Calling shutterbugs everywhere! Who else wants to be a more successful photographer? Do you want to organize your photographs quickly online? What if you can manage and sort your photographs easily by using categories and tags?

Frequently-Asked Question about Photography:

I was with Smugmug. SmugMug sucks! They increased their prices by 100%! I am looking for alternatives for my photo storage and printing needs. I was wondering what is the best cost-effective alternative so far.

My main requirement is ability to publish on my own domain name.

In other words, it should have clean, stylish and fully customizable designs so that photographers like me is able to upload, present and sell photography.

Expert Answer:

You have 2 options when it comes to photo hosting. You can either get an all-in-one host, or you can build your own website, i.e DIY. You will have full control of your website with the later.

Option 1:

If you do not want delve with your own web development, then all-in-one service such as Zenfolio is best for you.

I prefer Zen Folio over other alternatives such as Smugmug. Zenfolio is very easy, very managable, much faster than smugmug. Heck I do not even like looking at smugmug galleries because they are too slow.

Their free 14-day Trial subscription provides access to all the Premium features including uploading full size photos, printing and selling. No credit card required. Click here to to try Zenfolio for free.

Why Zenfolio? What I like most is the Free 14-day Trial subscription, which provides access to all the Premium features including uploading full size photos, printing and selling.

By choosing this option, you will save hours of education that it takes to become a web developer, while allowing you an impressive degree of freedom and customization on an ongoing basis. If you are just looking for a simple way to share photos online with your clients before a shoot, and allow them to purchase photos online, go for this option. If you are just a part-time photographer who just want a basic website to send clients to, then this is surely your best solution.

Option 2:

This is the option where you first get a web hosting account from a website hosting company such as Hostgator. Then you install a content-management system such as WordPress. Last but not least, you configure your website which includes a professional photography theme.

This may sound complicated but actually it is quite straightforward. Only a bare minimum of programming knowledge is needed to get started and if you get stuck help is available from either the WordPress forums or the web hosting live chat (HG). It is useful (but not essential) to know HTML and CSS to be able to modify the layout.

There are many web hosting services out there but you want the best hosting provider at a cheap price. We have used Hostgator for almost 10 years and we are still amazed with their responsive customer support and fantastic uptime. We have tried some other 12 hosting services but HG is simply second to none. If you are unsure if this strategy can meet your requirements, or you have specific question, try the Live Chat at HG. They are fast and knowledgeable. You can also try Hostgator for $0.01 only.

What are the benefits of having your own hosting account, you may ask?. Here are four (4) good reasons:

  • You keep all the money from your sales, because you pay no fees from your sale (as oppose to the first option above)
  • Unlimited storage space not only for your photos, but anything you want to put on your website (such as, not limited to PDFs, presentations, videos, raw images, designs, digital products)
  • You can host more domain names (even for your wife)
  • The hosting service from the first option above can hike or even double the fees (just like what Smugmug did), but with your own hosting your cost is only the web hosting which is only about $10/month.

Decided? Why not save some money using the coupon below.