Upgrades to our Online Galleries

With every package/shoot, we include a private, password-protected, online gallery. This way, you can see your images faster, because we upload batches as they become available. You don't have to wait for all the images to get done or a CD/DVD to be mailed to you. Plus, you can order prints, view, download, share with others (some options depend upon the package you selected).

I did a great deal of research before we picked our current vendor, Zenfolio.com. They offered many of the features I wanted, BUT they continue to add more! This means that we can offer more and better features to our clients. Some of the latest enhancements:

1. Batch downloads. Nice! Now, you can download more than one image at a time - which can be a slow and painful process, I admit. Of course, downloading hundreds of images will take you days due to the large file size. We are on a very high speed connection, and it will still take 8-10 hours to upload 500 or so images. So, keep that in mind if you select the option to download all files.

2. Export to Flickr. This is more of a feature for the photographer (me), BUT it means I might be able to offer this service to clients. Need to noodle on it some more and check it out, but if there's a way to offer better service to my clients, I'll find it!

3. Share the love! Now your gallery will offer a "Share" feature. Cool new option! With one click, you can Tweet your gallery, post to Facebook, send in an email, etc.

Can't wait to see what new enhancements Zenfolio will announce next! Keep them coming - we love them!

Gone Shoppin'

Was out shopping for my almost 3-year-old's birthday and decided to stop into Best Buy for some new movies for him. Well, we wandered into the computer section, and I ended up with a few new toys!

I'm all about the latest gadgets - especially if they'll make my life easier, and I can deliver better quality in less time. I'm also all about having the right equipment. External hard drives are VERY important, because I would hate to think of what would happen if I ever lost any photos - eek! That thought gives me nightmares, chills and gray hair.

That's why I back up my images online at Zenfolio.com AND on an external hard drive. My current drive of choice is the Western Digital My Book. It's 1 TB (size matters!) and is a slick looking black device. Ever since we got the new Canon 5Ds with their 21 megapixel awesomeness, I've been filling up my current My Book rather quickly. It's down to 500 GBs!

So, I picked up a second 1 TB My Book, and I'm ready for the megabytes - bring them on!

In addition, I got a fancy new DVD writer. It is much faster than the one in my laptop and offers some additional features like LightScribe label printing. I am VERY interested in checking this out, because it means I can print on the CDs and DVDs - much better than marking them with my trusty Sharpie. Hey, it works, but it's just not the prettiest way to go.

As we add more fancy, cool gadgets to our arsenal, I'll report them here! Just one more way we are trying to offer the best service and options to our clients.

Zenfolio.com - Great Way to Present Photos

I have been using Zenfolio hosting service for organizing and presenting my photos online to clients. You can view my home page at http://gardnerphoto.zenfolio.com. Most of the collections are locked with a password, because they allow the downloading of full size images. Smaller versions of select photos are available to view at flickr.com/photos/gotbaby.

I think Zenfolio is a great service, and I recommend it to other photographers all the time! I tried other services, but Zenfolio meets all my needs, and my clients like it, too.

Some of the features Zenfolio offers are:
- Unlimited storage
- Elegant pages with a choice of layouts and theme designs. Clients can create a free account and make their own mini-albums, too!
- Highest quality presentation of photos online - variety of settings, so photos can be viewed, ordered, downloaded, etc.
- Easy to use intuitive interface
- Full screen Slideshow
- Links from auctions, blogs, and forums to seven different image sizes

Anyone can use my referral code Y96-Y3D-G5V during sign up to save $5.00 off their own subscription until August 14. Once subscribed, you'll get your own code, and if you get enough referrals, you may never need to pay for the service again.

Zenfolio offers a Free Trial account for two weeks so you can see if you like it.

http://www.zenfolio.com