While I was happy with my Zenfolio site, I found it limiting in terms of the customization options.
What I really wanted was a site that was easy to customize, one that could showcase my portfolio in a professional way and one that was affordable. After hours of researching different options and asking fellow photographers for recommendations I decided to go with ProPhoto and I'm so happy I did.
ProPhoto is based on the Wordpress framework so what you need is your own domain name and a host to install Wordpress and ProPhoto. This translate into the following fees:
- Web hosting (I used bluhost recommeneded by ProPhoto) $4.95 per month
- Wordpress--Free
- ProPhoto--$199 (for self-install, you can pay extra to have them install Wordpress and ProPhoto for you)
Then came designing my site. I must admit that creating my new site was a lot of work.....mainly because I needed to think through what I wanted and how I wanted to present my information (and I kept making changes along the way). I would highly recommend sketching out the flow of your site before you dig in to creating it.
I used the Maxwell design (ProPhoto includes 13 free starter designs that can be easily customized and tweaked so that you can build something unique) as my foundation and totally came up with a new look. It looks nothing like the original template. Knowledge of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements is necessary in order to tweak the design elements.
When creating my site, ProPhoto's online tutorials answered most of my questions but when I needed a little extra help, their support via email was great. I loved that the majority of my questions were answered the very same day.
In addition to their great support and easy customization options, ProPhoto also has built-in mobile sites, is Flash-free, is optimized for search engines and offers a 110% moneyback gaurantee.
If you are looking at creating a new website or revamping your current site, I would highly recommend ProPhoto. If you have any additional questions, feel free to leave a comment below.
Are there any proofing sites that can be linked to a prophoto site? I am on the brink of jumping in but I want all components in one place. I really want to use shootproof but do not know if it can be utilized through prophoto.
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