Tell me about creating a website

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01-17-2009, 07:50 PM
kichu

Tell me about creating a website

For those who don't know, I am into photography and trying (at a snails pace it seems) to really learn about it and see how far I can go with it. Not sure if going pro is the ultimate goal, but anyway. Right now I just have a blog that I post photos to, and will probably update this weekend. It's sort of a half-hearted attempt at getting my stuff out there and getting some feedback to gauge if I even have any talent whatsoever. Anyway, this is it:

http://www.photoblog.com/Kichu/

SO. I've been hunting down photographers and checking out their websites, and although I am light years away from possessing the skill and talent that would necessitate my own website, it's an idea that's brewing in the back of my mind.

I have no idea where this photography thing is going. I do know that I obsessively fantasize about doing photo shoots and getting paid to take pictures would make me pee myself.

Based on that info, how easy would it be to set up a very minimal website? Where do you start? Where do you go? What do you do? What's the cost?

I figure if I start thinking about this now and have a website as a goal for say...6 months to a year from now, it would really help me to buckle down, learn to use my camera properly and really educate myself on photography.

Also, my roommate has some very, very, very minimal idea as to how to do this, so he would be the one setting it up. I would take info you give me and pass it on to him.

If anyone really knows their shit, I would love some help!

So who wants to hold my hand through this? :D

* I don't know why, but YNOT pops into my head as a possible source of info. I think I recall some kind of skills in this area? Maybe? *
01-17-2009, 07:55 PM
ThreeLetterSyndrom

Code:

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html> <head> <title>Kichu's Photography</title> </head> <body> <img src="{insert link to photo here}" alt="Image not available" /> <img src="{insert link to photo here}" alt="Image not available" /> <img src="{insert link to photo here}" alt="Image not available" /> <img src="{insert link to photo here}" alt="Image not available" /> </body> </html>

You can repeat the img tag for as long as you want. This is just an empty website with only photographs. I refer to http://www.w3schools.com/ That's where I learned to script html. You should learn a little photoshop too, maybe ;)
01-17-2009, 08:00 PM
kichu

Cool, thanks. I'll pass that on to the roommate cause I have no idea what the fuck you just said. :)

And yeah, we got photoshop a little while ago and that's another project I plan to tackle soon. Any suggestions for best places to go for tutorials?
01-17-2009, 08:21 PM
Adam

I can help you :) I have built a few sites in my time :)
01-17-2009, 08:27 PM
kichu

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam

I can help you :) I have built a few sites in my time :)

Cool! Thanks! I will come to you when I'm ready to get going. Thanks. :)

Can anyone tell me about the cost associated with this type of thing? Like, I have no clue. Seriously, you could tell me it costs 4 pennies or $3000 or a bag of cat hair and I would believe them all to be true.
01-17-2009, 08:42 PM
Ynot

Can I suggest you don't "go it alone" just yet
I think if you were to setup your own site, you wouldn't get much out of it

Instead, I highly suggest joining somewhere like DeviantArt
http://www.deviantart.com/

I think the "social networking" side of things would be really beneficial

DeviantArt is a huge online community of artists and graphic designers
Sign up and you'll get your own set of pages where you can upload your photos, people can comment on them, etc. etc.
It's even got an online store if you happen to want to offer products & services centred around your art

From Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deviantart

Quote:

DeviantArt aims to provide a place for any artist to exhibit and discuss works. Works are organized in a comprehensive category structure, including photography, digital art, traditional art, literature, Flash, filmmaking, and skins for applications, among others, along with extensive downloadable resources such as tutorials and stock photography.

I think you'd get a lot out of DeviantArt

Incidentally, a lot of the original, core members of DreamViews came from DeviantArt - Aquanina springs to mind

Also, there are a lot of companies out there that headhunt DeviantArt members for artistic projects
With 8 million members, it's a huge market for artistic talent
01-17-2009, 08:47 PM
kichu

Oh no, no. Like I said, I'm nowhere near close to being able to justify having my own website. I know that, I have no illusions about my photos. But I want to start working on getting to know what it involves. And even any info on how to create a website so I can pass on to my roommate so he can start learning would be great. He's a computer geek, so any computer talk stuff would be appreciated. We both need to start somewhere, right? I'm just planning ahead.

And I've actually checked out DeviantArt and have been meaning to sign up for a while. Thanks for the info on it though.

Do you think that is a more worthwhile place to post my stuff than on photoblog?
01-17-2009, 09:12 PM
Ynot

Quote:

Originally Posted by kichu

Do you think that is a more worthwhile place to post my stuff than on photoblog?

Yes, I do
cause if you ask, you'll get a ton of constructive advice from other members at deviantart
seriously, get in contact with Aquanina on mortalmist (there were a number of other DeviantArt members on DV as well, but I forget who) and ask her advice

Re: setting up your own site

you'll need:

1) A web hosting account
basically, renting disk space in a data centre

purchase a web hosting account and you'll get a generic web address
Eg. www.bobs-web-hosting.com/kichu

You will have a certain amount of disk space allocated to you (say, 1Gb)

You will have FULL control over your hosting account
(this is in contrast to places like DeviantArt where you have no control the technical aspects of your pages)

2) An actual site
The hosting account gives you a web-accessable place to put things, now you have to actually need things to put on it

You can write your own site, from scratch
or you can use a content management system

Which you go for is up to you
for static websites (websites that don't use server-side scripting, databases or other content generation), I'd write it by hand

For dynamic websites (sites that change regularly - Eg. this site), I'd go for some kind of CMS package

writing your own site is technical (especially if you opt for dynamic content, rather than static), and can be very time consuming - but you can do ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING

Content Management Systems are software packages that automate a lot of the donkey work involved in writing a dynamic website
DV, for example, uses a forum package called vBulletin - it's a pre-packaged set of server-side scripts that interact with a database, and produce a dynamic web forum

3) Domain name (optional)
Professional websites, even though they may be hosted by a 3rd party hosting company, rarely use the address provided with the account

www.bobs-web-hosting.com/andys-antiques/
isn't very catchy

instead, Andy will probably opt to purchase his own domain name
www.andys-antiques.com

You then set it up, so that andys-antiques.com points to his hosting account
01-17-2009, 09:14 PM
kichu

Wow, I was right about you! Thanks. Passing this on to the roommate immediately.

And I will hopefully create an account on DA this weekend.

You rock ynot! :bowdown:
01-17-2009, 10:02 PM
Kushna Mufeed

I'd recommend something like Dreamweaver for designing the site. It allows you to switch between a design and code mode so that you can lessen the amount of html you have to learn.

It's just a matter of getting your hands on it... >_>

You can find a number of free tutorials to teach you how to use it. I took the liberty of finding a few.

http://www.educationonlineforcompute...imated-Lessons

http://www.thesitewizard.com/getting...mweaver1.shtml

http://www.haverford.edu/acc/docs/so...er/welcome.htm

I haven't read through these myself, so I can't tell you how good they are or how deep they go, but I'd assume they're basic and enough to get you started. You can, however, search more extensively and maybe find a better tutorial.

Good luck.
01-17-2009, 10:07 PM
kichu

Ah, awesome. Thanks KF.

You guys rule. :)
01-17-2009, 10:18 PM
Kushna Mufeed

I'm Kushna Fumeed now?

You've been talking to sutts, haven't you?
01-17-2009, 10:20 PM
kichu

Ha. Oops.

That's your new name. Fumeed. Can't be undone.
01-17-2009, 10:22 PM
Kushna Mufeed

But, that's not useful at all.
01-17-2009, 10:24 PM
kichu

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kushna Mufeed

But, that's not useful at all.

Why not?
01-17-2009, 10:25 PM
Kushna Mufeed

Because 'Mufeed' means 'useful' in arabic.
01-17-2009, 10:29 PM
kichu

Oh. Fine. :(
01-17-2009, 10:30 PM
Kushna Mufeed

Just because I'm in a good mood (AKA high) I'll let you call me Fumeed if you wish.
01-17-2009, 10:31 PM
kichu

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kushna Mufeed

Just because I'm in a good mood (AKA high) I'll let you call me Fumeed if you wish.

OK!!!! :banana:

( i am so easily made happy it's pathetic)
01-17-2009, 10:33 PM
Kushna Mufeed

This thread has officially been derailed.

Out of curiousity, how'd your finger slip? M and F aren't that close.
01-17-2009, 10:38 PM
kichu

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kushna Mufeed

This thread has officially been derailed.

Out of curiousity, how'd your finger slip? M and F aren't that close.

That's ok, it's my thread and I'm cool with it. I can't seem to stay on any kind of topic today to save my life. Plus I got some good info already.

I think my brain skipped the M and the U in your name, and went straight to the F for some reason and so that's what I typed.

I iz dum.
01-17-2009, 10:42 PM
Kushna Mufeed

Or just absent-minded. S'okay. I am too. At least you're not dropping words out of your sentences.
01-17-2009, 10:44 PM
kichu

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kushna Mufeed

Or just absent-minded. S'okay. I am too. At least you're not dropping words out of your sentences.

Ah, I iz not that dum? yay!
01-17-2009, 10:46 PM
SomeDreamer

Actually I am currently on a web integrator course (web integrator = web design and mostly programming).

I just finished my final project this week (which I passed :D) so I can move onto the main course next week. If you care this is how my final product looks: http://www.mediegrafiker-ats.dk/web1a/rejser/kasper/

there's a bit of flash, HTML and CSS going on, everything graphical I designed in photoshop. You get the idea :) Its nothing much at all.. BUT, should you require any kind of help with anything programmering-related or the like I'd be happy to help + you already did get some good information.

But yeah, if you have any questions I'd be glad to help out too, always good to help others as it also helps yourself dive deeper into everything when getting questions asked.

But apart from the hosting costs, setting up a minimal website is really easy :)
01-17-2009, 10:49 PM
Kushna Mufeed

Despite the fact that I can't understand jack shit on that site, it looks pretty damned awesome.
01-17-2009, 10:49 PM
SomeDreamer

Quote:

Despite the fact that I can't understand jack shit on that site, it looks pretty damned awesome.

hah, its danish my man! :P
01-17-2009, 10:50 PM
kichu

Thanks SomeDreamer! Adding you to my list of contacts when I need help!
01-17-2009, 10:56 PM
SomeDreamer

Quote:

Thanks SomeDreamer! Adding you to my list of contacts when I need help!

Sure thing :) Feel free to ask any time ^^
01-18-2009, 12:55 AM
De-lousedInTheComatorium

It's already been said before, but DA is great for feedback. Really great, actually. When I had joined, I posted up some poetry and started getting feedback amost instantly. It's mostly because the site has a section where it shows the most recent deviations.
01-18-2009, 08:20 PM
kichu

Quote:

Originally Posted by De-lousedInTheComatorium

It's mostly because the site has a section where it shows the most recent deviations.

What do you mean? Like, when people add new stuff, or.....
01-18-2009, 10:36 PM
magical mike

I would get one of those free things
like
www.weebly.com
that make it like www.blah.weebly.com
then sign up at www.dot.tk, and get a free .tk domain name like www.magicalmike.tk
and have it show www.blah.weebly.com on www.magicalmike.tk
Thats what I am going to do
01-18-2009, 10:53 PM
Man of Steel

Tell your roommate to check out www.w3schools.com for starters. He's going to want to start with the basics of XHTML and CSS if he want to build sites. AListApart also has some great tips and tricks, as does SmashingMagazine and NetTuts. Have him check out some free web hosts like www.freehostia.com and host a few sites on various subjects. Experiment, play around. Even simple one-page sites like THIS can be a big help in learning how it all works.

I recommend he downloads a good source code editor with code syntax highlighting, it's a big help. Dreamweaver is useless for learning how to build sites, IMNSHO. Try PSPad, Notepad++ or Komodo Edit, in that order. HTML-Kit is good, too. Besides, Dreamweaver is expensive.

Costs incurred are going to be in the $100 range for a year's hosting and a couple years domain registration. That is the high end, but expect roughly $5 a month for reliable web hosting with enough bandwidth to support a photography portfolio. Typically domain registration runs about $10 a year through GoDaddy or the like.

Let me know if you need anything. I think you've got plenty of offers of help already, but since I'm doing something very similar to what you want to do, I'll offer my assistance as well. Photography rocks. I do get paid for it, but I'd like to get paid more. :D
01-18-2009, 11:01 PM
kichu

DUDE. Awesome. Thanks for all that, wow.

Link to your photography please? Are you a pro? I hate you if you say yes.
01-18-2009, 11:16 PM
Man of Steel

Sure thing. :wink:

Not really a pro, in the usual sense. I work for Pine Mountain Adventures, which is a team-building workshop and outdoor adventure company run by my neighbor. I run the website (HERE) and photograph group workshops and activities ehich you can see HERE. I also sell a bit of stock photography (a sample here if you're interested) on the side. I really need to get more up on more sites.

What camera do you use? I use the Nikon D40 myself.

I'm working on building myself a business site currently, which will offer stock photography and perhaps local shoots, as well as web design and coding services. I'm still overthinking the site design, though. :rolllaugh:
01-20-2009, 03:48 PM
Adam

1 Attachment(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SomeDreamer

Actually I am currently on a web integrator course (web integrator = web design and mostly programming).

I just finished my final project this week (which I passed :D) so I can move onto the main course next week. If you care this is how my final product looks: http://www.mediegrafiker-ats.dk/web1a/rejser/kasper/

there's a bit of flash, HTML and CSS going on, everything graphical I designed in photoshop. You get the idea :) Its nothing much at all.. BUT, should you require any kind of help with anything programmering-related or the like I'd be happy to help + you already did get some good information.

But yeah, if you have any questions I'd be glad to help out too, always good to help others as it also helps yourself dive deeper into everything when getting questions asked.

But apart from the hosting costs, setting up a minimal website is really easy :)

Mate your site is all messed up :? You set the background repeat and it is starting again on the right if that makes sense?
01-20-2009, 03:50 PM
Adam

p.s I have a couple of sites I did with galleries in action which you can check out. Easy to do with picasso from Google:

http://www.djadamash.com - My site

http://www.emylou.co.uk - A friends site I built (she might have ruined it by now lol)
01-20-2009, 04:10 PM
kichu

Hey, those aren't bad. Thanks Adam. :)
01-20-2009, 05:57 PM
SomeDreamer

@Adam,

What version of IE are you using? I've tested to make it work with the newest version of firefox and IE, and both works just fine.

IE7:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b201/catnerd/pic2.jpg

Firefox:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b201/catnerd/pic1.jpg
01-21-2009, 01:15 AM
Man of Steel

It's in IE6, download IETester if you don't already have it. ;)

Part of it is just the notorious IE6 PNG alpha handling. This should fix that. The rest would probably require a whole new stylesheet for IE6 to fix some of the weird errors.
01-21-2009, 08:31 PM
ThreeLetterSyndrom

Well, I've read a few posts, and I'd say that you'd best learn how to use photoshop. Then design a website, slice it (there's a tool for that, just google it) and export it. There's plenty of tutorials for that, and it isn't that hard to design a website once you get the basics.

If you'd pay somebody to do it for you, you can lose up to $300 or something around that. It's very expensive. It's cheaper to use freehostia, get a domain (either free or paid for) and build your own site.

Well, as long as you have a design, I can always code it for you, I don't have anything on my hands lately and need some exercise :P

EDIT: I had nothing on my hands, so I decided to do some design :P It needs pictures. One of you, for the header, and in the body the usual photographs.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...ivus/kichu.png

The "one | two | three" thingey is the menu, those things are links ;)

EDIT2: I just ripped a photo from your site :P
The layout needs more colour, though ;)
01-21-2009, 09:52 PM
kichu

You are rad dude. You guys are all amazing. Seriously. Feelin the love right now. :)

When I am ready to do this, and this is way down the road, I WILL be contacting y'all for help. Rest assured.
01-21-2009, 10:33 PM
SomeDreamer

I demand a constant flow of cookies while helping!

http://ihasahotdog.files.wordpress.c...y-pictures.jpg
01-21-2009, 10:55 PM
kichu

Done!

* that picture is TOO goddamn adorable *
01-21-2009, 11:44 PM
SomeDreamer

Quote:

Done!

yes!

Quote:

* that picture is TOO goddamn adorable *

hah, I know ^^ Pure awesomeness
01-22-2009, 02:49 PM
tommo

Go to RedBubble too. You can sell your art. The people print it off, take whatever that costs out of it, and you get the rest of the money. There's heaps of Competitions and stuff too, keeps you going and inspired.
Oh yeah, I agree with whoever said hold off on the website. You won't get any views until your famous lol. Or until you do mass advertising. Plus you need more content. The amount of times I've built a website, then realised I had no content.... lol
BTW your ISP should have free domain names for you?
01-22-2009, 05:15 PM
kichu

Gah, there are so many suggestions for places to put stuff up!! My head is swimming.

Well, before anything, I need to just work on the actually photography itself. I can plan all I want, if I have no talent....not gonna get very far!
01-22-2009, 11:04 PM
Man of Steel

Let me know if you need any photography resources, kichu. I have some good sites bookmarked, and I'm a member at some very good photography forums (that I never have time to visit). Adam can probably help even more than I could, he is damn good. As is Shift. Come to think of it, we have a lot of photographers here. :D

Also, nice design, TLS. :thumbup: