Photographer template websites compared

“First impressions are important.”

“Presentation is everything.”

“Start on the right step”

When it comes to a website, all of these axioms are especially true. I’m often working for a client who I have never met face to face, and the first impression they will get of me often comes through my website, www.robertbenson.com.

So, like other photographers, I want something that showcases my work in a professional, clean and efficient way.

I have a flash template website from fluidgalleries.com. (update: Since writing this story I have gotten a website from aphotofolio.com). I’ve had it about two years and am fairly happy with it. It’s easy to edit, delete and add images, or modify the layout in minutes or less. Still though, there’s little bugs that keep me looking for more (again, this old info refers to the fluidgalleries site I used to have. I’m happy with aphotofolio.com).

I want BIG photos, I want more backend features. I want to add video and bio photos. Want to upload more than one photo at a time. Fluid gallery doesn’t offer this. Others do. So I’ve been keeping my eyes open for template websites for the past five years, reading forums on the subject and listening to other photographer’s opinions. I’ve compiled here a listing of companies that offer template HTML and flash websites that cater specifically to photographers. Hopefully it will help you if you’re at the stage where you need a website.

I think the benefits of a template site are the cost (usually cheaper then getting something custom made), they are proven (bugs are usually worked out before they go on sale), and the backend allows for simple editing (you don’t have to go to a webmaster to add or delete a photo).

This list is pretty comprehensive, but I probably missed a few. If so, let me know, and I’ll add them. The companies listed below primarily focus on doing one thing: providing template websites for photographers.

Also, for whatever it’s worth, I contacted each of these companies with a few questions and told them I was putting together a little comparison story. If they responded, I quoted them in the reviews below. If they didn’t respond, well, you can draw your own conclusions!

APhotoFolio.com

  • Price: $1017
  • Monthly/annual fee: $17 to host on his servers
  • Set up fee: none
  • Web hosting: They host the site. Seems like he may be able to install on your own server, or may be making plans to offer this service
  • What I think: best looking thing out there
  • Sample website: http://72.32.9.12/~bcashphoto/

This company is new, and run by Rob Haggart, the former Director of Photography for Men’s Journal and Outside Magazine. He runs the popular blog “AphotoEditor” and is the founder and President of A Photo Folio. He calls what he created “websites that get your hired.” In addition to consulting services, looks like he offers two template designs. I like his look because the photos are HUGE. Obscenely huge, as big as your monitor in fact, if you choose full screen mode to display the images.

Says Haggart: “I started APhotoFolio for several reasons. I wanted to work online with photographers because I’m very interested in the future of photography. I felt like there was room in the market for another
template based website for photographers. I knew that my experience as a Photography Director and blogger gave me an advantage over the other companies and I want to be a part of figuring out what’s next for
photography online.”

The cool thing about APhotoFolio is that it isn’t a huge company. You call or write and you get a human being. “My number one priority is customer service,” said Haggart. “I’ve always loved working with photographers so answering questions, solving problems and improving our designs is a big part of my day.”

This appears to be true. When Haggart first announced his new business, I immediately became interested in getting one of his websites. I found though, there was a bug which prevented it from working correctly on my browser. I wrote Rob and notified him of the problem. It was fixed a day later. He responded to all my emails and kept communication flowing. For me, that’s huge!

MANY other companies compared on jump

Fluidgalleries.com

  • Price: $430 (pro version), $230 (basic version)
  • Monthly/annual fee: none
  • Set up fee: none
  • Web Hosting: They install on the server of your choice (yeah, they do it). They don’t host sites.
  • What I think: Clean, I like it.
  • Sample website: www.blackburnpictures.com/

The price for this service and website is pretty good. Cheap actually, when compared to the other guys. It’s a bit basic though. This company is based in Toronto, Canada. My questions usually are answered fairly quickly, and they list a phone number to call too. If you need something basic, this is good. The potential for growth in your website may be limited though. They have an area too for SEO, so your site will come up in google searches and the like. There’s only one design with this company, where as most of the other companies offer two, three or more different designs to choose from.

Livebooks.com

  • Price: $800, $1,700 or $3,200 (depends on level of website)
  • Monthly/annual fee: $90 annual to host on their servers
  • Set up fee: Included with price
  • Web hosting: Have to use theirs
  • What I think: Clean, professional, but everyone and their brother seems to have
  • Sample website: www.possardt.de.temp.livebooks.com/

Livebooks.com is the industry standard for a lot of photographers who chose template designs. I came really close to buying a livebooks site about six months ago, and during that time, the sales people were courteous and professional. They knew their product.

clickbooq.com

  • Price: $699 per year or a $1,699 one time fee (they also have a pay as you go price)
  • Monthly fee: $17 to host on his servers
  • Set up fee: none
  • Web hosting: $99 per year (although included on the pay as you go plan)
  • What I think: I like it! Looks like Livebooks clone
  • Sample website: www.peterkoval.com

Looks very similar to Livebooks. They write on their welcome page: “clickbooq comes standard with up to 5 portfolios for publishing your images to thm whatever you want. Simply drag-and-drop your images into a portfolio, then rearrange their viewing order as you see fit. Click “Publish” and your changes are instantly updated online”

They have a flash demo that shows all this in action which is pretty cool. We all like moving pictures! You can even get a demo site to try for free for five days before buying.

e web, with the option to add up to 10. Each portfolio holds up to 36 full-sized images and you can name the

bludomain.com

  • Price: $100 or $400
  • Monthly/annual fee: $100 annual hosting fee
  • Set up fee: none
  • Web hosting: Can host with them, or if you pay money, can host elsewhere.
  • What I think: No phone number? No thanks.
  • Sample website: www.blusites.com/antonio/

Here’s what I don’t like about them from the get go: they don’t list a phone number on their website. You have to use a form online to “request a phone call.” Ugh. To me, the cheaper websites don’t look as professional as livebooks, clickbooq, fluidgalleries, etc. The more expensive $400 don’t look bad. They have tons of different templates to choose from, and many are sold in limited editions.

flashpalette.com

  • Price: $0-$400, depending on site selected
  • Monthly/annual fee :D oesn’t seem to be any
  • Web hosting: Seems like you can install on your own server
  • What I think: so-so, not for everyone
  • Sample website: www.flashpalette.com/Samples/FlashPalette13E/

Here again, no contact number listed on their homepage. This drives me nuts. Have to communicate via email with flashpalette. I’m a “now now now!” kind of person. I asked Shannon Steffens, Director of Sales and Support at Flashpalette why they don’t list contact numbers their homepage. “Our clients are able to request phone support our contact page,” she wrote. “FlashPalette’s customer support team will call clients when working on specific support issues.”

Steffens said the response to FlashPalette templates has been positive. “Our clients are impressed how easy our sites are to customize,” she said. “They are pleased with our customer support, and that we always provide support for urgent requests on weekends on holidays.”

She went on to list six things which separate flashpalette from the competition:

- Flashpalette allows clients to control how they edit and host their FlashPalette web site. Clients are not tied to us for hosting, allowing client’s complete control over their sites.
- “Try before you buy FlashPalette clients download and test the sites before they purchase a license for the template of their choice. Our trial versions are fully function sites, however the text “Trial Version” does appear on trial web sites.
- Desktop editing. FlashPalette makes creating and fine-tuning a client’s website quicker and easier because the template editor runs on their desktop, not online through a browser.
- Affordable pricing, FlashPalette Templates start at $66 for a basic site.
- Full screen templates. FlashPalette has a line of premium templates, several of which offer full screen images for screens up to 24 inches.
- Service – FlashPalette offers personalized service and treats each client as though they are our only client.

Bigfolio.com

  • Price: $650 (they also have a $225 website)
  • Monthly/annual fee: $25 (they also have a $17 monthly fee option if you get the lesser-priced website)
  • Set up fee: included in cost
  • Web Hosting:Unclear
  • What I think: Not bad. Big photos. Simple
  • Sample website: beckerweddings.com/

Pretty clean looking, professional websites. Some of the websites offer full screen viewing. They have a phone number, and even offer consulting. They have add-ons, like video and blogs.

photoidentities.com

  • Price: $999 (pro), $400 (eco),
  • Monthly/annual fee: none
  • Set up fee: none
  • Web Hosting: $99 per year. Pro templates must be hosted with Photoidentities. Not so for the eco sites.
  • What I think: A lot of the pro websites had what I thought were gimmicky 80s-looking borders or backgrounds. Just show me the photos please.
  • Sample website: www.photoidentities.com/Sadie/

In the FAQ section at this website one question reads: “What makes your templates better than other photography companies’ websites?” And their answer: “Our templates have the look of a custom website. They are extremely professional-looking but do not have the “canned” feel that many other website templates have. In addition, our Site Composer templates have the advantage of being many template designs rolled into one. So for one great price you’re getting virtually limitless possibilities as to the way your website can look. And the best part is you have control over it anytime, anyplace.”

Foliolink.com

  • Price: $695 (pro version), $349 (premium version), $239 (turnkey version)
  • Monthly/annual fee:none
  • Set up fee: $95 or $249, depending on site selected
  • Web Hosting: You can have on your own server.
  • What I think: I dig these people very much. NICE designs.
  • Sample website: http://andrewbrusso.com

In the November 2007 issue of Shutterbug Magazine, reporter Joe Farace describes a FolioLink photography website as “drop dead beautiful, epitomizing how to create a website that says class, style…”I agree! They have a lot of HTML and flash templates (more than 20 pro templates) to choose from, and they are always adding more. These compete with and exceeds the best looking stuff from livebooks. The photos are big. Design is minimal. Everything looks professional. You can get a free trial and build your own site before buying.

icreations.com

  • Price: $750 (premium version), $475 (standard),
  • Monthly/annual fee: $18 per month (premium), $12 (standard)
  • Set up fee: unclear
  • Web Hosting: They install on the server of your choice (yeah, they do it). They don’t host sites.
  • What I think: Huge monstrous photos, but controls/design seems a bit awkward to me (see below)
  • Sample website: http://www.icreations2.com/lagunacreek/

They have a phone number, which is always a good thing. You have to host with them, and they guarantee 99.99% uptime. They write: “Our SLA (Service Level Agreement) guarantees a 99.99% uptime on your website services. Should iCreations not be able to provide the services guaranteed by this SLA, the following service credits will be issued:

1 or more hours of downtime – 1 day credit
4 or more hours of downtime – 1 week credit
12 or more hours of downtime – 1 month credit”

According to Steve Wasylko, President of the company, most people sign up because they love the sites that are offered. “But they end up more impressed after they see the kind of customer service they receive. This benefits everyone greatly as a good majority of our sales are referrals from current clients.

“Our designs are state of the art, but that is only the beginning,” he said. “Every one of our websites come with advanced SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tools. In this day and age your site not only must look good, but must be able to be able to help achieve you a higher ranking on the search engines. Our tools allow you to control what the search engines see and index.”

Wasylko continued, saying, “Our control panel is also built using the latest methods and technologies to make building and maintaining your site extremely simple. Creating galleries and re-ordering images is as simple as selecting thumbnails and using drag and drop. EVERYTHING about your site is editable by the end user. Logo, color changes, adding pages, text, etc. All of that can be done by the customer anytime without any need to contact us. I feel that our control panel is extremely advanced compared to other solutions out there. Anyone with basic computer skills will have no problem building and maintaining their site without any knowledge of web design, html or any other web technologies. We also pride ourselves on customer service here. We guarantee to respond to all support requests within 24 hours. Most requests are normally handled within hours. Our staff is available by phone M-F 9-5 PST, via live web chat on our site and through our support ticket system.”

The photos with Icreation are displayed huge, full screen. I like that! But when I clicked on their first sample site, Laguna Creek, the entire photos were showing on my screen, only a cropped portion of the image. The bottom was getting hacked off. I didn’t try on another browser, just because I don’t think an editor would take the time to do the same thing.

On this same sample site, there were controls on the left, some in the middle of the page, some on the top of page, and thumbnails along the bottom. I want them to be more intuitive. Don’t want to search around.

The template was supposed resize according to my monitor size, but it doesn’t seem to work right. It’s close though…. I tried the Big Sur sample site, and the cropping problem was even worse.

intothedarkroom.com

  • Price: $2,000 (LTD websites), $5,000 (custom sites)
  • Monthly/annual fee: none
  • Set up fee: none
  • Web Hosting: User hosts on their server
  • What I think: Super clean professional looking sites
  • Sample website: www.jayreillyphoto.com

Their website says that “our pre-designed websites are templates. However, instead of selling the same design to hundreds of photographers, we decided to sell one design to a limited few (LTD Websites). We release one design at a time (only when we are inspired) and when 10 photographers purchase that design, we retire it. You can see their current design here.

Jay Reilly, a San Diego photographer who helped create the websites by providing input to the design team, says “ITDR are flash sites that are search engine optimized which is very important. Your clients need to find you! The sites have a robust content management system which allows you to add and edit content as you wish. Super large images. The images on my site are 1200 pixels long. But the two other sides to that story is that the images resample to only have to load the resolution needed for the screen and a advanced browser detection optimizing the size and image presentation.”

Reilly said they offer more than just websites. “I have assisted in the concept and feature set of all the products ITDR has developed,” said Reilly. “Keep in mind that the product line is not just web sites, but a entire cast of products that photographers of all niches need to complete and succeed in business. Blogs, slideshows, proofing systems with built in light-box ability.

Neonsky.com

  • Price:$495
  • Monthly/annual fee: $45
  • Set up fee:Unclear
  • Web Hosting: You pay, they host.
  • What do I think: Popular with some photographers. Designs: Nice, but I’m not blown away
  • Sample website: markjrebilas.com

Here’s what one user says:

“Thank you for the great site. My pitches are most certainly being taken a lot more seriously in no small part thanks to the great site wherever they land. It’s great having a very professional, very reasonably priced, easy to manage site.”

— Amanda Rivkin, Photographer, Chicago, amandarivkin.com

I’ve heard similar comments from others. People seem to like this company, so something good must be happening there! They have a handful of designs to choose from, and most seem pretty clean.

Sitewelder.com

  • Price:$250
  • Monthly/annual fee: $135 quarterly/$450 annually
  • Set up fee: Included
  • Web Hosting: You pay, they host. (see price above)
  • What do I think: If you like Livebooks, you’ll like their designs too
  • Sample website:

Kind of like Livebooks clones, the website they offer. (Not sure though who was around first, so maybe it’s the other way around…). Everything seems very clean and simple.

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This entry (permalink) was posted on Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 at 10:23 PM by admin and categorized in Interview.

Comments (27) left to “Photographer template websites compared”

  1. » Photographer template websites compared »Digital Photography wrote:

    [...] Digital photography by admin [...]

    Posted on 24-Sep-08 at 10:51 pm | Permalink

  2. Kip wrote:

    Another consideration might be Show it Sites by wedding enigma David Jay. One of the most high profile users of the topography is Jasmine Star found at http://www.jasmine-star.com/ This is some seriously full-screen and video enabled goodness.

    Posted on 25-Sep-08 at 12:42 am | Permalink

  3. jay wrote:

    nice work robert! serious, i think this is the first time anyone have really compared the options as complete. i really think we are at a point where there is an option, design and price for everyone. well done
    jay

    Posted on 25-Sep-08 at 7:07 am | Permalink

  4. Michael Costuros, Founder/Creative Director, liveBooks wrote:

    Hi Robert, and community.

    My name is Michael, I am the founder of liveBooks.
    I want to applaud Robert for taking the time to do this well researched presentation on the various portfolio website options. I think it is a great service to your fellow photographer. I can tell that presenting the factual points of differences between each companies unique offers was important to you. To that end, I would like to add a couple of key points of difference about liveBooks that were left out. I will add that I, for the benefit of your readers, I would like to invite other founders from the companies above to comment with what they believe are the key advantages of their products.

    Here are, in my opinion, three key points of distinction that contribute to the uniqueness of the liveBooks product offering. (Note: I am not stating that we are the only company offering custom design, free support, and supporting the photo community).

    1. CUSTOMIZED SITE DESIGN: Every single one of our clients work one-on-one with a member of our design team to customize the design of their site. We do not even offer the option to choose a design from a template library. While we understand that templates are a cost effective way to get a functional site up fast, our focus is creating a unique design that supports the unique style and brand of each of our clients. How much time, how customized, and how many rounds of revisions a client gets depends on the package the client buys. We are proud that many of our client sites have won awards. To see examples of designs we are proud of, check out our “Sites of the Week” design showcase. http://www.livebooks.com/community/sitesoftheweek

    2. FREE PHONE SUPPORT: Since I started the company in 2000, we have offered free tech support by phone, chat and email. Most of our support team have photography degrees, and are thus uniquely qualified to understand and address our clients needs.

    3. SUPPORTING THE PHOTO COMMUNITY: Founded by photographers for photographers, liveBooks is committed to the success of photographers and the health of the photo industry. We have shown this over the years by offering member discounts to professional photo associations, sponsoring education seminars, webinars, and tours. In addition to supporting the pros, we have a special product offering just for students that gets them into a liveBooks pro site for just $99/year for as long as they are a student. The focus of this program is to teach students the skills of web presentation and marketing while they are still in school, thus improving the odds that they will survive that difficult transition from aspiring to pro photographer. Last but not least we have donated many websites to inspiring projects and causes, some of which are listed on the philanthropy section in the company section of liveBooks.com. http://www.livebooks.com/company/philanthropy

    It is not my intention to brag, nor am I in any way wanting to criticize the other fine products you have listed. Rather, I am proud of what my team and I have created and just want to be know for what in my opinion makes us special.

    Thanks again for making this forum possible,

    Michael Costuros, Founder, liveBooks Inc.

    Posted on 25-Sep-08 at 3:44 pm | Permalink

  5. admin wrote:

    From the marketing director at Photo Identities:
    Our products are extremely user friendly and our customer service is the best in the business. Our Site Composer product is a 3rd generation Flash website design that is a direct result of feedback provided to us by our extensive customer base. Even after we introduced Site Composer back in the fall of 2007, it has been continuously evolving. Most recently we have added “Expressions” to Site Composer that allow the photographer to express their own individual style via pre-designed themes or by creating custom themes for the website. This gives the ability to be unique in a market place where the competition may have the same template that you are using. In simple terms our Site Composer offers ease of use, no downloading and installing of software – only access to a browser – and the ability to make the website look custom with ease.

    Besides offering excellent websites we are the only major player that offers search engine optimization services. Many people don’t realize that without search engine optimization you are not getting the full potential of website traffic. In fact we go as far as saying without search engine optimization you could be losing as much as 75% of potential website traffic.

    Finally we offer our own custom blog and blogsite themes which are based on the robust Wordpress engine , but have been customized with the photographer in mind to display large images, slideshow presentations and video clips.

    Max Shafiq – Director of Marketing

    Posted on 25-Sep-08 at 4:51 pm | Permalink

  6. Elizabeth Manegold wrote:

    Hi Robert,

    Thank you for your great comments about FolioLink.com! We work very hard to offer a service that meets photographers’ expectations for their online portfolios and workflow needs. Frankly, what you said about FolioLink was great. It gives us immense pleasure to have our efforts recognized. One unique aspect of the FolioLink service is that we give our clients who use FLASH website designs control over the same settings that our designers use to create design variations. Our designers work hard to make sure FolioLink does not become a “one look” service. Take a look at some of our Featured Stories users at http://foliolink.com/featuredstories.asp and notice the number of designs and variations just within this small group of users. Many of these websites, even though they may look customized by a website designer were actually customized by the photographers who use FolioLink as their website solution. You can also see more website samples here: http://foliolink.com/designs.asp .

    One thing that sets FolioLink apart from other online website services is the new FolioLink Pro Account which actually gives the photographer two websites in one account – a portfolio showcase site and a stand-alone image archive companion website. Using FolioLink’s image archive, Pro users can upload thousands of images to create anything form a stand-alone stock photography website to license and/or sell prints online to setting up sophisticated client areas where customers can select work, negotiate pricing, and share images. The comprehensive feature list of the FolioLink image archive addresses most of the online workflow needs of professional photographers. FolioLink stands alone in integrating this type of workflow solution with a compelling portfolio website at an affordable price. Please find out more about the image archive and the Pro Account at: http://foliolink.com/accounttypes_pro.asp .

    Many of our customers use the image archive included in the Pro account to offer their clients private areas. Please contact our office if you would like to see samples of the image archive as it is used to create stand alone stock and/or print sales websites.

    Anyone can try FolioLink’s portfolio website service for free: http://www.foliolink.com/signup1_1b.asp

    **One correction to your article is that FolioLink’s website solution is a hosted service. It is not possible to host our website designs with a third party host. The fee is all inclusive and includes access to the administrative tools for the site and hosting of the website.

    I apologize if this was too much information, but I wanted to highlight some of the differences that make the FolioLink service an excellent value.

    Elizabeth Manegold
    Marketing Director
    1-877-TO-FOLIO

    Posted on 26-Sep-08 at 11:01 am | Permalink

  7. Todd Melet wrote:

    bludomain.com not only does not have a phone number published, but never called me after I filled out form and requested a call to review my questions before moving forward.

    I have a friend who has a site on this service, and find a couple of things about his site quirky, wanted to know about work arounds.

    I think it’s a good idea to avoid companies with no phone customer service. This stuff is too important to be forced into the cheapest mode of support for the vendor.

    Posted on 28-Sep-08 at 6:03 am | Permalink

  8. Joe Reifer wrote:

    Big thanks for putting this list together. Like you, I have a Fluid Galleries site that was great bang for the buck but is limiting at times. Here are two more important issues on my checklist:

    1. If the site is a Flash template, the site should display an HTML version of the galleries if the user does not have Flash.
    2. Related to #1 – the site should detect mobile devices and iPhones, and display a nicely formatted mobile version of my galleries.

    Cheers,

    Joe

    Posted on 29-Sep-08 at 10:21 am | Permalink

  9. Joe Reifer » Blog Archive » Websites, Pinball, CLUI, Holga, and the Great Schlep wrote:

    [...] Benson has an excellent roundup of photography website templates (via Photo Business [...]

    Posted on 29-Sep-08 at 7:10 pm | Permalink

  10. Fotografo Matrimonio wrote:

    Wow really a nice article. Thanks I find it really ueful.

    Posted on 01-Oct-08 at 1:32 am | Permalink

  11. Links 09_2008 « Borut Peterlin in a rabbit hole of photography wrote:

    [...] a web developer) will finish my site and I must admit I’m sorry that I didn’t discover the link of Robert Benson [...]

    Posted on 05-Oct-08 at 12:16 pm | Permalink

  12. David Jay wrote:

    Thanks for the post above about Showit Sites!

    I think Robert was right in not including us in this list b/c we do not provide templates.

    Showit Sites is a tool for photographers to build unique websites so they can show their clients how they are different and build value around that.

    Rock on!
    David Jay
    http://showitfast.com

    Posted on 06-Oct-08 at 2:27 pm | Permalink

  13. Noob wrote:

    Wow, I had no idea you could charge that for creating a Flash site! I have a degree very heavy in web design and I never thought people would pay that kind of money for templates. I’m not putting anybody down for paying that, I spent years learning the finer points of different web applications and doing it yourself is terrifying at times, I’m just surprised. I love doing freelance photography, but if I knew there was a market for websites where you could be paid that well, I would have spent more effort drumming up website business. I’ll take a closer look at these sites in a few days, but if they all offer sites only as complex as the ones I’ve seen so far, I’ll start making sites for profit soon.

    Posted on 07-Oct-08 at 9:57 am | Permalink

  14. James Hancox wrote:

    Fantastic article!

    I, just today, found your site and am having a great time browsing. Saw this one and thought I’d throw a hat in the ring (from an I.T. “geek” currently moving to photog perspective)…

    I use “Gallery2″ from Menalto (http://gallery.menalto.com/) for my site. I went this way because I wanted total control, without having to spend a lot of time designing and coding (more time creating content!) I have some knowledge in IT, and a friend who runs my hosting for me, so I found it all pretty painless.

    For ease of install, backend features, and general ease of use… I’ve yet to find anything I like more. It has a good templating system too.

    Not sure if it fits what you’re aimingg at with this particular article, but it’s definately an option for those wanting to maintain total control over what thier website does. If you want to get a little more intimate with the code, that’s pretty easy too.

    Happy to assist if anyone wants to drop me a line and poke me for answers. Im in New Zealand though, so probably cheaper to email :)

    Posted on 07-Oct-08 at 6:56 pm | Permalink

  15. Making business with USA is a doggy thing « Borut Peterlin in a rabbit hole of photography wrote:

    [...] check again what Robert Benson has to say about [...]

    Posted on 29-Oct-08 at 1:52 am | Permalink

  16. Choosing a new site « Borut Peterlin in a rabbit hole of photography wrote:

    [...] checked again the post of Robert Benson and throughly checked all the sites he is [...]

    Posted on 01-Nov-08 at 6:34 am | Permalink

  17. Marc Fuller wrote:

    Great list! An outstanding, useful contribution.

    I hope someday there will be in-depth comparison test of the search optimization results for the different flash templates listed here. And tips to improve search ranking if using any of the flash templates. It is my opinion that the best search results come from not using the splash page and “wrapping” the template within a content manager like WordPress. But that is what I do, so I may not be the most objective. Although I would be pleased to participate and help in such a search result test.

    Thanks again!
    -Marc

    Posted on 21-Nov-08 at 8:24 am | Permalink

  18. robert benson's website | RobertBenson.com wrote:

    [...] I got a new website, and you can see it at http://www.robertbenson.com. The site was designed by Rob Haggart at aphotofolio.com. Before buying his template site, I looked at 20 or more other companies, and decided his was the best. I liked the clean design and big photos. Haggart, a former photo editor at Outside Magazine and Mens Journal, says that’s what he and his photo editor colleagues really like too: big photos, no fuss, clean design. Those other companies I looked at was also written into a review, which you can see here. [...]

    Posted on 21-Nov-08 at 3:25 pm | Permalink

  19. Russ McNeilly wrote:

    Robert,

    An excellent analysis. Perhaps you can include info on SellFolio 4.0 Complete, endorsed by Halden Krog, FujiFilm™ Photographer of the Year. SellFolio is $369.00, allows photographers to add folders of photos at one time, make them as large as they want, add video, create their own design or use/edit one of our very unique styles, link to any commerce system, and upload to their own hosting or our hosting, and burn them to a CD. We offer free support, no setup fee, and no subscription needed. Photographers can add their own metatags to help their search optimization. Thousands of photographers and other customers use SellFolio. A good example is available at http://www.imagesbymisty.viewwork.com/click_to_enter_images_by_misty_photography/sellfolio.html. And note, this one was made with our $49.99 SellFolio 4.0 Basic version! :-)

    Posted on 23-Dec-08 at 9:08 am | Permalink

  20. On-line portfolio survey circa January wrote:

    [...] HTML) Next, here are a couple of blog posts that were invaluable in helping me on this project:Photographer template websites compared | RobertBenson.com (one photographer’s encapsulated [...]

    Posted on 11-Jan-09 at 1:56 pm | Permalink

  21. Basim Dweissi wrote:

    (FROM:Basim Dweissi)
    (ASSIST ME TO RECEIEVE THE FUND IN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT,
    (Re: Transfer of $15,000,000.00)
    (EMAIL:mrbryanwilliams1@jmail.co.za

    Dearest,
    For sure this mail would definitely come to you as a surprise,
    but do take your good time to go through it,

    My Name is Basim Dweissi from Cote-Ivory Abidjan am 21years old and presently residing,
    in Dakar-Senegal I lost my father some year and couple of months ago,
    My father was serving director of the Markson chemical industry until his death,

    He was assassinated by the rebels during the political uprising in my Country,
    Before his death, he made a deposit of $15,000,000.00 Million Dollars here in DAKAR SENEGAL,
    which was for the purchase of cocoa processing machine and development of another factory before his untimely death.

    Being that this part of the world experiences.

    ( Kind regar)
    (Basim Dweissi)

    Posted on 29-Jan-09 at 2:58 pm | Permalink

  22. my website’s still not up .. « Photography by Obi wrote:

    [...] Some great information I came across while searching for hosts for my site:  Robert Benson summarises some of the services and costs of popular photography web hosts. Its for pros, and those thinking of going pro though. You should check it out here. [...]

    Posted on 02-Mar-09 at 4:46 pm | Permalink

  23. Joe Reifer » Blog Archive » Photography Website Template Features and Cost wrote:

    [...] requirements above please let me know. Robert Benson has a longer list of photographer templates here. Livebooks is too expensive for the features I want. If you’re currently using one of the [...]

    Posted on 15-Apr-09 at 2:03 pm | Permalink

  24. On-line portfolio survey circa January ‘09 | byronbay-photography.com wrote:

    [...] Photographer template websites compared | RobertBenson.com (one photographer’s encapsulated research) [...]

    Posted on 26-Apr-09 at 8:44 am | Permalink

  25. Teep wrote:

    Be careful with FolioLink. Sure, they look nice, but if you have an issue, you’re out all of your money. They WILL NOT refund your money for any reason. EVER.

    Posted on 19-May-09 at 8:02 am | Permalink

  26. stan wrote:

    I know you don’t like bludomain
    but i have used them three times and have not
    had a problem, that includes getting phone calls, help, ect
    i love blu

    Posted on 20-May-09 at 9:44 am | Permalink

  27. Andy Eaves wrote:

    Hi there – just in case you’re interested, I have started a template system for photographers. I am based in the UK but you can join from anywhere. I’m aiming to provide the quality of a bespoke site with a low monthly cost (from 10 pounds sterling a month). I’d be very interested to see how you rate it compared to these.

    Posted on 27-May-09 at 7:56 am | Permalink

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