PM · #11
Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:

AND...

Don't waste your time with Zenfolio!


Interesting statement - any chance of elaborating ?

I have just started with them as Smugmug don't do printing in Europe and they look pretty good so far . .
11/09/2010 08:15:56 AM · #12
Originally posted by Spork99:

Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:

Originally posted by Spork99:

I want to set up a website for my photography...I'd like to have intro, portfolio, bio, services pages as well as a password protected client login/download area and probably print ordering and a blog area as well. I also want to use my own url and not have anyone elses logos/ads on my page either. I don't really know much about the mechanics of building webpages, but I have a pretty good idea of what features and the look I want.

Does anyone here have experience with using Zenfolio, Smugmug or some other option? Likes? Dislikes? General experiences?


Please search through the threads for more of these threads. There must be about 20 or so.


For what it's worth, while there are several threads where others show their websites, none really discuss the virtues of one service over the other.

In any event, if you don't have anything positive to add, why reply at all? Did someone piss in your Wheaties and you're just looking to pass it on?


Funny that while doing my search of the forums for the exact same information that this OP was looking for I come across this thread with this disappointing response that seems to have mostly shut down quality replies.

I was really interested answers to what the OP said about wanting to use his own URL and not have anyone else's logos/ads on his page. I've seen a lot of URL's that include "smugmug" in the URL and I'd rather not have that included in my URL.

Looking through the threads for about 30 minutes hasn't answered that concern and this thread was the first mention of that issue that I have found so far. When I get home from work today I'll pore through the threads that Dirt_Diver so graciously provided and see if I can find the information that I and the OP were looking for.

Maybe somebody could reply here in the meantime (helpful replies only please ;) and save me some time.

Thanks!
11/09/2010 08:42:25 AM · #13
i have been using Exposure Manager going on four years. i first handled online sales manually (i created galleries and took orders via email and phone) and that sucked. i then used photoreflect and hated it. i then used smugmug and hated it. i then found EM, and while they are far from perfect, they fit me and my business model better than anything else i've found.

the main thing about them is that the company was started by professional photographers to serve professional photographers. it wasn't a photo-sharing site with a professional component bolted on. right out of the box, EM offered private-label branding, giving me nearly complete control over my customer's experience. the differences between commissions and fees were (and probably still are) HUGE, compared to others. at the end of the day, i'm pretty sure i'm making more money using them than i would with anyone else.

granted, it's not as easy to set up as some of the other slicker sites, but once you get a handle on how it's organized, it's fairly easy to maintain. the main thing is to keep it simple.

it really is a matter of what fits for you and your customers, and whether you are in this as a business. you can read more in this article comparing smugmug to exposure manager. some things may have changed, but not enough to justify me ever looking back...

Message edited by author 2010-11-09 08:43:15.
11/09/2010 08:53:17 AM · #14
Smugmug all the way. You will be dealing with real, thinking feeling people, not 'a site'.
I should know.
11/09/2010 09:04:50 AM · #15
Originally posted by docpjv:

Smugmug all the way. You will be dealing with real, thinking feeling people, not 'a site'.
I should know.

i'll give you that they [smugmug] are real, thinking feeling people. i've found the same thing to be true at exposure manager. for me, it was more about having more control and making more money (and since this is my livelihood, money matters).
11/09/2010 11:54:52 AM · #16
Reading both the Smugmug forums and the Zen ones - they don't look that dissimilar in what people want and what they grumble about, one of them gets shouted out as best because it has feature 'a' - but then the other is best because it has feature 'b' . . have a look at both and see what suits you.

As ever it is a case of " you pay your money, and you take your choice . ."

:- )

I have a link to my Zen site via my profile page - have a look by all means and if you have any specific questions drop me a pm and I'll try to answer them.



Message edited by author 2010-11-09 11:57:29.
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