On display…

Standard

I have been looking for a way to display/house my photographs for a while now, and although I like the ability to create a WordPress gallery right here on the blog, it wasn’t quite fitting my needs. So… I decided to create another web site to display my photographs. Choosing a domain name, organizing content, and choosing which photographs to include… I quickly learned that there’s lots to think about within this process.

I’ve always made photographs for my own pleasure, though I really do get a kick out of sharing them online with others. I enjoy the comments and conversation they generate, and just lately I’ve begun to have prints made. There’s something special about having an actual print in your hands… sort of like that tangible feeling you get when thumbing through a tattered old paperback versus reading digital text on an e-reader. I wanted to be able to have prints made right from within the web site interface, and I also wanted to be able to make them available for purchase. Would anyone even want to buy prints of my photographs? Who knows? This is a question I have wrestled with enormously, but after much angst and self-doubt, I finally decided to dip my toes in the water.

I love to spend time and photograph the landscape of Acadia, but I have also had the good fortune to travel a little bit and create some great memories from places beyond my favorite national park. I thought about including my own name in the domain… davidpattersonphotos or something like that, but I just didn’t like the sound of it. Anyhoo, I settled on http://www.acadiaandbeyond.com – I feel like it kinda captures where I’m at with my photography.

So… Acadia and Beyond it is… some of my favorite photographs. I’d love to know what you think about the design, organization of content, and choice of photographs on display… thanks.

32 thoughts on “On display…”

    • David Patterson

      Thanks Michael… I’ve wanted to organize my photographs in a meaningful way for a while now, and this presented the perfect opportunity.

  3. Your design for the website is very clean and echos your photographic style very well. My comment is that for your “Beyond Acadia” photos, though I recognize many of the locations, others may not. Perhaps you might consider a caption to identify the location of the photo or some sort of comment field of additional information. Just a thought. Cheers.

    • David Patterson

      Thanks for the kind words and for the feedback… much appreciated. I have captioned most of the Acadia photographs, but you are right… I need to caption (and keyword) everything else. Will get on it 🙂

  4. snowbirdpress

    David, I left a comment on one of the shots… don’t know if it registered or not… it seemed to have disappeared. But your black and white photography reveals an artistry that most certainly should be celebrated. Congratulations.

  7. The website is lovely and showcases your work perfectly. The photos of Ireland are breathtaking, by the way. I’ve never been to The Emerald Isle, but it’s on my bucklist. I think I’m going to have to move it to the front of the line. Best wishes with this new endeavor!

    • David Patterson

      Thanks Stephany… I’ve enjoyed your travels and photographs lately – now you just have to head across the pond. You won’t be disappointed.

  8. An impressive website. The name and logo work very well and the site showcases your work perfectly. Good to see plenty of options and price ranges for your prints. Marvellous work.

    • David Patterson

      Thanks Simon. My big debate was whether or not to offer smaller prints in sizes such as 5×7, 8×10 and even 11×14. Those sizes are pretty standard for off the shelf frames, but it would mean cropping each of my photographs. With this web site, I do have the ability to allow people to crop photos as they want, but it just didn’t seem like the right thing to do.

  9. Wow, David! That looks good, I love the design you have made (it’s not wordpress – did you create it yourself?!). And you know how much I love your photos – I’m SURE you will sell a LOT of them! Good luck!

    • David Patterson

      Thanks Truels. Though I used to do a little web design, for this site I decided to use a company called Zenfolio. Incredibly easy to use with no technical knowledge required. Lots of options for “themes” available, yet still highly customizable.

      • Zenfolio – incredibly easy = that’s something for me! – I must remember that name – sometimes I’m considering doing the same as you have done – when I get the time to do it 😉 ….

        • David Patterson

          Truels… Zenfolio is just one of many options out there. Smugmug is another that many people use and are very happy with.

    • David Patterson

      Rick… thanks. No software used for this, just a browser. My biggest challenge was in deciding which photographs to share (I currently have way too many on display), and how to best organize them. Lots of reasons for making the choice I did, but first and foremost I like the ability to customize: http://www.zenfolio.com/

  11. Finally got around to visiting your website. It looks really nice, and I wish you great success with selling some of your fabulous photos. I was really intrigued and delighted that the slideshow begins with some of your more recent b&w work!

  12. Congratulations, David. The site is beautiful and shows your own talents so nicely. I love the name you chose. I think it’s wonderful you’re offering to share your work with others. Lucky for them to have these photographs in their home!

    • David Patterson

      Thanks Robin… the notion of people wanting to purchase my photographs is one that I am still not accustomed to, but I have had enough encouragement to warrant giving it a try. Thanks as always for the support.

  13. Inspired and pretty

    David, I love your site, the design is great and it’s easy to navigate through it. Seeing all the thumbnails, it impresses me to see how beautiful your photos are and I’m going to look at each and every one of them. There are many photos I had never seen here. I’ll also share your site on my facebook page !

  14. David, your new web site looks great! I quickly recognized you were using Zenfolio, because I’ve used it also for the last few years. I’ve been pleased with how it looks, and it’s pretty easy to maintain. Keep up the great blog posts, I enjoy seeing your work!

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