How do you share your photos with friends, family, work colleagues, or the occasional stranger you meet in the field while photographing?
Some people use Facebook. Others use services like Flicker, Google+, SmugMug and the like. And while all of these work for image sharing, they’re not yours. What I mean is that while these sites can present your images, they can’t really present you.
And when using these sites, you’re tied into their terms of usage, which might even mean that they can use images that are posted to their service.

These are just a couple of reasons that I believe serious photographers should have their own photo website. Here are a few more.

To show off your images

This one is obvious. I don’t know why you need me to explain it to you.
How many times have you been talking with someone about your photography and they ask where they can see your images? Or perhaps your mom wants to brag about you. Make it easy for them. Get your own website. Do it for your mom.

Share your take on the world

Showing off images is one thing, sharing yourself is another. Much like how your photographs reflect how you view the world, your website can reflect your personality through your choice of design elements like site colors and fonts. You’ll have a lot more control over this if you own your own photo website.

As a travelogue

Do you like to tell stories about your photo adventures? A website that includes a blog as well as image galleries is just the ticket. And you might even have fun with it. An image of the month blog post feature is a great way to keep your creative juices flowing.
And if you’re the type who occasionally sends out update letters to family or friends (or end-of-the-year holiday letters sharing what you’ve done over the past year), the blog format is ideal for you.

Share your latest

Easily share your newest images with friends and family by creating a gallery where you can publish your newest images as they arrive. Just remember to keep it up to date. And by that I mean images you took two years ago are no longer new images.

If you take workshops, your own site is perfect for displaying images from individual workshops. And if you have a workshop leader who is generous, kind, honest, and handsome, he (or she) will often be willing to take a look at a few images on your site and give you feedback.

Sharing what you know

If you enjoy sharing what you know (maybe a special technique you’ve mastered), your own website is a great place to pass on your knowledge and help other photographers. Plus, the more you place good text-based content on your site the more likely you are to increase visitors. It’s a win-win.

For entering photo contests

A common option for entering contests (or even submitting images for publication) is to provide the judges/editors with a url to a lightbox (a fancy name for gallery). If submitting for publication, it looks more professional if this lightbox is on your own website.

Your site, your terms

No need to sign odious terms of service agreements that may allow others to use your pictures without your permission.

You have control over what is on your site

Many image sharing sites include advertisements or other distractions. If you own your own site you get to decide what’s on it. If you want to place affiliate ads, that’s your decision, not that of someone else.

A permanent home for your images (and you)

Your own photo website can act as a permanent home for people to find your images. Plus, when you purchase hosting you’ll also get email accounts. You can create a permanent email address that isn’t dependent on your internet service provider.
You can also place a contact form on your website so people can always get in touch.

Learning something new

Creating a photo website will give your brain something new to play with. And brains always like something new and shiny. And no, you don’t need to learn all the ins and outs of html, javascript, php, css, or any of that. Unless you want to.

Your site could be something as easy as a basic WordPress site with your blog and a few image galleries. This can be a lot easier than you imagine. That is if you imagine it to be akin to climbing Mt. Rainier in the winter. In a storm. Naked. A lot easier than that.

So there you go. Just a few decent reasons to have your very own photo website. In future posts I’ll cover the steps in getting your own domain name and hosting as well as some of the options for creating your site.