Training

How To Start Your Own Photography Website

Published

15 years ago

November 13, 2008

In the last post, I started a laundry list of the 10 things every photography student should have. Today is part two of that article: A photography website focusing on your portfolio.

Every photographer should have a website. It’s the number one way of reaching large amounts of people at a low cost.

Of course, there are many other ways to market yourself; e-mail newsletters, postcards, podcasts, etc. However, a website is a great place to start!

The main focus should be on a great presentation of your work. The “Portfolio” section of your site will be what helps you land new jobs, and keep existing clients!

As a college student myself, majoring in Art with an emphasis in Advertising Photography, I felt it would be very beneficial for me to learn how to build websites. That way, I could build my own, as well as offer it as another service to my clients.

If you’re interested in learning how to build websites, Lynda.com could be an affordable way to do so.

I believe they have rates that start out at $25 a month. Plus you have access to tutorials of all the other professional software such as Photoshop, Flash, InDesign, and much more!

Or you can go the route I took. I picked up a book on HTML and CSS and just practiced, practiced, practiced.

If you’re not interested in learning how to design websites, or may not have the time for it, there are many companies that have professional looking templates you can choose from, for a low monthly fee.

It will definitely save you time from building a site from scratch, and you can have a professional looking site up the same day!

One that I personally like and have used before, is Qufoto. Their back office is VERY user-friendly, and their customer service is superb.

Carbonmade is also another good one, as well as LiveBooks.

I haven’t personally used them, but have friends that do, and they’ve all said good things about it. I also interviewed the editor of LiveBooks! She was a pleasure to have a conversation with and had tons of golden nuggets to offer.

I’ve used these types of website services in the past when I didn’t have time to work on my website from scratch. It was a HUGE time saver, and impressed new visitors every time!

Along with having a website, you’ll also need to purchase your domain name and a hosting plan. A domain name is your URL. For example, http://www.YourWebsiteName.com.

Hosting a website online is like renting space to park your website.

I have an account with Site5 and they have great rates, their customer service is available 24 hours a day, and I’ve never had a problem with them.

So what are you waiting for? If you don’t have your portfolio online yet, it’s time to get started. You now have no reason NOT to have an online presence 🙂

P.S. Here are a few screenshots of sites I’ve built for clients, including my own. Just click on the thumbnails for a larger view.

My Portfolio page of my website Opening page of B. Beauty BarAbout page of Manalo Inc. Photography

Now let’s start sparking creative ideas and talk about getting your business cards and letterhead designed!

Training

Entrepreneurial Drive: 7 Traits of a Truly Entrepreneurial Mindset (CONCLUSION)

Published

6 years ago

February 17, 2018

Cheri Amour Photography

Being successful is not something that is unattainable. If you dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur, you have to begin to develop the seven characteristics of the entrepreneurial mindset.

You don’t have to be born with this mentality, however, it does take time for it to be developed. Anyone can be successful with the right attitude. Take charge of your life, and you will find that you can be as successful as you desire. The only one standing in your way is you.

Training

Entrepreneurial Drive: 7 Traits of a Truly Entrepreneurial Mindset (#7 FLEXIBILITY)

Published

6 years ago

February 17, 2018

Cheri Amour Photography

When you have the dream of being a successful entrepreneur, you have to learn how to be flexible.

When you are pursuing success, you will not always know what’s coming and have to be flexible and willing to change course when roadblocks appear and when you experience setbacks.

Successful entrepreneurs know that things won’t always be perfect and that they will have to deal with issues as they arise. They know that things can go wrong.

The difference between successful people and others is that successful people can take a step back, analyze the path they’re on, and make necessary adjustments when needed so they can get back on track.

Successful entrepreneurs have to be flexible in every aspect of their business.

They have to have the flexibility to change when things aren’t going their way to avoid throwing good money after bad ideas.

They have to be flexible and adapt when things are going well, and not succumb to the philosophy that if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.

This allows you to stay ahead of the competition and provides you with the opportunity to find better ways to compete and exceed the expectations of your customers.

Training

Entrepreneurial Drive: 7 Traits of a Truly Entrepreneurial Mindset (#6 SELF-BELIEF)

Published

6 years ago

February 17, 2018

Cheri Amour Photography

The next thing that you need to have in your life if you want to be successful is self-confidence.

If you don’t believe that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to, the chances are high that you will continue to sit at your desk and do precisely what you’ve been doing your entire life.

However, if you have faith in your ideas, opinions, and abilities, you will be able to accomplish your goals and have the life you’ve always dreamed of having.

Successful people know that they are right and that they are capable of making the right decisions for their lives to find the success that they seek.

They see something that is great, or they come up with a brilliant idea, and they take action to turn that vision into a reality, rather than sitting around second-guessing their decisions.

They understand that things are going to be hard at times and that they will have to deal with setbacks and challenges, but they know that they can overcome anything.