Elegant solutions for hosting and displaying your work...

[rkm]

...while maintaining control of it (if that is possible)?

 

[Aristophanes]

Phanfare
SmugMug

...amongst others.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

DEsign your own site, or pay someone to do it for you. That is the ONLY way to maintain full control over your work without fear that some company is going to change its terms of service and steal the rights to your work.

 

[Rob-F]

Print it, frame it, and hang it on your wall.

 

[Dwig]

You've three choices:

1. What Chriscrawfordphoto said

2. What Rob-F said

3. Do both

For #1, there are a myriad of options. Get your own domain from a hosting site and post your own website. You can build galleries rather easily in Lightroom. Alternately, install WordPress on your site to get an easily maintained site and use one of the several gallery plugins and an appropriate theme. WordPress and most themes and plugins are free.

Both my blog and my small portfolio site are WordPress sites hosted on the same domain (read: one hosting charge). Both use the NextGEN gallery plugin for the various galleries and slide shows. I often post to my blog from Lightroom using the NextGEN plugin for Lightroom.

 

[back alley]

i like using a blog but without my words or any viewer comments, just images.

i tend to agree with cris about having one's own site but for some, like me, who don't sell work it can be overkill.

 

[jarski]

host in Flickr, present in Wordpress.

 

[shadowfox]

host in Flickr, present in Wordpress.

Or Tumblr.

If you want some challenges, go to Themeforest.com and pick a Wordpress theme that you like, find a reliable hosting provider, make your own website.

 

[Damaso]

Print it, frame it, and hang it on your wall.

Now there's an idea!

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Wear white gloves and serve some Assam tea and shortbread while at it

 

[msbarnes]

cargocollective

maybe?

http://cargocollective.com/michaelsergiobarnes

I just made one not too long ago. I wanted something clean, simple, and easy to use. A website would probably be better...keep in mind that i'm no photographer by profession.

 

[Dwig]

... and if you are bailing on Instagram and going with a self-hosted WordPress site consider this plugin:

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/dsgnwrks-instagram-importer/

 

[kxl]

i like using a blog but without my words or any viewer comments, just images.

i tend to agree with cris about having one's own site but for some, like me, who don't sell work it can be overkill.

Not necessarily - cost is just the domain name and the hosting, as long as you can set up a Wordpress blog (WP software is provided as part of most if not all hosting deals). I use GoDaddy for domain name registration and InmotionHosting for the hosting.

In fact what you describe is exactly what i have - my own domain -- home page looks and feel like a blog - I post my words (always accompanied by a photo) but turn off the comments, then I have menus for other things -- a photo gallery, writing, my charity work, etc... The header, with the menu, is consistent across all pages.

 

[batey_1020]

i eneded up going with zenfolio because i wanted it to be simple to start with and no fuss. After what Chris mentioned about changing rights and things i will have to consider what to do next year.

But what the second poster mentioned about printing and framing. Thats something im trying to do. Most of it is beig given to freinds and family as a gift but alteast i know people will see it.