Name of your website?Stephanie Cantin Photography
Your name?
Stephanie Cantin
Your Location (city, etc)
Ottawa
Please give us a short summary of your website?
My website provides information on my portrait photography business. It includes my portfolio galleries, session information, pricing, as well as a way to contact me. :)
What inspired you to launch your own website?
A website is a powerful tool. I realized even before I started my photography business that a website would be the most effective way of providing my potential clients with a sense of who I am as an artist as well as the information they require to decide whether I am the right photographer for their family.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
My first website (www.stephaniecantin.ca) was launched in December of 2006, which coincided with the opening of my photography business.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
I think the answer here is fairly obvious. :) I wanted people to know what my site was about, and I wanted them to be able to find me as easily as possible.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
Every photographer has his or her own signature style. My work is representative of who I am as an artist and it is what sets my site apart from those of other photographers.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
My goal is to have my site grow and evolve as I, myself do the same as an artist. There is always something new to learn in my field and I hope to have my site reflect exactly who I am professionally at any point in time.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
My time and monetary investments have allowed me to reach out to people and create timeless, beautiful memories that will be cherished for generations to come. Is there any better success than that? As for the balance between the above - it certainly feels like the more time I have to dedicate to my work, the more success I enjoy.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
To me, simplicity is perfection. I think an unlimited budget for development would be lost on me because I don't feel I require anything too complicated site-wise - it simply would detract from the images I love to showcase.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Because my site is used mainly as a source of information for my business, there really is not much of a chance that it would grow to the point where I could no longer keep up with it. If I were to benefit from a sudden growth in my business, I would likely hire someone to take care of these demands.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
To date, there have not been any unexpected costs to run my site. I have, however, run into a couple of technical hiccups. Thankfully, I have been able to sort these out with the help of my web hosting provider.
What has been your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge has been trying to keep my site updated with my most recent work. My site will actually be undergoing a major makeover to help make it easier for me to do so.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Good old fashioned word of mouth. :)
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I'm not sure that I initially had too many expectations. It is my first site, so I had no previous experience with which I could compare.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
As stated previously, my site has been up since December of 2006. I have no immediate plans to leave the portrait photography business and as long as I am working, the site will remain active. I enjoy having a website and I love what I do. Even if (at some point) I decide to pursue a different path, I will likely keep the site active to display my images.
What is your website address?
Stephanie Cantin Photography
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