First off, I’d like to apologize for being away from Two Photogs for so long. Danna has been busy preparing for speaking at the Beyond Just Images conference in Banff next weekend, and I’ve been busy working on my new site!
I worked with Big Folio which just happens to be THE best website company I have worked with. I had originally hired a custom website designer, and that experience didn’t really work out. It left me a little bit broke, and a little bit disappointed in myself, because I felt like I had no idea what I wanted. I erroneously thought that custom website designer meant they would come up with the design for you – but you need to have ideas and know what you like – and I just wasn’t there. Yet.
When I saw Big Folio’s Artist Series, I knew exactly what I wanted. I loved the flexibility of the design – it reminds me of the ProPhoto Blog template that I also love, just because there are so many ways to customize it to make your site unique. I was thrilled because it was *like* a custom site, but already done, and at template prices.
I’m not sure where to start with the love, so I will just dive right in. I’ve used other templates for my website throughout the years, and either the design was lacking, the backend was confusing or the customer service was absolutely scary. With a Big Folio site, it’s basically idiot-proof. It tells you how to size your images, how to upload them (right through the site – no ftp’ing necessary), how to arrange them in the galleries (drag and drop, hurrah!) and pretty much how to change every aspect of your site. If you do have problems with figuring something out, support tickets are answered crazy fast. I don’t think I ever waited more than a few hours for an answer. Seriously.
If you’ve used some other companies, you know how unheard of this is.
One of the things I was most wary of was the fact that you have to host with them to have a site. I was happy with my hosting (GoDaddy) but I have to say that I have been equally happy with my hosting at Big Folio. They are so willing to help – it’s fantastic to be able to ask someone how to do something, or even have them do it for you!
After working with a custom designer, I am also now very appreciative of how affordable website templates truly are. My site has video included, tons of galleries and pages – all which are separate costs when going custom. Those costs add up fast, and it makes it harder to truly have your “dream” site. I might someday again try custom, but I will be sticking with Big Folio when that time comes. It’s a great company with amazing ideas and fantastic people.
Those fantastic people are offering readers a discount code: BFSAVE50 will save you $50 on a new site! Their prices are super reasonable, but not super cheap (meaning not every new photographer on the block will have the same site as you – a big plus!)
So go take a look at my new site: www.freshsugar.com and tell me what you think! If you get yourself a Big Folio site, let us know – we would LOVE to see what you’ve done with it!
by Brandy
3 comments