PhotoShelter manual customization
(and integration with WordPress)
PhotoShelter is a fantastic website solution for photographers, with industry-leading image management and selling features.
I'm a PhotoShelter certified consultant, so I know their service inside-out, and have used it to customize over 100 PhotoShelter websites.
PhotoShelter has two different template modes:
They have the modern Portfolio templates, which are a great solution for an all-in-one portfolio. PhotoShelter's templates are great looking, they're modern, and they're mobile-friendly, but they're more limited in terms of customization options (logo, colors, fonts, limited HTML code in page contents).
But they also have a classic template system which has a powerful "manual customization" mode. This is especially useful if you're looking to integrate your PhotoShelter archive with another platform (like WordPress or Squarespace) and you want them to look similar.
PhotoShelter template customization:
- modifying/tweaking existing PhotoShelter themes (portfolio templates & classic)
- designing a PhotoShelter portfolio from scratch
PhotoShelter classic template manual customization:
- designing and building a PhotoShelter portfolio from scratch
- seamlessly integrating PhotoShelter pages into your existing website
- integrating PhotoShelter with WordPress or other platforms
Other PhotoShelter integrations:
- adding advanced search forms (for your PS image archive) anywhere on your site, including advanced filters and options
- setting up PhotoShelter pricing profiles for your prints & products
- help with SEO (IPTC fields, title and meta tags, keywords, etc.), Analytics, Google Search Console
"I needed my PhotoShelter website to seamlessly match my portfolio website. He was great at communicating with me so he could understand what my vision was for this project and really did an outstanding job." - Greg Kahn
"Good eye, great attention to detail, he goes the extra mile and is just all around pleasant to work with. He can make all the bells and whistles in PhotoShelter work spectacularly." - Sue Lowery
WP + PhotoShelter integration examples
Frequently asked questions
Why use PhotoShelter's classic mode (with manual customization) instead of their new portfolio templates?
If you just want a portfolio and the ability to sell image-based products, PhotoShelter's responsive templates work and look great.
But you might need a WordPress + PhotoShelter hybrid solution if:
- you need a more powerful blog area (for which WP is great at)
- you want to sell other products (books, calendars, videos, workshops, downloads) which can't be handled by PhotoShelter
- you need other features (event calendar, booking system, etc.)
In those case, when your site is broken down into two (or more) distinct platforms, you should ideally design them as close as possible, to make them feel like they're part of the same site. For example, you want your visitors to feel "at home" when jumping from a blog post (WordPress) to one of your archive images (PhotoShelter), it should all feel similar.
Can I just use a (customized) PhotoShelter classic template without integrating with something else?
Sure, you can use PhotoShelter on its own, and just have me customize the design (using the manual customization mode) to suit your needs.
Please note that if the changes require adding custom graphics (logo, icons, etc.), you will need separate hosting for those files.
I do want a hybrid solution, but what if I don't have a website yet?
No worries, I can help you design and develop your new site from scratch. Check out my full web-design service first.
From experience, it's better to start building the main (non-PhotoShelter) area first, and once that's ready, I'll also building the matching PhotoShelter theme using manual customization mode. I'll basically custom-code the PhotoShelter area to match the rest of the site as closely as possible.
What aspects of my PhotoShelter site can you customize?
Master Templates for both public pages ("Lightboxes", "Shopping Cart", "Login", "Signup", "Account password reset") and customer pages ("My Account", "My Gallery Invitations", "My Purchases", "My Downloads")
Individual Page Templates ("Homepage", "Gallery List", "Gallery Collection Display", "Gallery Display", "Gallery Image Display", "About", "Advanced Search", "Contact form", "Portfolio", "Gallery Slideshow", "Search Results", "Search Results Image Display", 2 Custom Pages)
Navigation elements, logo, other graphics etc.
Do I require a payed PhotoShelter account?
For manual customization, yes. Since I'm one of their certified consultants, I can offer you special a 20% discount for any of their plans.