opening a website

[JodieO]

Honestly, I just can not handle processing prints. I'll be busy and college and can't worry about having to print and ship orders. Sorry. That's why I asked about Smug and Zen.

You will be editing the pictures, right? Why not use a lab like WHCC or Color Inc to fulfill the orders but they print and package them and you have them drop-shipped to your client.

I mean, yeah, you have one more step - placing the order through the lab, but you never touch the prints or need boxes or anything - they do it all for you. The only thing you would need is a shopping cart on your website. I personally use PhotoCart, works great.

It goes like this - I edit images and put them up on my site. My clients shop with the shopping cart. When they are done, the money comes to me (no cut in my sales), I get a Notification of Payment Received, and then I look at their order, upload the images to the lab. I could have them packaged pretty and drop shipped straight to the client.

 

[BeemerPhotography]

Hey guys, I've got a few questions regarding opening/running a website.

First of all, naming the site. Do most people have an actual "company" name for their website, or would it be appropriate to just use my name as the "business?" My name is Colin Bassett, so I was thinking something around the lines of:

"www.colincbassett.com"
"www.cbassettphotography.com"

Or something of that nature. I've been shooting a lot of theater productions lately, and I've experienced a flood of interest in prints, but I've had to turn them down because I don't have anything except a flickr.


The display/business aspect:

Instead of custom building a website which would take too much time, I was thinking about using Sumgmug or Zenfolio. One of the advantages I've seen with Zenfolio is that they use Mpix as their print service. Is that alone worth it to use ZF, or are the Smugmug labs just as good? Anyother good sites?

If you have anything else to say, go ahead.

Prices? I'm only 17, so I'm far from a pro, but I don't want to give my prints away for free. What would you guys say is a fair price for prints?

Use your business name (brand) as the web site domain (as long as it's available).

 

[Pure]

Thanks for the help guys. If any of you guys have suggestions or anything to say at all, post.

 

[Nicholas James Photo]

I'm just putting my first site together with bigfolio.com and will be selling through nextproof.com

www.nicholasjamesphotography.co.uk

 

[Malania]

For anyone that is using their real name as their business name- do you worry about using your full name (first and last name)? Do you worry someone will stalk you, or find out more about you then you want them to find (like your home address)? My husband used to be a cop and worries about me using my full name, so I have been trying to think of something else. Not sure though, I think my first and last name sound better together then my first and middle name. It doesn't help that my first name is Malania, it isn't a common name. Anyone else worry or even think about it?? Maybe my husband is worrying for nothing. :scratch:

 

[Pure]

You can do a few things to protect yourself like use a private registration, usually like $8 a year, which doesn't list any personal info except your name in your who.is file.

But really, I don't worry too much.