Client Access

ssimmonsphoto

How are you guys handling client access to images on your site? I used to have a HTML table that I coded with names and dates, sortable, etc. on my site. Then I move to using the featured events thing instead, but I'm frustrated with the lack of thumbnail showing since the galleries are passworded.

I like how Zenfolio does their access, but their lack of mobile friendly site made me cancel my account with them and opt to stick with SmugMug.

I'd love to see examples of how you are handling it.

While I'm at it, how are you organizing your galleries within your site? Right now I have weddings broken down by year and everything else by type. But I'm wondering if keeping everything in folders by year would be easier and just doing away with the events.

Foques

Zen is now mobile friendly; their mobile app also rocks

denisegoldberg

ssimmonsphoto wrote: »

How are you guys handling client access to images on your site?

Have you looked at the new client area on smug?

See http://news.smugmug.com/2015/05/01/new-feature-client-area/ and the dgrin thread New: Client Area.

--- Denise

ssimmonsphoto

Foques wrote: »

Zen is now mobile friendly; their mobile app also rocks

As of yesterday when I cancelled my Zen account, any custom pages are NOT mobile friendly. And their tech support said it was in the works, but could not commit to a when that was coming. Their support messages about it go back several years, so this isn't a new issue.

denisegoldberg wrote:

Have you looked at the new client area on smug?

See http://news.smugmug.com/2015/05/01/new-feature-client-area/ and the dgrin thread New: Client Area.

I have, but I don't think it's the best method for events like weddings. It would prevent any random guests/family from accessing the photos and ordering prints. Or at least that's how I see it.

Matthew Saville

I'm not sure I understand what we're talking about with regards to client access. I upload photos, and send them a link. But I think I'm missing a piece of the equation here...

=Matt=

jonh68

In regards to the galleries with Zenfolio they are mobile friendly.

To get away with having to give out passwords what I have done with zenfolio is to hide the group like wedding, family etc so only I can see that group. However, I make the galleries inside that group public. What this does is it keeps people from stumbling to the galleries by accident because the hidden group acts as a firewall. You have to have a direct link to the gallery which I provide. I have not had a customer complain and they like not having to remember passwords.

Qarik

I use smug mug. I create subcategories for each wedding..like "Getting ready", "Reception", "Best of", and "Ceremony".

ssimmonsphoto

Basically, I'm interested in how clients find their photos on your site. I like using the events option since they can then register and select favorites. But the featured events module is yucky unless every gallery in the event is public (and most of mine are passworded, which therefore doesn't display a photo in the featured event module).

I know I can send the couple the link to their event, and I do, but then that depends on them to send it along to their friends & family.

I'm half tempted to go back to not using events at all and doing everything as galleries. But then they wouldn't find all of their photos (engagement, wedding, family, etc.) in one place unless...

Qarik wrote: »

I use smug mug. I create subcategories for each wedding..like "Getting ready", "Reception", "Best of", and "Ceremony".

Is the category the couple's name? I could see that being a potential solution since I could then plunk all of their sessions, wedding, etc. into that category. Hmmm...

JessicaLittle

Here's my site. I always ask permission before I post a couples photos on my actual site. Everything else I keep offline, that includes Facebook. Think its the only way to respect people's privacy since I'm not that techy.

Matthew Saville

ssimmonsphoto wrote: »

Basically, I'm interested in how clients find their photos on your site. I like using the events option since they can then register and select favorites. But the featured events module is yucky unless every gallery in the event is public (and most of mine are passworded, which therefore doesn't display a photo in the featured event module).

I know I can send the couple the link to their event, and I do, but then that depends on them to send it along to their friends & family.

I'm half tempted to go back to not using events at all and doing everything as galleries. But then they wouldn't find all of their photos (engagement, wedding, family, etc.) in one place unless...



Is the category the couple's name? I could see that being a potential solution since I could then plunk all of their sessions, wedding, etc. into that category. Hmmm...

Yeah, I think with SmugMug it is possible to make a folder invisible, but the galleries within it visible once you link someone to that folder. So you could create a folder for each client, instead of having to create an event.

However, I think it's only a matter of time until SmugMug gets around to offering better organization for their Event system; right now the existing one-page, single-row list is just absurd to sift through once you get a few years into your career.

If they can implement a better organization structure on the back end, and a more public-friendly interface on the front end, that would be awesome.

Because I do agree, it is nice to be able to just pass out your business card to guests and have them look through your site to a "client area" where they can find the wedding date, input an easily guess-able password such as a family name or something, and then be able to browse all included galleries, order prints, etc...

ssimmonsphoto

Matthew Saville wrote: »

Because I do agree, it is nice to be able to just pass out your business card to guests and have them look through your site to a "client area" where they can find the wedding date, input an easily guess-able password such as a family name or something, and then be able to browse all included galleries, order prints, etc...

The majority of my print sales, what little there are, are from people who were not my actual client. So the event component right now is really handy, but it looks like crap if you have any of it secured with a password at all.