One of the most difficult aspects of being a photographer is figuring out the format to present your photos to the world, particularly over the world wide web. When running a bussiness, whether its a small hobby-type bussiness, or a big company, one needs to find the right way to present the product to the people. In short, I need to figure out how to best present my photos to all of you! That's the part I am continually experimenting with.
So in continuation with my endless experimentation (mostly because I can't afford a fancy-smancy professional website and pay someone to design it exactly as I'd like) I've added another facet to my photography online, an Etsy store!
I know many photographers and crafters a like have been using Etsy to show and sell their work for a long time. Finally, I decided to jump on the band wagon and discovered that the site really fairly simple! One of my hangups about using it was the thought of its added complexity to what I already use, but I dare say, it may be better than my smugmug website when it comes to ease/simplicity.
Please check it out and let me know what you think of the interface. Would you be more likely to purchase something from the new Etsy store? Or my smugmug gallery? I'd be really interested in hearing your input!
I think Etsy is a great site, however, you can offer way less options to your clients. But there is nothing wrong with having both sites because you will find people on Etsy that you may not come across elsewhere. Smugmug offers a ton of options for people but it not as easy to use and it continually has pop ups (that take a few moments to load) and the options aren't as clear until you click on the photo and say buy, whereas Etsy is quite clear as to what the price is right up front. Smugmug is a lot more customizable but I think for simplicity sake I really like your Etsy Shop. What I see is what I get, ya know? You also have to look at what the sites cost and how much you make. I have chosen to put my photos on FAA as it only costs $30 a year and I name my prices and that's what I get from them, they then add on their fees for the materials (and I make a percentage from the materials as well). They also handle the production, shipping, etc. Also, all of my photos then go into their general galleries so if someone is on their main site and searches for "cows" my photos will come up in their search. It's a really cool community of artists of many types.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to FAA http://fineartamerica.com/
Here is a link to what my artist website looks like: http://rachel-roushey.artistwebsites.com/
They also allow you to post new prints directly to your facebook Fan pages when you upload new items which then lets people know when you've added something new.....I'm hooked, can you tell?
But really, I like both your Etsy and your Smugmug, it's really what is easiest for you!
I have a Zenfolio account, but it's very similar to Smugmug. I like both of your sites. For me, it's convenience, because Zenfolio/SmugMug take care of the production, shipping, etc. I'd never have the time to do that on my own.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Rachel's comment, I'm on my way to check out FAA now. hehe
Wonderful photo.
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks so much for your input ladies! And Rachel, those are some great comments. I've used fine art america before, but find that for prints they can be a little pricey. Someone pointed me to MPix.com and I am going to try and use them with the Etsy site to do my printing since its literally 1/3 of the price. The only down side is that they do crop the photos while Fine Art America never does. I actually like that artistry set up... I may have to investigate that!
ReplyDeleteZenfolio uses Mpix and anyone who has bought photos from my website is very pleased with the quality. So, I always recommend Mpix to people... good prices and great quality.
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