Importance of a Personal Gallery: Hello fellow Hedgehogs, Im wondering how important it is to have a gallery of my photographs online. I do not professionally take photos but it is a...

Leppi_Tobe Loc: Minnesota

Hello fellow Hedgehogs,

Im wondering how important it is to have a gallery of my photographs online. I do not professionally take photos but it is a hobby I like a lot, and would not be opposed to trying to sell some of my photographs, and maybe later in life I would like to do something with them.

So Im wondering how important it would be to make a webpage displaying my photos? Currently the link at the bottom of the page brings you to my ViewBug account, there is no way to organize my pictures there, it just has a lot of my good ones. Is it worth the time to organize? People who have done this, is is worth the effort? I would like to show off my photos, but I dont know the best way.

Mike Hardisty Loc: North Wales

If you have an Adobe Creative account you can create a free online portfolio/gallery. Head on over to http://www.myportfolio.com/

This is mine http://mikehardisty.myportfolio.com/ didn't take me that long to put together. Like you I'm just an amateur and really I only use it to link to and from my blog

David Taylor

Try Flickr.

Szalajj Loc: Salem, NH

Leppi_Tobe wrote:

Hello fellow Hedgehogs, br br Im wondering how im... (show quote)

First, ensure that all of your displayed photos are either copyrighted or watermarked. If they are not, take them all down, and get that corrected.

Does ViewBug have a good reputation for sales?

I'm not familiar with this site. Do a search for complaints.

There are several sites that cater to sales of photography, or items containing photographs, which are handled like a consignment.

If your photos are sharp, and can be blown up to 150% to 200% of their original size, without loss of clarity, then you might have a saleable shot. Windows Editor is a great place to quickly scroll each of your shots larger to to check for clarity.

Remember you need to look at each shot from someone else's perspective.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

Leppi_Tobe wrote:

Hello fellow Hedgehogs, br br Im wondering how im... (show quote)

500px.com

Leppi_Tobe Loc: Minnesota

Mike Hardisty wrote:

If you have an Adobe Creative account you can create a free online portfolio/gallery. Head on over to http://www.myportfolio.com/

This is mine http://mikehardisty.myportfolio.com/ didn't take me that long to put together. Like you I'm just an amateur and really I only use it to link to and from my blog

Thanks Mike! Do I have to pay to publish my site?

Leppi_Tobe Loc: Minnesota

Szalajj wrote:

First, ensure that all of your displayed photos ar... (show quote)

I'm not realllly looking to sell from my site directly, It will mostly be used as a gallery to show off. I will direct people to my site if they are interested in my photos.

Is that last comment about my photos? Or just a general piece of advice?

Leppi_Tobe Loc: Minnesota

aellman wrote:

500px.com

Free?

Leppi_Tobe Loc: Minnesota

Didnt even think of that... Thanks David

David Taylor wrote:

Try Flickr.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I think a personal gallery is a nice way to show your images to friends, family, and others, in a way that they can look at them at their leisure. I'm not a professional, just a serious aficionado (and a programmer) so I created my own. I use Coppermine photo gallery (it's free). It lets you group (and move) images, among other things. It's fun, and I'd like to think some people would like at least a little of my work. :wink:

If you are interested in seeing what it looks like, you can take a peek at:
http://mymindseye.us/

Mike Hardisty Loc: North Wales

Leppi_Tobe wrote:

Thanks Mike! Do I have to pay to publish my site?

Not if you have an Adobe Creative Cloud account. i.e The photographers one that includes Lightroom and Photoshop

As Adobe put it...

"When your creative work is your lifes work, nothing is more important than having a beautiful portfolio website. With Portfolio which comes free with any Adobe Creative Cloud plan you can quickly and simply build a website to showcase your creative work, so you can get back to doing what you do best."

Szalajj Loc: Salem, NH

Leppi_Tobe wrote:

I'm not realllly looking to sell from my site directly, It will mostly be used as a gallery to show off. I will direct people to my site if they are interested in my photos.

Is that last comment about my photos? Or just a general piece of advice?

My alarm went off at 5:00 this morning, and I viewed your topic as I was trying to get up and out the door for an early morning photo shoot.

I had not yet viewed your work, so it was a comment in general.

But, if you are thinking that at some point in the future, that you might like to offer your work for sale, think about the potential marketability of each shot tnat you take, and edit out any that do meet a high standard that only you can set.

After just now viewing your work, I see that you have an eclectic collection of subject matter. Unfortunately, I'm not using my HD device to view them, so I wasn't able to fully appreciate the quality of your work.

I'm going to repeat my advice to take all of your shots down, and add either a copyright or watermark to all of them.

There are too many dishonest folks out there who would not hesitate to take one of your photographs, and claim it as their own.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Leppi_Tobe wrote:

Hello fellow Hedgehogs,

Im wondering how important it is to have a gallery of my photographs online. I do not professionally take photos but it is a hobby I like a lot, and would not be opposed to trying to sell some of my photographs, and maybe later in life I would like to do something with them.

Just be aware that anything you can post can also be stolen and sold by someone else. Use Google to find precautions you can take.

FrumCA

Leppi_Tobe wrote:

Hello fellow Hedgehogs, br br Im wondering how im... (show quote)

Take a look at Zenfolio as another option (www.zenfolio.com). I support the idea of having a website to share photographs on. I use mine primarily to post and share my travel photos with friends and travel companions. I create different Galleries of the various trips and annotate the photos with comments, thus making the Galleries somewhat like a travelogue. And, some of the photos might actually be good enough to prompt someone to buy although I do not promote the selling part. Good luck.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

jerryc41 wrote:

Just be aware that anything you can post can also be stolen and sold by someone else. Use Google to find precautions you can take.

Good point. Any copyright or signature can be removed by any one who knows what he is doing. So you just have to assume that anything you post is fair game.