How to make a photo website?

[foxv6]

I am a newbie. And I plan to make a photography website. But I know little about making website. How did you make a website? and how much does it cost?
I'll appreciate your help.

 

[Snyder]

Photoshop
Frontpage or Dreamweaver
Notepad
Then buy a domain name and hosting. I have unlimited space and bandwidth from my hosting.

 

[Alex_B]

if you do not know about HTML, PHP and the like, then letting software create if for you is a good option. Dreamweaver is maybe a good thing, friends of mine use it for webpages.

webspace itself is not expensive, a domain and some space on a server should not cost you more than 5US$ per month.

 

[tirediron]

To expand on Snyder's post: (Assuming you have at least minimal fluency in HTML), Find yourself a hosting company. Be sure to compare features and price very carefully; bandwidth and storage space are important, but 300 e-mail addresses not so much so. Look for on-line reviews of the companies you are interested in for hosting; customer service is important. You don't want a company who takes two weeks to answer your e-mail about why your site is down.

Choose and register a domain name (life is even easier if you can register your domain name through your webhosting company).

Bulid the website. I use Firstpage 2000, a freeware, very full-featured HTML editor to build the pages with, and Jalbum (a freeware album app) to make my galleries with.

Once that's done, upload to your host, and once the domain name trickles throughout all of the DNSs, you're in business.

 

[blackgun]

You may consider to build a flash 3D website, it is very cool.
Buy a domain and webhosting, then buy a Flash 3D Gallery.
Their website : www.kit3d.com

 

[tirediron]

You may consider to build a flash 3D website, it is very cool.
Buy a domain and webhosting, then buy a Flash 3D Gallery.
Their website : www.kit3d.com

Yes, if you want to avoid all of those potential customers on dial-up connections, those who may attempt to access the website from work or other networks where Flash is not supported, and/or those who don't care to install bandwidth intensive, easily exploitable software.

Keep in mind that with a Flash site, the search-engine spiders are only going to see one page, vice the many with conventional HTML.

If you do go with Flash, than I strongly recommend creating a non-Flash companion 'site so as not to lose customers for the reasons mentioned above.

 

[ukreal1]

Get a template from bludomain or flashpalette, no website building skills required. Some of the bludomain ones have falsh and html, I just got a flash only, didn't know about this other stuff I am reading about GULP!

 

[sperry]

as a self-taught programmer, and having been a web developer (not designer, i am on the system side of web development) for years, i recommend using a template or a WYSIWYG editor. if you have the time to teach yourself programming languages (and you really want to learn) then go for the 'coding' option. however, unless you already have experience or are an extremely fast learner (and have a nack for programming logic) i would stick with the easiest/fastest option. your time is too valuable as a photographer to spend it frustrated over programming/design issues.

in my profession i don't use the WYSIWIG programs, but i highly recommend them. i am in the process of getting my photography site up and i am buying a template. i just don't want to spend my free time programming a site that is already done. now, i will add customization as needed, but 95% of the work is already completed by using a template. besides, i am NOT a designer and most of the templates out there are very nicely designed. so, why would i want to bust my a$$ to put up a mediocre site?

the reason that i keep mentioning programming is because very few sites now are straight HTML (which, is just a mark up language - not a programming langauage) and require a bit more skill than basic HTML. besides static HTML pages are ancient history. they are a nightmare to maintain and provide no dynamic content.

you owe it to yourself and your business (and customers) to have a professional site. so find a template that you like, plop down the coin and be happily along your way.

 

[John_Olexa]

Good thread!!
Ok, what if you have no skills and what to have a web page?? Nothing major, just a place to post images maybe sell them, contact info, ect ect.

 

[sperry]

even with no skills, the WYSIWYG editors are great. i haven't used dreamweaver in like 10 years, but i understand that it now has some outstanding features for creating web pages without touching any code.

there are probably others that perform similarly but i'm not sure what they are.

also, check on a template solution too. this is a set of pages that create a site already designed and running. all you have to do is plop it on your server plug in your content. some vendors selling templates also offer hosting options - you don't touch a thing. except your content.

oh, and you will want/need your own domain name.

i am leaning towards the template option as it seems to be the best bang for my buck (and time). some of the designs are just too nice to pass up. like i said before, i don't have the skills or time to sit down and try to create a professional looking site.

it seems too that some of the companies selling the templates also offer editing and configuration services in case you want to tweak the template.

so for those with no skills there are some great options out there. i'm willing to bet a large number of photogs go with some kind of turn key option.

good luck!

 

[visualpoetry]

www.BluDomain.com is VERY easy to use.. that's where I purchased mine. They will host it for you too. The template cost me $200 and a year of hosting cost $100. So plan on an initial investment of $300+. I don't remember if they threw in my domain name (URL) or not. BUT, those are cheap. You can pick one up at www.godaddy.com or just do a search.

 

[prodigy2k7]

I use zenphoto
You download it, upload it to your webspace, has an easy install...Is constantly being updated/fixed bugs/new features etc....

It is very easy, its a photo gallery basically with albums and whatnot...It does everything automatically for you, even creating thumbnails and whatnot... All you do it upload! Has a commenting system too...EXIF data is shown... Different themes etc...

Demo Gallery: http://www.zenphoto.org/zenphoto/


Its awesome! http://www.zenphoto.org

 

[prodigy2k7]

Also, protects your full size images

Edit: I use "Host Monster"

http://www.hostmonster.com/

THey ahve unlimited bandwidth I believe, so thats good for lots of high reso pictures...

 

[bdv1973]

Prodigy2k7...Zenphoto sounds like a winner. Can you post a link to your website so I can see what the finished product looks like.

Thanks

 

[prodigy2k7]

I dont have great images...but i do have a few images lol www.luckyshotphotos.com

Edit: You can upload via the web browser but for uploading i almost always use ftp because i often upload a lot of pictures... There is a "albums" folder, in that folder you create a folder such as "Landscape" and put all your images in there... Once you view the album for the first time it will create a thumbnail automatically...it has a cache of thumbnails and another smaller image that isnt the full image, i dont know the image size but its like 800x600 range... a mid size image you know? You have the ability to protect your full size, allow no access to it, or give full access to it....

It also has watermarking, but its not that great...