Today there are a lot of free photo hosts and social networks available on the web where anyone who deals with photography and art can store and showcase their works. Using such services, you can create your own profile and gallery, share photos and communicate with numerous web surfers. This is great, photography social networks like Flickr or Photobucket are good to show off your artwork and get new contacts. But is it enough for a professional photographer? Photo sharing website is like a big hive - everyone can get a cell, but all cells are the same and there are so many bees that it’s hard to make your work noticed and appreciated. What if you could have a separate comfortable photography gallery which would be great both for communication and building a unique personal identity?
Online photo portfolio is a web presentation of photographer’s professional profile. It provides a few noticeable advantages over public photo networks that can not be ignored if you want to succeed in your niche.
With the help of personal portfolio, a photographer can showcase his work, skills and potential for his possible employers. Professional photographer website is not just a place to store and share photos, it is a medium by means of which you can:
- Show off your artwork in a custom way: usually photo hosting websites offer some standard functional, while creating your personal photography website you can provide visitors with some unique navigation or set a few ways of a gallery display, e.g. featured manual scroll or slideshow with cool effects realized.
- Introduce yourself via the “About” page: tell people who you are, what skills you have and what are your goals and expectations. It is extremely important for a freelance photographer to speak clearly and precisely so that potential employers could quickly retrieve necessary information.
- Keep the visitors informed about your news and events: website gives you a possibility to add as many pages as you need. News section is surely a must, it is a simple and usable way to inform your customers and friends about gallery updates, upcoming events and future plans. Public photo websites give no place for this, except a profile status message or photo description line maybe.
- Create an extraordinary self-presentation: your portfolio is your territory. It is an online presentation of your talent and skills. It exists to impress and persuade new clients. Being unique is not an easy task today as the competition over the Internet is really tough. So use all tools to create the best photo site. Don’t be afraid to use Flash in your project - up-to-date Flash websites are search-engine friendly and don’t require much bandwidth to be loaded. Flash provides the most powerful tools for implementing your most crazy ideas. And if structured wisely and done with accessibility in mind, Flash photo site can help you to express yourself the best way.
- Promote yourself: use your personal photo site for communication, information sharing and self-promotion. It’s is your own small world on the web dedicated to your professional photography practice and various social activities. You can fill your website with unique and useful content which will be loved both by search engines and the audience. For instance, a blog can be a great way to drive more visitors to your website: treat your audience to some interesting info, such as photography art secrets, inspirational photo collections, Photoshop tips and hacks etc. Socialize, reply people’s comments and feedbacks, leave links to your website on related forums and community talks. Use the advantages of a stand-alone portfolio website to maximize your promotion campaign effectiveness.
You can have a gallery on a high-quality photo hosting website and this is more than enough if you are a photography hobbyist. Once you decide to go further and turn the hobby into a successful business, it is reasonable to consider a more serious web presence. If done thoughtfully, photography website can be one of your most rewarding projects.
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nice article thanks for write..
With so many posts it’s often easy to forget why you’re doing a portfolio site, other than because everyone else is. But it is a great tool for self promotion and also to experiment and try new ideas on.
Many valid points in this article. Having your own personal site is the one way to market yourself away from all the others. Thanks for the post …
Thanks! very nice article…keep on the good work
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I am too on your side. A separate website for one’s own is best, atleast a blog would do good than to have a profile in a social networking with all our works uploaded there. But it is like one in thousand, you won’t be noticed.
So better to have a separate website. But with out promoting that is a waste.
-Austin