Hosting and selling photos?

[Scubanomad]

Any of you pros can / want to pass along some tips where you host your photos and how you sell them? I looked at Smugmug but its pretty pricey if you want to sell professionally $150 per year, would mean to sell a lot of photos.
I would assume that most people would buy them digital instead of a print? Or what is your experience? Or do you just host them yourself and have a paypal setup if someone asks?
I am in the dilemma if I either pass out a DVD after the dives and sell the DVD with photos / videos and take advantage of the heat of the moment or simply hand out a business card with my website and people go later though a link to Smugmug to select the ones they may want from that trip, but I may lose some customers that way.
Any tips some of you can share are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[PAFirefighter]

I've had a Smugmug for about 6 years. Pro account for 3 or so. I'm happy with it:
Rick Rotondo Photography - Silent Hill Centralia West Chester Exton PA Pennsylvania Photographer

Rarely, if ever, have their servers been down. Workflow is great. I really don't have any issues with them.

 

[Scubanomad]

Nice Gallery you have, but it strikes me you are a "Land photographer"
Like I said I'm not a professional photographer rather one that takes its hobby serious with some great keepers I like to sell if people ask for it. I don't know if the $150 would compute in selling just a few of my keepers
Thus I been asked by many people during dive trips can I have this or that photo, can you email me the photos of the trip.... some of you may have heard the story. I rather sell them than just give them away anymore for free, heck the equipment does not come cheap.

 

[57Writer]

Smug Mug has always worked well for us. One of the advantages is that it makes your images available worldwide. It is up to the photographer to market the page and get eyes on their photographs. Good luck! Here's Jill's gallery: JillHeinerth's Photos | SmugMug

 

[diversteve]

istockphoto is free for sellers. They don't pay very well though - 15% up to 45% if you sign exclusively with them.
You might make it up in volume as they're one of the largest in the world.

 

[alcina]

#1 - if you think $150/year is too much then you aren't selling your photos for enough.

IMHO you shouldn't be selling them for the 20 cents it costs to print them

either pass out a DVD after the dives and sell the DVD with photos / videos and take advantage of the heat of the moment

Even doing this at $20/$25 a pop (way cheap, but pretty standard minimum around the world from what I've gathered - "pros" with a company will often charge their guests double+ that amount) = 6 sold to pay for the SmugMug. Don't have to do just one way - gives people a choice, gets the impulse shoppers and gets the people just cruising or who think about it after they get home.

Don't expect to make millions

 

[PAFirefighter]

Nice Gallery you have, but it strikes me you are a "Land photographer"
Like I said I'm not a professional photographer rather one that takes its hobby serious with some great keepers I like to sell if people ask for it. I don't know if the $150 would compute in selling just a few of my keepers
Thus I been asked by many people during dive trips can I have this or that photo, can you email me the photos of the trip.... some of you may have heard the story. I rather sell them than just give them away anymore for free, heck the equipment does not come cheap.

That is true, I am a land photog. I'm new to diving (certified back in June) but will be taking as many photos as I can while diving - already have my setup ready to go to Bonaire this summer!

I think any photography would benefit from a Smugmug account, whether land, sea or both. The options you have with their pricing sheet is great. As was said, $150 is not bad at all for a year of hosting of basically unlimited storage, not to mention everything else Smugmug has to offer.

 

[Blackwood]

I also use Smugmug. It's expensive, but for me it's worth the cost for the service and ability to personalize.

I don't sell (use a Power level account).

With Pro, you can set your own prices and access a better print lab (bay photo).

And when you think about it, it's not really THAT expensive. 150 a year. Sure. I have >10GB on there, and as much bandwidth as I want. I used to use a hosting account. It was slow as hell when more than a handful of people were online, and couldn't come near to that price point.

Rarely, if ever, have their servers been down. Workflow is great. I really don't have any issues with them.

They use Amazon's S3 service; one of the biggest and most powerful commercially available.