Yesterday I said:

I’ll be updating the help pages for creating an account and for creating a registry over the weekend.

Well, not only are those tutorials updated, I added one about how to order an image package.

I love getting new things, especially when those new things work really well, and they help others. The latest update to my shopping cart is such a thing.

I’ve been using a product called PhotoCart for a while now, and it’s been great. I’m very happy with it. A few weeks ago, I noticed that the developer was having an open beta test. I thought, why not?

So I installed one of the beta versions, and everything just worked flawlessly. I didn’t lose any galleries, accounts, settings, favorites or shopping carts. There were places where additional customizations could be done, so I tweaked a few things here and there.

The final version was released this week, and it’s been running fine on this site for a day or so now. If you haven’t checked out the cart in a while, I encourage you to do so. It’s got a whole different look and feel to it.

I’ll be updating the help pages for creating an account and for creating a registry over the weekend.

Note: I’ve been tinkering with this post for a little bit and finally decided to just post it. It was going to be a lot longer, but I shortened it up considerably.

I do a little bit of stock photography. A couple of months ago, I made the transition to being exclusive with just one agency — iStockPhoto. It was one of those things that I hemmed and hawed over for quite a while before making the final decision, but it has been sooo worth it. It’s one of those things that afterwards I find myself saying “Why didn’t I do that sooner?”

Here’s the link to my iStock page and this is a direct link to my gallery there.

Woo hoo! My new backdrop arrived yesterday–Sweet Apple by Silverlake. I’d been drooling over this backdrop for quite some time.

So, after getting the backdrop set up, my son Daniel volunteered to be my guinea pig. Yeah, I know his hair isn’t the best, but I had to get a shot of someone against this backdrop and he was willing to pose for me.

After Daniel helped me, I decided to see how well Shasta, our Siberian cat, would look against it…

Here, Daniel is helping out with one of Shasta’s toys:

So I’d been using a piece of cart / proofing software called EZ Photo Sales.  It did what it was supposed to do…be an easy to configure and provide clients with the ability to view their proofs in password protected galleries.

The trouble is that a couple of months ago, the developers decided that there were better directions to go, and EZPS became AbandonWare.  Yes, it got left out to dry…can’t you just hear the violins playing something in a minor chord?  There was also supposed to be an newer-faster-better cart coming out with all sorts of bells and whistles…but, alas, it was not to be.  <insert more minor-chord violin music>

So, off I went, evaluating proofing systems.  I decided to go with a very “feature rich” one called PhotoCart.  It’s got waaay more features than EZPS ever did…I can actually issue print credits, offer coupons, have discounts for early ordering, lots of goodies.  And it’s possible to actually specify options for your photos…like if you want a certain texture, lustre finish, or a particular mounting option.

If you had a gallery under the old system, and you don’t see it listed, either leave me a comment, or shoot me an email and I’ll get it moved over to the new system.

It’s time for a new blog, one that’s hosted on my own website and not on Blogspot.  Blogspot has been fine, but I’ve always wanted something where I can post larger images for my clients.  I think this blog ought to do.