Host For Photo Site?

August 27, 2011 6:45 PM

Probably a perennial question, but stuff changes. I'm looking for recommendations for a host for a non-pro photo site. I've used Fiickr, SmugMug, and ZenFolio. I'm after a host that allows me to muck about with design, CSS and HTML, etc., but doesn't compel mr to admin servers or worry about installing security updates remotely. I can admin a server, but, you know, life's too short. Shared host is probably the best bet, but I'd look at renting a slice of a managed server. Basically, I just wanna build a site that looks like i want, upload photos, and be done with it.
posted by justcorbly to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

Maybe Photoshelter would do what you need? Its kind of expensive though, so I recently dropped it in favor of using 500px (which probably would not suit your needs, but is perfect for me).
posted by blaneyphoto at 7:09 PM on August 27, 2011

Try mee.nu. It's an upstart blogging platform, a bit like blogspot, but a lot less restrictive. You get full control over your CSS, for one thing.

The lowest level of membership is free. There's a cap on storage and on monthly bandwidth but it isn't very onerous. If you're willing to pay a nominal amount montly, there's no cap on storage or bandwidth.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 7:52 PM on August 27, 2011

DrupalGardens might fit. It's like Wordpress.com for Drupal. It's not a full control solution, but it's heavily customizable in terms of layout and CSS and generally pretty free in what it allows. There's a media gallery module that supports multiple galleries, lightboxing, etc., plus a slideshow banner. It's complex, so here are some tutorials.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 8:30 PM on August 27, 2011

Behance? I found it pretty awkward to muck about with, but YMMV - and the end result is certainly very polished.
posted by sophistrie at 8:58 AM on August 28, 2011

Take a look at pbase.com . I don't have an account there but have been sent there by professionals a couple of times recently. They have some of the customization features you crave.
posted by nogero at 9:52 AM on August 28, 2011