Selling Photos: Choosing Photo Gallery Software

Most of us who are semi-serious about our photography have at least some ambition of selling our work in one form or another. I tried the micro-stocks (bad idea) for a couple of months and I also have some of my photos for sale as (non-micro) commercial and editorial stock photography at ShutterPoint and KeenImages. I've come to the realization that commercial stock photography is not for me. Some people do it well and make a great living off of it, but it just doesn't interest me. I would classify myself as more of artistic photographer rather than a commercial photographer. I'm not claiming to be an artist, I'm just saying I favor that side of the fence.

That said, I'm looking into putting up my own gallery site where I can offer prints of various sizes and paper qualities. I've already picked a print lab in the preliminary, I just need to try some test prints with them to make sure the quality is there. The lab is called myPhotopipe.com in case you're interested. I've already got my domain names rounded up and purchased (they point to my blog for now) — BrianAuer.com and AuerPhotoWorks.com. So my first question to you is:

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The last thing I need to do is actually put the gallery up on the web. I'm a programmer by hobby and I'm fluent in HTML, PHP, JavaScript, MySQL, and a few others. I could do it myself, but I don't feel like putting the time or energy into it right now. Besides, there are lots of reasonable options out there that would take me months and months (maybe years) to do myself.

I've narrowed my choices down to three possible software packages: Lightbox, KTools, and Pixaria. Again, my goal is to have a gallery where I could offer up prints, not digital copies. If somebody wants a digital copy for commercial or editorial purposes, they can contact me about it. I won't give my thoughts about each of these yet, because I'd like to know which one is your favorite pick. And don't just pick the most expensive one because it has every bell and whistle you can imagine. Be honest, which one would you actually buy with your real life budget? If you know of any others that you think are better than these three, add it as an answer.

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Photo of the Day…

The Graffiti Scooter

Photo by Brian Auer
03/05/07 Neuchatel, Switzerland
The Graffiti Scooter
Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D
Konica Minolta AF DT 18-200
135mm equiv * f/5.6 * 1/45s * ISO400