Website noob can't make head or tail!

BeardedShooterUK

BeardedShooterUK

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Name
Dan
Edit My Images
Yes
Right, firstly, I will apologise in advance if I get any of this wrong, I'm a complete novice at websites and website building.
So, I bought my domain name through IONOS, based on the package they sold me telling me it would do what I needed.
My primary use for the website is to upload large amounts of images into a gallery, for people to be able to purchase.
I do road side motorcycle photography during the summer season, sometimes end up with 2,000+ images to upload and social media is just no good at all for this.
So I thought a website would be ideal, create a gallery, select all photos, click upload and come back later to find a full gallery ready for people to view.
But no!
I can only upload a maximum of 148, which I find a very random number in the first place, to any gallery.
They don't upload in any kind of order, it's totally random with no option from the back end or as a viewer to 'sort' in any way shape or form.
Someone has recommended I need an FTP, which I got, I uploaded 300 images (maximum it would do!) but have no clue where exactly they have gone.
I've watched countless YouTube videos on the subject but I'm still really really struggling.
Does anyone know of another website package that would offer exactly what I need and is just nice and simple to use please?
I am honestly getting very stressed out with it.
 
FWIW

Just some initial observations......

Did you explicitly tell IONOS about your number (up to 2000 or more) of images files you wish to upload per session?

I surmise you are thinking of separate galleries per date/location ?

Using an FTP program in use is no different to copying & pasting files on your computer but for the fact you are pasting (so to speak) into the folder (gallery) you select.. . i.e. you know where you have put them as appropriate. NB but ftp access requires knowledge of the website folder structure and how to "handle" it to avoid headaches such as you state......you uploaded them therefore you must know where via FTP that you put them???

Lastly, didn't IONOS include support in the package they sold you......plus as part of the package is it a preconfigured templated website just requiring you to populate it with your text and image file uploads. If there is/was no such support why not?

I wish you well with finding your way through but frankly there are a good number of TP members who know way more than me about this and would happily have answered your questions before you committed to the package you bought.

PS at the very least you now own your domain.
 
Box Brownie said:
FWIW

Just some initial observations......

Did you explicitly tell IONOS about your number (up to 2000 or more) of images files you wish to upload per session?

I surmise you are thinking of separate galleries per date/location ?

Using an FTP program in use is no different to copying & pasting files on your computer but for the fact you are pasting (so to speak) into the folder (gallery) you select.. . i.e. you know where you have put them as appropriate. NB but ftp access requires knowledge of the website folder structure and how to "handle" it to avoid headaches such as you state......you uploaded them therefore you must know where via FTP that you put them???

Lastly, didn't IONOS include support in the package they sold you......plus as part of the package is it a preconfigured templated website just requiring you to populate it with your text and image file uploads. If there is/was no such support why not?

I wish you well with finding your way through but frankly there are a good number of TP members who know way more than me about this and would happily have answered your questions before you committed to the package you bought.

PS at the very least you now own your domain.
Click to expand...

I wasn't necessarily specific with a number, merely because it does change, but I did use the word 'thousands'
Separate galleries for separates dates and locations yes.
In an ideal world, within those galleries I could potentially have sub-galleries for hourly slots, so if someone went by me at say 2.30pm, they don't have to search all the way through from 8am or 9am for example, they could simply look in the 2pm-3pm gallery.
I wasn't sure with the FTP, it was just suggested, I couldn't find a 'path' as to where they had gone, which I did find odd.
IONOS so far have offered to build the website for me, for the sum of £1,499 which I haven't agreed to and definitely won't be.
On the subject of asking before I bought, unfortunately I hadn't found this forum before that, so I'm a bit stuck with what I've got :(
Yep, I was surprised it was still available but yes I do own that now at least.
 
To be blunt, if you don't know how FTP works or understand the folder structure of a web server then I would guess you have no idea about developing an functioning ecommerce website.

You are probably better off setting up something with Squarespace.
 
On a side note re: domain names.

If you are trying to develop a brand identity there is likely some benefit (to avoid potential customers being misdirected?) to owning both the .com and the .co.uk TLDs

Also, there are now .photo and .photography domains.

Any such secondarily owned domains can be redirected quite simply the one you use as your primary one e.g. redirect the .co.uk one to the .com

Whether anyone feels the need to cover off possible searches confusion is a personal choice.
 
Dan, I'd echo the points above about Smugmug, Square Space etc, using a service that is explicitly designed to aid the sale of photography online, rather than creating your own solution from scratch is a no brainer. The cost per year alone is pennies for how much time and effort and learning, you would need to do imho. i personally use https://pixieset.com/ and sell my sport football/mx photography via that. It also comes with a Light Room plugin, so, if you use LR cataloguing facility for your motorcycle pictures/events you can simply select your images within LR and then publish. Pretty much 90% is automated once you have your pricing sorted.
 
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Thanks for all the replies, by all means be blunt, I got a little ahead of myself, without properly researching (although I did do some) and paid the price.

@andrewc - they don't seem too bothered about replying to those sorts of questions, more just trying to get me to pay £1,499 as previously stated to have the website set up for me.

@GeoffMoorePhotography - I've since been recommended to use Pixieset by a few people so my next step is to look into that as an option.
That being said I am now even more cautious about committing to some kind of package... Although Pixieset do have a trial offer on at the moment which I could just opt into and try to get to grips with it.

Again, appreciate everyone's replies, it's been quite mentally draining to feel I was getting somewhere and making progress then discover I'm worse off than when I started!
 
On a side note.....

I transferred the various domains I own all to Namesco. Why, well I once had my fingers burnt by inadvertently ending up with a domain being held to ransom i.e. they charged a release fee. I also had one bought through 123 and i didn't like their portal setup so transferred that free of charge.

The advantage with Namesco is that I only use them for holding & controlling my domains I don't use them for hosting.
 
FWIW I get updates from Pixsy and an email came in about this photo sharing site aimed at 'event' photographers.

I don't know how it would compare to any (better known?) other such sites and whether you can personalise it with your own URL address, hence FWIW ? Edit ~ it looks you can make the picdrop page look like yours https://www.picdrop.com/web/faq#web-forwarder


www.picdrop.com

picdrop - Best Photo Sharing Platform for Photographers

Image sharing has never been easier! Let your clients select, review, proof and download your photos through online galleries in seconds. Sign up for free!
www.picdrop.com www.picdrop.com
 
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