31 August 2009

Wedding Photographer FAQ - Sites

i sat on the floor, my back against the couch, as a dozen of us listened and shared attentively. the group of us had started a conversation; a conversation about how we could better share with the world who we each uniquely were as photographers, as people. then our host, david jay offered a solution and asked for our help.

that was back in february of this year, from one of the countless hotel rooms overlooking las vegas. and it was at that little user group that carlie and i launched our wedding photography website that now serves as our "handshake" [coined by our friend jasmine] to potential clients.

since launching our site, we have received a constant stream of inquiries asking who made our site. and it has become obvious that tons of our colleagues in the photo industry are looking for a solution to create something unique and marketable.

to answer the question simply, we made it ourselves.

and that is the beauty behind showit sites [which is the solution we have chosen for our website]. with showit, we can make any change to our website that we can dream up, and we can do it without forking over a small fortune to a programmer.

however, the real answer to that question, is that we had A TON of help. first off, we had the fortune of knowing an incredible artist, melinda moen, who drew up all the custom illustrations you might see on our site. we also summoned the expertise of the showit team, who was more than willing to answer all of our "how-the-heck-do-i-do-that" questions. and most valuable, we had the help of our colleagues: our fellow photographers. in fact, most of our wppi experience this past year, was actually spent in conversation with other photographers, and we couldn't be more thankful for our friends in this industry.

so, when it comes to making a killer website that tells the story you want to tell, i recommend a few things:

[1] first, get clear on WHO YOU ARE. what do you bring to the marketplace?
[2] find a solution that works for you. how easy is it to add content or make changes in the near future?
[3] invest in good people. what can you do to add value to someone else? chances are, they might return the favor.

and, because blogs are more fun with photos, here's a little something... about two weeks ago, we shot quyen & jon's wedding, and melinda [our good friend & artist] was in attendance with her husband & her barracuda. i couldn't help but snap something fun with melinda and her ride.

P.S. I WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT I AM NOT SPONSORED BY SHOWIT. I AM JUST A RAVING FAN :)

10 comments:

  1. Just in case you forget, you're the bombiezzie! :)
    And, really, could Melinda be any prettier?! She should be a part-time model!

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  2. It's awesome to read that the photographers i look to for inspiration use showit - thanks to all the good things i've read about it i've signed up for the free version and i must say I am in love with my site so far...it's amazing that it's being offered for free - it looks like a pro built it but it was just lil' ol' newbie x100 me :)

    i believe a strong web presence that really reflects your company/brand is SO important...hopefully i'll be able to upgrade in the future - we'll see how things go!

    :)

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  3. I have been hearing so many good things about Showit that I can't wait to get my site going with them. I love your site too btw!

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  4. YEP. Showit! Showit! Showit! :)

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  5. Thanks for the tips!!! I'm just about to launch into designing my Showit site, and I am PSYCHED!!! =D

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  6. Hey Gabriel! I so appreciate you guys and I'm glad to see you back over on the forum. You rock and your wisdom is definitely of huge value over there. Well.... everywhere, but you know what I mean. :)

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  7. Thanks for the advice! My husband and I are trying to find a design/ look that reflects us both personally and professionally....its hard work! lol.. your advice is greatly appreciated and I love your site--unique, creative, and personal. =)

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  9. Loooove the picture, love how you share with others, and I've been dying to know who did those flowers for the Quail Shoot on Samuel Lippke's blog, so thank you for the link on Melinda. You are all so talented!

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  10. Amen to that! The first thing out of our clients mouths is how they feel like they already know us... major kuddos to Showit!

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