101 QUICK AND EASY SECRETS FOR USING YOUR DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS- P36 pps

Using BigHugeLabs to Publish Photo Posters, Jigsaw Puzzles,
Comicbook Captions, and More
If you’re not into having a general public audience for your photography, yet you want something
published to show your friends, then BigHugeLabs is the place to be (see Figure 10.8).
The site has generators for making the following with your images: motivator posters, magazine
covers, movie posters, David Hockney–like posters, mats, trading cards, wallpaper for computers,
Andy Warhol–like posters, and mosaic posters.
To make any of these creations, you just click on one of them on the homepage. For example,
when you click on Motivator, you’ll click on Browse for the file you want to upload from your
computer. (That’s all you have to do; there is no Upload button to push.) Then you click on the
listed options you want for your photo (cropping, orientation, border), choose the color of your
text, type in the text you want the poster to have, and then use a drop-down menu to select
the text style you want. Finally, you click on Create. Your poster will be shown in the next
window, where you’ll have options to Add to Cart, Edit, Start Over, Save, Upload to Flickr,
Share, Email, and Create High Res.
The site lets you save your new creation, but it
only saves it in low res (72 KB). To get a high-
res file of your image, you have to join the site.
(You’ll be prompted for what to do after you
click on Create High Res.) It costs $5 per week/
$10 per month/$25 per year to join, and you
get to make as many high-res images as you
want during that period of time. High-res is
only available for Calendar, Hockneyizer, Jigsaw,
Magazine Cover, Mosaic Maker, Motivator,
Movie Poster, Scout, and Warholizer features.
You do not have to join the site to buy a print
of an image you’ve made. Prices for prints are:
❈
8×10: $15
❈

11×14: $20
❈
16×20: $30
You can also have the jigsaw image made into
a jigsaw puzzle for $40.
Getting Published ■ 161
Figure 10.8 BigHugeLab motivator poster with
uploaded image.
CHAPTER 11
Promoting
Yourself
I
f you want people to know about your work, you have to let them know what you’ve
got. From making prints for your images and showing them to people on the ground,
to sifting through the Internet to find people interested in your photography, promoting
yourself will keep you busy. When you’re putting your work out there, you’ll have to
consider your budget. The most logical place to start is to build a website on one of the free
web-hosting sites. In this chapter, I’ll tell you how to build one that’s within your budget.
You’ll also get a look at the best photography websites out there to build a wish list of what
you want on your site as your budget allows. Remember, you don’t have to reinvent the
wheel when you are promoting yourself. Many people have done it well before, and with
the Internet, you can see what they’ve done.
Building a Website That Respects Your Budget
A website can be as simple as one page made with Weebly (refer to Chapter 3), or you can go
full steam ahead with a site where the content constantly changes—one filled with numerous
articles to help photographers shoot better pictures. (Take a look at bobatkins.com and also at
Figure 11.1.) It can also have a store for website visitors to purchase photos.
164 ■ Promoting Yourself
Figure 11.1 Building a website can be quick and easy.

There are basically three quick and easy ways you can go about building a website. The first
is to use a free website host, such as weebly.com. There are also other free web-hosting sites
at fortunecity.com and bravenet.com. The second method is to buy hosting and online web-
building tools at a site such as BetterPhoto.com. And the third is to have a professional make
a website for you. However, many professional webmasters require that you have them make all
the changes you want to your website, which can get expensive.
Here are three options for building a website that are easy on the budget.
❈
BetterPhoto.com. BetterPhoto offers two photography website options. The first is Deluxe
BetterPholio, and the second is Pro BetterPholio. Both offer uploading of unlimited photos.
Delux BetterPholios costs $199 for the first year and $169 per year afterwards. It includes a
domain name (a name you create for your site if that name is available) and has options for
making different designs. Pro BetterPholios cost $349 for the first year and $299 per year after.
It includes all of what Delux BetterPholios does and adds on blogs, analytics (site statistics),
and image sales. The site uses a PayPal interface for payment. See the upcoming “Selling
Images on Your Website or Blog Right Away with PayPal” sidebar.
❈
PhotographyWebmasters.com. Photography Webmasters sets its options by the number of
photos you upload. The prices range from $29.95 for 2,000 photos to $99.95 for 20,000
photos. They offer a wide range of web designs. It costs $100 to get your site customized and
$499 for them to create a ready-made website. You can make advanced slideshows, music
videos, QuickTime movies, flip-album shows, and more. The site includes the option to sell
your images.
❈
PhotoBiz.com. PhotoBiz.com sets its options by the number of photos you have uploaded.
All websites include image sales. The prices range from $15 for 200 photos to $100 for
12,000 photos. They also offer the following extra products for a one-time fee: online
proofing/ordering system for $125, Flash website template for $125, HTML website template
for $45, and client mini sites for $175. The site uses a PayPal interface for payment.
Promoting Yourself ■ 165

NOTE
If you’re into building your own website with software, there are many options. Some are
listed at www.digitalphotographywebsite.com/easywebsitebuilders.html.