Photo Gallery Software/Services

[UrbanXposure]

Looking for suggestions from POTN users.

I'm setting up my new website.

I am looking for software to use for a photo gallery/portfolio or a website service.

All of my work is done on a Mac in Aperture so software would have to be Mac compatible.

Here is what i need.

*Ease of use.
*Password protected galleries.
*Ability for Customers to order prints (does not have to print and mail to them, can just send me the order and i can process it. Must be able to process credit cards and PayPal.)


Thank you in advance for your advice and suggestions.

[Michael_Lambert]

Have you looked at sites that offer that sort of stuff like

Zenfolio, Smugmug, flicker?

[cevad]

I have been using "Exposure Manager", (EM), for almost two years and I love them!

First and foremost, they have customer service that is second to none! There are a handful of guys that answer the support email and they are all very quick to respond and extremely helpful. I have never received a scripted response. Each email is typed in reference to my support request. My biggest pet peeve is poor customer service and I have NEVER had a problem that EM didn't address to my complete satisfaction. Even when the fault is on MY part, (and it almost always is), the support team has gone above and beyond to make sure my issue is resolved in a timely manner.

EM is very customizable as far as their web pages. The fact that I can customize and brand my galleries is much more professional than having a "smugmug" or "zenfolio" in my url. To me that is as bad as having "Pro Photography.gallery.walmart.com" as my url. People are spending a lot of money for your photos and it helps them justify that money when they see that the prints and products are coming from YOUR professional gallery and not some internet printer where they can buy their own prints for $.39!

Another great feature with EM is that you can upload photos as "display only" and offer them for sale without having to color correct and tweak each one before it's ordered. If a customer orders a photo, you get an email requesting you to upload a print ready file. If a particular photo is never purchased then you didn't waste valuable time color correcting something that no one wants. I save a lot of time not having to make each photo look perfect before I post it on my site. This also allows you to crop for each individual print size, giving you more control over the final print and not the guy at the lab.

Right now I shoot mainly HS sports and It's nothing to have a few hundred keepers per event. I like to shoot RAW, so when I come home I upload from memory cards to Lightroom, cull the bad ones, tag the really good ones and do a batch "auto profile and white balance" then upload the folder by FTP to EM. When a photo is purchased, I get an email from EM and I can then make the proper crop, color correction and sharpening on that photo and upload it for print. I love it.

Research all of your options and find out what is best for you. EM is perfect for my business but you may like a different company better. I think that EM is darn near perfect though.

The link below will get you a discount of $5.00 off a yearly account or the second month free on a monthly account. Yes, I get a bonus if you sign up through that link but that is not the reason why I recommend EM. I don't like offering the link but so many others are doing it that I figure I might as well too. If you want to sign up without my bonus then go to the EM home page and take it from there. Either way, I think you will be very happy with EM.

http://www.exposuremanager.com/aff/davecampbellgallery

[UrbanXposure]

I have looked at several sites I really want feed back from current users.

Cevad, thank you for your very informational response. I just found out about Exposure Manager today. I will check them out when I get home today. Thanks for the discount pike. If I choose Exposure Manager I will surely use your discount link.

[Dennis_Hammer]

Another vote for exposuremanager I am a big advocate been using them for over two years now not one problem on their end.

[cory1848]

I like zenfolio, really the only thing I dont like about zenfolio is they dont yet allow digital downloads with a cost schedule. They say its coming but still waiting for it. Other than that, its great.

[rsieminski]

What are Exposure Managers' limits for uploading, storage, bandwidth, per file, etc.? And..Can you charge whatever you want for the images, and they get 10% of the total?

[UrbanXposure]

What are Exposure Managers' limits for uploading, storage, bandwidth, per file, etc.? And..Can you charge whatever you want for the images, and they get 10% of the total?

Depends on the Packages

Event – Perfect for volume photo sales
Features: Unlimited image uploads and storage only $12.95 a month or just $99.95 a year an even better value.

Art – Just the thing for art or gallery display and self-promotion
Features: 1 GB image uploads and storage only $6.95 a month or just $64.95 for an even better value.

[cevad]

In case anyone is really interested in EM and wants a "behind the scenes" peek into the opinions of EM users, visit http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/expman/ That is the Yahoo forum for EM users. The tech guys at EM monitor the forum and respond to questions all the time. Read some of the posts and learn what other real EM users have had problems with in the past and how they were resolved.

[PhotosGuy]

My first impression of Exposure Manager is they give a lot of sign up info, but I don't see where they have a link to example galleries anywhere, so if someone knows of that link, please post it.

A lot of pros here use PrintRoom @ $99/year
Exposure Manager fee/features comparisons (http://www.exposuremanager.com/scripts/website.pl?rm=compare)

[cevad]

Hi PhotosGuy,

EM used to have a link to sample galleries but I know they just re-vamped their website and the link might have changed. I looked and couldn't find a link to samples either.

You can check out my site if you want but don't expect to be impressed. You can see the basics of what EM has to offer but please ignore the crappy quality of my photos. That's my fault not EM's. I will surely be shunned in the EM community after posting this link! :razz:

I have a site for my basic info and stuff that's hosted through "Host Monster" and then I link to my EM site from there for sales. If you want to see an example of the EM part of my site then visit http://galleries.davecampbellgallery.com/g/wpial_playoffs_2008 The menu there is not a part of EM's service. I added that myself. Perfect example of how customizable EM is! If I had more web skills it would look a lot better but I'm probably a good example of what the average guy off the street can do with no knowledge of web building.

As you can tell from my site, I upload photos with little editing. I choose to edit only the photos that people order. As far as I know, only EM offers that benefit. It works for me but your style may be different.

Cheers!

[silvex]

I have been using "Exposure Manager", (EM), for almost two years and I love them!

EM is very customizable as far as their web pages. The fact that I can customize and brand my galleries is much more professional than having a "smugmug" or "zenfolio" in my url. To me that is as bad as having "Pro Photography.gallery.walmart.com" as my url. People are spending a lot of money for your photos and it helps them justify that money when they see that the prints and products are coming from YOUR professional gallery and not some internet printer where they can buy their own prints for $.39!



Smugmug allows your own domain name to replace silvex.smugmug.com and have a lot of customization variables. You must be good with javascript and CSS. the pro sites cost $140 per year and allow now video.

http://wiki.smugmug.net/display/SmugMug/Pros

http://wiki.smugmug.net/display/SmugMug/SmugMug+Pro+Tips

http://wiki.smugmug.net/display/SmugMug/CNAME+Custom+Domain+Name+Help

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=52812

http://www.smugmug.com/help/customize-faq

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=52811

This website is hosted at smumug with a lot of custom work.

http://www.moonriverphotography.com/gallery/830860

[PhotosGuy]

You can check out my site if you want but don't expect to be impressed. Thanks. The site looks pretty good. Nice v-ball stuff.

[Megapixle]

PhotoCart (http://www.picturespro.com)