ThomasV

That is a very nice and CLEAN website, so many are so full of clutter. Also, you take wonderful images.

High school students think they're worth $100 an hour because they know how to put so much animation and flash on a site that you can't stand to look at it for more than a few seconds. But they also think they can play guitar like Van Halen because they have Guitar Hero on their TV.

Most likely the result won't be worth using or it might be worth $100 total. Make sure it's done and up online where you can see it before you pay anything at all or it will never get finished - high school work ethics lack severely as well.

You could probably make one better by yourself with SmugMug.com and their practically-automatic online design software that has many pre-designed templates available.

I've been a photo professional in New York City for about 34 years, deriving 100% income from my passion/profession during that time. I opened my first studio in Manhattan in 1984. I've had years where I couldn't buy a photography assignment, and other years where I couldn't believe how much money I was making with a camera. It has been both one of the most difficult, but also most rewarding, professions I can imagine. My skill set has opened doors most people never get to walk through, and I'm grateful for that.

I think some earlier posts are correct, most of the contributors here are amateur, advanced amateur, or semi-pro. I don't read this blog every day, but have found it useful to keep up with the buzz from that segment of the market. I am sometimes appalled at some of the misinformation I come across, but I also find some of the contributors are surprisingly well informed. I occasionally pick up a new piece of information or a useful link. I think one thing that drives blogs like this, and our general fascination with photography, is that no matter how hard you try, or how long you try, you can never learn all there is to know about the field.

If anyone is interested, I launched a new web site for my photo business several weeks ago that sort of traces the trajectory of my career. If so inclined, check out www.markloetephotography.com. I've been working on it for over a year, but it's still a work in progress... if anyone has any comments or constructive criticisms, I'd love to hear them.

Wow, can I just say how flattered I am! This is Stacey Johnson... and I was a little curious as to the spike in views of my blog (I check the stats every couple of weeks or so... and it's usually only about 10+ people viewing each day! LOL) The major source of this spike is from this post;)
I absolutely LOVE photography... and I can't express how thrilled I was to hear these kind words!!
I'd be happy to answer any questions you have...
I almost always shoot wide open... (maybe to a fault?) I love the feel of a photo when one can draw your eye to the specific detail you want by having that in focus and the rest of the picture out of focus... I do not add any blur post-process.. that part is done in camera;)
I shoot with a plain old Rebel xti (although I'm hopefully purchasing a 5d tis weekend!!) and up until just a couple of months ago... I only used my nifty-fifty (50mm 1.8... honestly the best bang for your buck if you don't want to spend too much money, you can pick one up new for just over $100) and my Tamron 28-75. I have to say though that about 90% of my photos were done with my 50.
Lighting is very important... I learned a lot from the photography forum over at TwoPeasInaBucket.com
A while back they had a lighting "challenge" they were doing... where some very talented photographers took their time to explain the different effects you can achieve with different lighting scenarios.
I think I might have seen a new one just start up not too long ago. I'd for sure recommend checking that forum out... You'll love it!
Anywho... again, thank you for your kind words... you have completely made my day!
Stacey

Greetings all,
I almost have enough photos saved up to justify getting a website.
Currenty I use Picasa and send the links to family and friends.
I'm looking at the Smugmug and Betterphoto pro websites.
They both look very similar as far as what is offered but one is $150.00/yr and the other is $349.00/yr.
Can anyone explain why one might be better than the other?
What about other sites? This is becoming a difficult decision.
Of course the price is a significant factor in the decision.
Thanks for any advice.