Online Resources and Galleries for Photographers
As a photographer, one of the keys to success is taking full and complete advantage of good resources (including galleries) for photographers. Tools and resources are those nuggets that make the life of a photographer just that bit easier. Sometimes you have to search extensively for the tools that will help you. It is most often the case that you will find a good tool here, another great gadget there and so on. Good resources are often fragmented and provided by different organizations. It is very rare to find many quality photography resources all in the same place.
With the continued development of the Internet as a major resource, web sites can now offer photographers some excellent digital tools and resources. Not only can web sites provide a way for photographers to display their portfolio online, they can also provide a myriad of other digital resources and technical services. This provides a channel for photographers to reach and interact with potential clients anywhere in the world.
For quite some time now, there have been web sites that allow photographers to create and display an online portfolio of their work. These online portfolios usually allow photographers to create galleries of their photos and in many cases, to separate their work into catalogs or themes. These web sites are extremely useful and can be the key to success for many photographers. These days, every photographer should ideally have some form of online gallery or portfolio. After all, this is one of the main ways that photographers get exposure and new work.
The Internet is made up of a variety of challenging and fast-changing technologies. Photographers can benefit greatly from this because it also means that each year we see more and more online technologies developed for photographers. Web sites aimed at bringing resources to photographers have moved forward a lot in the past few years. More sites are coming to the forefront that offer photographers a variety of great resources all under ‘one roof’, so to speak.
Like other web site owners, photography resource site owners seem to now recognize that photographers have a need for more than just the ability to display their stunning photography. Every time an image is posted to the Internet it can potentially be copied by the unscrupulous and then re-used for all kinds of purposes. This can put your very business as well as your potential income at risk. Photographers need methods and digital resources to protect their work from unauthorized access, copying, re-use and distribution. Perhaps you only want potential clients to view your work but not to make it available to the general public? There are now web sites that allow you this level of control.
When you place a gallery of your work online, you often do so for commercial reasons; you are interested in catching the attention of potential clients and in actually selling pieces of your work. Some web sites have caught on to this need and offer photographers online galleries to display their work with tools and facilities to sell their images online as well. They often provide accounts that have shopping cart facilities. The photographer would then usually need to set up their own merchant account to accept credit cards or at minimum own a PayPal account where they can receive funds. Photographers can save a lot of money by using a web site like this rather than paying huge sums of money to re-invent the wheel.
When you begin to look for a good web site that can provide you with good photography resources, there are a few things to consider. Although you want a gallery to display your photographs and your work, it is always important to do a little research upfront. It could save you a lot of trouble later on. Look for a well-established web site with a proven track record. Ask other friends that are photographers for advice on web sites they have used or know to be of good quality. In addition to all of this, you should try to find a web site that will allow you to offer a quality presentation of your work without frequent technical glitches or error messages. Remember, potential clients will judge your work and the gallery that presents it as a reflection of you and your company values.
- Important: Try and find a service which provides a free trial and make sure they have multi level services all in the same place ie. features like including uploading full size photos, printing and selling; and will pay you per user.
- Ensure there’s enough storage – half 1gb storage at least for every year plus everything needed to upload, organize and present photos.
- See if it includes unlimited storage in real terms (or at least a reasonable amount) to all the features in their plan.
Me, my money is on this gallery. That doesn’t mean I’ve got shares in it (I wish I did)… it means I think it’s the best available gallery right now. They also have a free trial and all those other points I mentioned above.
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