Web Gallery hosting for one-off event recommendations

[BlimeyCharlie]

Hello and hopefully I can avoid sounding like a total idiot..

I've been asked to photograph an event (that bit I'm familiar with!) but as part of the job I have to put the finished photos up onto a web gallery, so participants can see the results. I have to supply a link to the gallery, which is the easy bit.

The obvious solution is something via my Facebook photography site, but this is a bit naff in my opinion, and I'm not familiar with anything else sadly.
I didn't want to ask the customer this question as I am embarrassed by my lack of knowledge in this area, and at the moment I'm still tendering for the job, they are a new customer to me, but what they are asking is pretty basic, just I'm not clued-up.

So my question is does anyone have any recommendations for a web gallery to host photos of a one-off event?

Thanks in advance.

[silobass]

Could you not use Flickr? For something more professional looking you could set up a free trial at something like Smugmug

[BlimeyCharlie]

silobass said:

Could you not use Flickr? For something more professional looking you could set up a free trial at something like Smugmug

Yes, you are steering me in the right direction. Thanks for that.

[rottie102]

What's wrong with Facebook? I wouldn't post photos from the event anywhere else if you're not charging for prints.

Export them with right settings and they will look just as good as on Flickr, but on Facebook you will get so much more promotion from it, ask people to tag themselves etc.

Nothing "naff" about Facebook for people galleries. Flickr gets you exposed to other photographers, Facebook gets you exposed to potential clients. Which one is more likely to get you jobs?

Edited by rottie102 on Thursday 6th October 20:17

[RobDickinson]

use www.pixieset.com

no questions.

[rottie102]

RobDickinson said:

use www.pixieset.com

no questions.

I like it! Never heard of them

[BlimeyCharlie]

rottie102 said:

What's wrong with Facebook? I wouldn't post photos from the event anywhere else if you're not charging for prints.

Export them with right settings and they will look just as good as on Flickr, but on Facebook you will get so much more promotion from it, ask people to tag themselves etc.

Nothing "naff" about Facebook for people galleries. Flickr gets you exposed to other photographers, Facebook gets you exposed to potential clients. Which one is more likely to get you jobs?

Edited by rottie102 on Thursday 6th October 20:17

Yes, good point, I guess by asking the question originally I'd have a choice and a lot more knowledge than I did originally, which already has proved to be the case.
I didn't want to suggest Facebook to the client without any alternatives, but for me it would be easier and as you said I'll get people looking at my other work. I had a break from Facebook but have yet to find an alternative in many ways. If used correctly it is a powerful medium.

I'll check out the other suggestions and please keep the answers coming in.
Many thanks.

[GetCarter]

Buy BlimeyCharlie.co.uk and get e mail and some webspace. Not expensive, looks professional.

...Okay, you might want to rename it

http://SteveCarter.com

(not that one... it's gone).

[Derek Smith]

GetCarter said:

Buy BlimeyCharlie.co.uk and get e mail and some webspace. Not expensive, looks professional.

...Okay, you might want to rename it

http://SteveCarter.com

(not that one... it's gone).

That would have my vote. More control. You can use Wordpress/Joomla and any host will talk your through it. It is about as easy as it gets.

Both the sites I run are Wordpress, the benefit being they can be updated anywhere.

[RobDickinson]

ffs really?

For a one off gallery to present to a client?

Buy a domain
Buy web space
Learn how to install and configure wordpress
etc
etc

for a one off gallery?

[rich888]

RobDickinson said:

ffs really?

For a one off gallery to present to a client?

Buy a domain
Buy web space
Learn how to install and configure wordpress
etc
etc

for a one off gallery?

What could possibly go wrong

[tog]

RobDickinson said:

use www.pixieset.com

no questions.

Thanks, you've just cost me a morning's work playing with that! Looks like a good system.

[GetCarter]

RobDickinson said:

ffs really?

For a one off gallery to present to a client?

Buy a domain
Buy web space
Learn how to install and configure wordpress
etc
etc

for a one off gallery?

Takes 1 minute to buy domain and webspace. You then have it for the rest of your life (for the next 1000 clients). Flickr & Facebook are fine for most I guess. Depends what you want, but I'd always try and avoid the crowd.

Edited by GetCarter on Tuesday 11th October 11:59

[Derek Smith]

GetCarter said:

RobDickinson said:

ffs really?

For a one off gallery to present to a client?

Buy a domain
Buy web space
Learn how to install and configure wordpress
etc
etc

for a one off gallery?

Takes 1 minute to buy domain and webspace. You then have it for the rest of your life (for the next 1000 clients). Flickr & Facebook are fine for most I guess. Depends what you want, but I'd always try and avoid the crowd.

Edited by GetCarter on Tuesday 11th October 11:59

Hosting at $40 pa (going up all the time unfortunately. Next month it'll be more expensive at $40.)

Wordpress is free. Some lovely themes for beginners are the same price, as are decent plugins and other features.

Takes a day to learn, probably less, for starters.

Lots of control, looks professional, brings in work.

You change from being one of a crowd for <£1 per week.

[BlimeyCharlie]

RobDickinson said:

ffs really?

For a one off gallery to present to a client?

Buy a domain
Buy web space
Learn how to install and configure wordpress
etc
etc

for a one off gallery?

The brief and contract stipulates doing the actual job, providing the images and hosting an online gallery of the images.
Not at all a case of FFS as that is what the job entails, and I'm glad for the work.
It is a new customer for me and what they are asking for makes sense, it is just new to me but I've had some good suggestions from people via here, so should all go ok.

I don't need to buy a domain name etc just host a gallery of the images.

[crmcatee]

Until the next client needs the same thing.

Putting them up on your own space means you have control of when they're deleted, you'll also be able to put your own showcase up there for other prospective clients to look at.

Having your own domain is so handy for dumping stuff up so people can get to it or even yourself trying to find it afterwards.

[RobDickinson]

A domain is handy yes, for a comerical site and on going work but di anyone actually even check out www.pixieset.com ?

To set that up yourself with all that functionality in wordpress would be a bit of a task..

[troc]

I'm with Rob here, that looks like an excellent and easy option

[RobDickinson]

BlimeyCharlie said:

Not at all a case of FFS as that is what the job entails

ffs was aimed at those suggesting going nuclear with hosting your own website etc for something so small that can be handled in a much easier way.

[BlimeyCharlie]

RobDickinson said:

A domain is handy yes, for a comerical site and on going work but di anyone actually even check out www.pixieset.com ?

To set that up yourself with all that functionality in wordpress would be a bit of a task..

Yes thanks, I had a look and seems a good solution for many things.
I'll be spending time on it today more so.

Thanks for your help.