Comments on: How to make money as a part time portrait photographer – Startup Series, Part 1 http://parttimephoto.com/how-to-make-money-as-a-part-time-portait-photographer-startup-series-part-1/ Helping amateur photographers make the transition to paid professionals. Fri, 18 May 2012 18:08:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Marketa http://parttimephoto.com/how-to-make-money-as-a-part-time-portait-photographer-startup-series-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-207 Marketa Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:03:36 +0000 http://parttimephoto.com/?p=35#comment-207 Thanks for the advice to use only what you can afford now. I know that I tend to feel like I need X before I can even take the next step. But reading through everything here I'm encouraged to just go for it and do what I can, as I can. I put together a blog/website using a free template from ourbloggertemplates.com loaded onto a free Blogger platform. I paid just $10 for my domain name and read up on enough html to customize and make it appear like it's a hosted site. (I also added code from Google analytics so I can track traffic to the site.) It's not fancy or flash-based but those sites tend to drive me crazy when they load slowly, anyway. Then I added sample photos to a Picasa web gallery and embedded the slideshow onto one of the pages. Again, not the most perfect way to showcase photos but will definitely work for a business-building phase when I'm not even sure how much I can or want to do. Also, I know you suggested GIMP and Picasa for editing - there's also Picnik online that has some interesting editing effects for free (or $25/year for more advanced features including dodge/burn, curves & levels, etc.) Browser based, it does run slowly at times but may still be something for folks to check out. For anyone who has Photoshop or Elements, you can download free Actions from Rita's CoffeeShop http://coffeeteaphotography.blogspot.com/ Hope this is helpful. Keep the advice coming! Thanks for the advice to use only what you can afford now. I know that I tend to feel like I need X before I can even take the next step. But reading through everything here I’m encouraged to just go for it and do what I can, as I can.

I put together a blog/website using a free template from ourbloggertemplates.com loaded onto a free Blogger platform. I paid just $10 for my domain name and read up on enough html to customize and make it appear like it’s a hosted site. (I also added code from Google analytics so I can track traffic to the site.) It’s not fancy or flash-based but those sites tend to drive me crazy when they load slowly, anyway. Then I added sample photos to a Picasa web gallery and embedded the slideshow onto one of the pages. Again, not the most perfect way to showcase photos but will definitely work for a business-building phase when I’m not even sure how much I can or want to do.

Also, I know you suggested GIMP and Picasa for editing – there’s also Picnik online that has some interesting editing effects for free (or $25/year for more advanced features including dodge/burn, curves & levels, etc.) Browser based, it does run slowly at times but may still be something for folks to check out. For anyone who has Photoshop or Elements, you can download free Actions from Rita’s CoffeeShop http://coffeeteaphotography.blogspot.com/

Hope this is helpful. Keep the advice coming!

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