Designing a webpage - Advice wanted!

[ap.photo]

Hello All!

If you have not already visited my page please do so. I am a wedding photographer looking to create my own web page. If I may please have any tips or ideas on the following questions below:

1. If I should look into purchasing a Template or an Original?

2. What your thoughts are on this company that services both templates and originals: http://portfoliositez.com/pricing.php and their sevices and their plethora of templates ?

3. I do not have a business name yet, and with a long last name and no middle name I would rather hear opinions on unique 'one word' catchy wedding business names?

4. Do you have any favorite wedding websites that you can refer me to for tips and ideas?


If you have your own web page I would like you walk me through on what I would need in order to start my own webpage. I will register my business name once I have one made up, but as you see I am trying to kill two birds with one stone here!

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks.

Anna

[Tygart]

Why not try building a site using Wordpress blog. When you pay you can turn it into your own domain name from www.creativeimagephotography.wordpress.com to www.creativeimagephotography.com, you can even take away the Blog look, and build it to look like a normal website.


From what I here they are much easier to manage, add to and maintain.

[shreds]

Hi Anna,

A lot depends on how savvy you are are at creating your own site. Can you write HTML, are you conversant with something like Dreamweaver?

A lot depends on how individual you want it to look and how much time you have to dedicate to it.

Its a great advertising medium and your clients will always want to take a look at what you have done previously, but once you add in blogs, facebook, twitter etc it is taking up time that should be spent on photography matters.

I manage with a templated site for my photography. I have another business which probably doesnt rely on such a strong web presence and is a custom built site but it takes too much time, (its even currently off line, which is no good at all!).

Wordpress blogs are a good way to go, although as a customer, such sites usually do little for me, dont ask why, its just me.

This is a templated site:

Http://www.PrinciplesPhotography.co.uk/

[ap.photo]

Why not try building a site using Wordpress blog.

What is a Wordpress blog, could you send me a link for an example? I never heard of it. Thanks.

[ap.photo]

Can you write HTML, are you conversant with something like Dreamweaver?

Thanks for the reply. I do now know how to write HTML and no luck in Dreamweaver either. Now that I reasearched these two I see how helpful it would have been if I had the knowledge and these programs to benefit from. The link you sent me is that an example of a template wordpress blog?

Looking into this all I think I want to avoid blod and strickly have a website that is elegant with music and a slideshow of my portfolio to begin with and then an "enter site" button to pop up galleries of albums and of course a 'contact' and 'bio' and 'prices and packages' page. Would this be more lenient to a custom design, or an Original web design?

My best example is here: http://www.elogyphotography.com/#/home/
She was my wedding photographer and later I worked for her designing her wedding albums. This is they web style I am looking for.

Thanks.

[Tygart]

I posted two links, www.wordpress.com and www.wordpress.org

What is a Wordpress blog, could you send me a link for an example? I never heard of it. Thanks.

I use wordpress.com, when making your blog they have both a, graphic and HTML, (graphic will do the formating for you eg. Font, size, margen) HTML you can do a lot more, but you can get that information form Google.
http://wordpress.com/

WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

About WordPress.org

On this site you can download and install a software script called WordPress. To do this you need a web host who meets the minimum requirements and a little time. WordPress is completely customizable and can be used for almost anything. There is also a service called WordPress.com which lets you get started with a new and free WordPress-based blog in seconds, but varies in several ways and is less flexible than the WordPress you download and install yourself.

You do not need any programs or host if your using wordpress.com, might be a good place to start, then transfer your blog into a paid site.

About Page
http://wordpress.org/

[Hansm]

My best example is here: http://www.elogyphotography.com/#/home/
She was my wedding photographer and later I worked for her designing her wedding albums. This is they web style I am looking for.

Thanks.

Hi Anna,
first I would suggest not to take a too long domainname. Creativeimagephotography is a very nice name but easy to type wrong when typing the URL.
Try to think of a shorter one.
If you want to design your website I can advise you also to avoid Flash. My oldest son is studying Bachelor degree Communication and multimedia design. He notified me to this and advised to go for HTML5.
Flash takes to much resources of the computer where the site is viewed on.

I checked the website of your wedding photographer and think is a little to much effect in it. Try to keep it more "peacefull"

About wordpress, there are tons of templates you can modify to your own wishes.
It is not as easy as some say, but after some investigation it can be done.

[ap.photo]

Thanks that sounds wonderful, I am fortunate to have a sister who happens to not only be a photographer but also a web designer I will look into it, thanks Rob!

[ap.photo]

If you want to design your website I can advise you also to avoid Flash. My oldest son is studying Bachelor degree Communication and multimedia design. He notified me to this and advised to go for HTML5.
Flash takes to much resources of the computer where the site is viewed on.

Thanks Hans, I will avoid flash as much as possible, you are right her web is a little over the board.

Where should I look to find my domain name, any ideas? I agree about keeping it short. Short is easy, memorable and can have a good meaning. My sister is also a photographer and her hubby had a Greek dictionary so they used 'Opsis' for her name which means 'likeness'

I want to focus on wedding photography and it's difficult finding a domain name that has not already been taken. And of course I am shooting for a one-word domain name.

Anna

[Clactonian]

I use Zenfolio, a template site, that is fairly flexible and quick to set up and amend. It has several different modules, such as online sales and direct printing to an established print house, all of which you can opt into as your site develops.

[Douglas]

Try the HostPapa site. I made mine there. http://photosbydouglasvansickle.ca

[Tygart]

Thanks that sounds wonderful, I am fortunate to have a sister who happens to not only be a photographer but also a web designer I will look into it, thanks Rob!

Here are two ebooks
An Easy Guide to Build Your Own WordPress Site
http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/downl...wordpress-site

Set Up Your Blog With WordPress: The Ultimate Guide
http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/set-u...ultimate-guide

it will ask for a password... The password is makeuseof

Or you can just sign up for their site and they will send the password to you..

[ap.photo]

what's their prices like? I checked your website out, it looks nice and simple.

Thanks!

Anna

[ap.photo]

Thanks mucho! If I have any furthur questions I'll ask you if you don't mind.

One quickie -- if I like a particular web site and want to create my own similar to theirs is there a way to? Basically if I want to build a new version of an existing website, to replace the original?

Also if I want to purchase my own Domain name without paying monthly fees instead paying one lump sum or making one payment. This Guide you sent me says that GoDaddy and BlueHost have a monthly fee that budget $10/year.

As I read more into this 'Guide to Build Your Own WordPress Site' more questions may arise

Thanks!

Anna

[Tygart]

Thanks mucho! If I have any furthur questions I'll ask you if you don't mind.

One quickie -- if I like a particular web site and want to create my own similar to theirs is there a way to? Basically if I want to build a new version of an existing website, to replace the original?

Also if I want to purchase my own Domain name without paying monthly fees instead paying one lump sum or making one payment. This Guide you sent me says that GoDaddy and BlueHost have a monthly fee that budget $10/year.

As I read more into this 'Guide to Build Your Own WordPress Site' more questions may arise

Thanks!

Anna

Well I am just breaking into those PDFs, I have a ways to go. $10 a year sounds cheep.

[ap.photo]

Well I am just breaking into those PDFs, I have a ways to go. $10 a year sounds cheep.

Ha! True that!

[ap.photo]

I use Zenfolio, a template site, that is fairly flexible and quick to set up and amend. It has several different modules, such as online sales and direct printing to an established print house, all of which you can opt into as your site develops.

Very nice, I actually am found of this. Zenfolio has stunning portfolio designs! You can even try them free for 2 weeks.

Their prices are:

Basic: $25
Unlimited: $50
Premium: $100
Premium Business: $250

These are just a few of their designs that I like.

[Crovean]

Very nice, I actually am found of this. Zenfolio has stunning portfolio designs! You can even try them free for 2 weeks.

Their prices are:

Basic: $25
Unlimited: $50
Premium: $100
Premium Business: $250

These are just a few of their designs that I like.

zenfolio and smugmug are the 2 that are really good. I end up with smugmug because you have full HTML and CSS access. Here's a link of my smugmug site:photos.crovean.com ( I haven't done any editing on it though. All your seeing are stock template they have )

Note: As you see, the slideshow is in Flash but smugmug actually has a html5 version of that when viewing it on apple's mobile devices.

[ap.photo]

zenfolio and smugmug are the 2 that are really good. I end up with smugmug because you have full HTML and CSS access. Here's a link of my smugmug site:photos.crovean.com ( I haven't done any editing on it though. All your seeing are stock template they have )

>>The dilema with HTML is I'd need to learn all the bits and pieces on how to operate and create it on my page if I choose smugmug. On your part, if you are comfortable with HTML I'm sure smugmug best suites you. I also am looking into getting an apple computer, their not cheep but every photographer outta own one.

Now back to my domaine question, any thoughts and ideas on a name? I am looking for a 'one' word name if possible, maximum (2) and I want it to have a meaning that symbolizes a wedding, I'm being a little broad here but I really would appreciate to hear some thoughts on this.


Thanks.

[Squidgy]

Hi Anna, take a look at www.serif.com - no HTML required. It does use Flash but I have never had any problems nor have the people who have visited my (hobby) website. Every thing is drag and drop, you can use templates but I like to design my own pages from scratch and keep it simple. It's only a suggestion and may not be what you are looking for but it's worth a look.