# Website...



## ajm (Aug 6, 2015)

Hi all,
So, I've been searching and comparing photo hosting services, as I have been trying to figure out which is good for me.  I don't have many clients (at least not yet), for which I'd need proofing site and photo hosting services designed to manage bulk client photos from multiple events or sittings such as Zenfolio, Squarespace (that are good I guess, if you have thousands of photos that you need to sell or share with clients). 


But, if I am having a website I like to be able to provide password protected areas for clients to view their images, BUT this is not a must at this time.


I'd like to showcase my work so to generate interest and get bookings for client headshots and portraits....


I've heard that (unlike the photo hosting service like SmugMug or Zenfolio where you share and sell your photos),  there are sites you can use as your front-end portfolio website... 


Don't plan on selling prints as this is going to be my first website (and I don't think I'd sell anything)



any recommendations on what I should do/ whom I should go with? What are your thoughts...


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## LouieSherwin (Aug 6, 2015)

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I use PhotoDeck.com. It is designed by and for photographers. It is very easy to setup and use and there is a Publish plug-in for Lightroom so you can setup and do most of your organization from within Lightroom. It includes seamless support for mobile devices.  There are several subscription levels that you can choose from simple portfolio to full e-commerce. I also really like that it is a simple fee based service and they don't charge any commissions on any sales like most of the other big photo hosting sites. 

-louie


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## Replytoken (Aug 6, 2015)

Welcome to the forum!  There are a lot of solutions out there, and you may need to try a few to see which meets your needs, budget and workflow.  In addition to Louie's suggestion, you may want to spend some time with SmugMug and Zenfolio among others as they are quite affordable solutions if you are not doing a large volume of business to cover your costs.  I have accounts at both, and primarily use Zenfolio for making images available.  You can allow/restrict downloads and printing, and you can easily password protect images and galleries.  I suspect that SmugMug offers similar features as they redesigned their whole UI a year or so ago.  I am going to offer referral codes because I believe that you get a discount for using them in addition to them giving me a referral credit if you decide to sign up.  Use them if you wish.

Zenfolio:  http://www.zenfolio.com/?refcode=1H2-RZS-X3Y 

SmugMug:  https://secure.smugmug.com/signup?Coupon=9FFYMRIdZSjOk

Good luck,

--Ken


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## ajm (Aug 6, 2015)

Thank you Louie and Ken for your posts. I'll look into these suggestions.


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## Replytoken (Aug 6, 2015)

Some days the choices seem endless.  Play around with trial memberships to get a feel how the sites work.  Look at lab partners if you want to use them.  And I do find that setting a budget may help to limit your choices as some of the sites are predicated on you doing a reasonable volume of business.  The nice thing about both Zenfolio and SmugMug is that they can scale with your needs so you can start with an affordable plan, and then move if necessary.  Then again, if your budget is not constrained, you can have a pick of the litter.

Good luck,

--Ken


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