Since hosting my own site wasn’t an option, I started a 14-day trial of Smugmug and Zenfolio. Both hosting options were similar in a lot of ways and I’d heard some good things about both services. I liked the fact that I could upload RAW files directly from Lightroom 3 and it was easy to set up special galleries for clients and the general public. I also liked that I could upload as many high resolution photos as I want, without having to worry about file size.

I set up some public and private galleries on both and test a lot of the features that both offered. It was a difficult decision and both were really good products. But in the end I chose Zenfolio. What set them apart was the fact that I could get rid of the Zenfolio branding a lot easier than at Smugmug. For the annual price you pay, I just thought it was only right that I would have the option to hide their branding. Sure, if you’re familiar with their web templates you’ll be able to tell it’s hosted by Zenfolio, but with Smugmug it would have been too obvious. And despite how much I liked Smugmug, that wasn’t something I couldn’t overlook.

So “The Gallery” at theojohnson.net is open and ready for business (I might also start selling prints soon). Let me know what you think and leave comments. If you’ve used any of these services, let me know what you think of them. And if you’re looking for a place to host your photos and choose Zenfolio, use my referral code DYM-CAB-HB4 to get a discount.

http://thegallery.theojohnson.net

It was the first time, I’d been able to attend a photo meetup. The class was made up of pros and enthusiasts, so it was cool to see some of the gear the pros were carrying around. After about an hour class, we started taking photos of a local area model. The weather was nice, but we had a slight overcast, so I really didn’t get to practice taking outdoor portraits in direct sunlight. It was good that we were able to practice right after the class, because the information was still fresh in our heads.

I used my Nikkor 50mm 1.8 and the Nikkor 55-200mm for the photos below. I shot in RAW which came in handy because the original version second photo was extremely overblown. I tried a couple of things to save it and came out with the high contrast black and white.

Overall, I have to say I’m pleased with the results. It gives me a little confidence to go out and find more people (other than my kids) to photograph. As time permits, I’ll definitely be going to other meetups and will post the photos here.