The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

zenfolio.com is pretty nice, I think

mathomas

Active member
I love flickr, but I put everything in the world up there, so it's really a grab bag of all sorts of photos.

I wanted to try something more directly related to presentation and marketing of art photography. A friend mentioned zenfolio.com some time ago in the context of me using it to sell my paintings. I finally just got around to trying it out, but for my photos, instead.

It was pretty easy to get started. I had a basic site with a few images, and a front-page slideshow within a half-hour of starting. They have incredibly deep styling tools, so I've since spent another hour or so customizing "my" site's look to my own preferences. So, the web presentation looks pretty good, IMO.

I was also looking for printing/framing solutions, and the site's commerce engine supports that pretty well. It could probably be a little easier to use for non-computer folks, but being a geek, I had no troubles at all. As an experiment, I ordered a framed 8x10" of one of my scanned MF film shots, on premium Ilford B&W paper. The print was mailed quickly and looks very nice (I'm not an expert at art printing, however). They did get the print a bit crooked in the mat, which I'll have to fix. The framing/matting options are pretty basic. I really wish they'd allow more customization of matting -- double mats, wider mats, etc. I suppose they'll add that over time.

zenfolio.com offers a fairly broad set of services, from the most basic to a fully customized site with your own domain name, pricing strategies, etc. I think the range is something like $25-100/year depending upon your needs.

Have a look at my setup and see what you think:

http://mathomas.zenfolio.com
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Looks nice and well organised. I'm currently weighing Zenfolio towards Smugmug, but the opinions seem to be rather divided and I can't make up my mind. Maybe I should just toss a coin :)
 

mathomas

Active member
I haven't tried smugmug. I think each of the photo-sharing sites has a little something different going for it. Flickr, certainly for the community, but not for presentation. Zenfolio for flexible and classy presentation, and print/product sales. And, smugmug? Not sure. Guess I'll have to try it, but I don't think I want more than two "platforms".

I did go ahead and sign up for the top-end Zenfolio service ($100/year). That will allow me to make a profit on the thousands of prints that I'm certain will be ordered :).
 

kweide

New member
Thats excatly the decision trap i am within. What to choose ??
Smugmug, Flickr, Zenfolio, Picassa or what ???
Is it really necessary to check them one by one ??? Is there no place which give organize, presentation and business in one solid solution ?? And is affordable as well !

Klaus
 

mathomas

Active member
Klaus,

I think each of these sites (and others like them) have picked an area to concentrate on. Therefore, I think you have to decide what your requirements are, then prioritize them. For example, if you want to do sales, then flickr.com is not for you. If you just want to share some photos with friends/family, then maybe flickr is for you (and maybe smugmug), but probably not zenfolio (IMO). Etc.

This is why I've ended up with both flickr (at $25/year) and zenfolio (at $100/year for "professional" level). Note that flickr has a free service, but it is somewhat limited.
 
Last edited:

edmund

New member
I went with Zenfolio because most of my work is in black and white. They offer, through Mpix, a "true black and white" option.
Smugmug uses bayphoto, which doesnt have that option.
Though, they do offer many other printing options - ie, metal prints, Giclée prints, etc...

Good luck!
 
I have been using zenfolio for about three years.
Highly recommended.
They continually upgrade their offerings.
And they provide clean, simple and elegant layout options.
I just opened a second zenfolio account to promote my wedding site.
Happy to answer any questions you may have.
Joe
 

jminor

New member
Hello,
Are you folks still happy with Zenfolio? I'm looking at a more professional way to present my photos and am not that concerned with the community aspect such as Flickr. Don't get me wrong, I like Flickr very much for getting photos out for friends & family, just looking for a bit more polish.
John
 
L

LB Jefferies

Guest
+1 for zenfolio :)
Now if they would just hook up with WHCC for prints, I'd be set. :cool:
 
Top