Exposure Manager or Smugmug

[naeno]

I was wondering if anyone out there had any experience with Exposure Manager. I've read up on Smugmug as well. I'm very curious as to what other people's experience is with each of these companies.

Also, considering that I'm a very small photographer, and don't really see that changing anytime soon as all I want is a fun side business, I've noticed that Smugmug's payouts seem rather high for a small-timer ($500 before they will cut a check, unless you request it before then). I don't really want to wait 8 months (although I really hope that's an exaggeration) before I get my first check. Whereas, Exposure Manager's is only $25. Thoughts or experiences?

[private]

Hmmm, I just looked at their site and it seems interesting. I just wonder about the quality of their photos - I wonder if anyone has gotten something from them?

[private]

Where did you find EM for $25 - its $100 a year or 12.95 a month. Or an Art account for $64 a year...

[AnneWynne]

Originally Posted by private

Where did you find EM for $25 - its $100 a year or 12.95 a month. Or an Art account for $64 a year...

I think he was referring to payouts. EM pays out at $25, so you don't have to wait to get a larger payout from Smugmug or others.

(( I've noticed that Smugmug's payouts seem rather high for a small-timer ($500 before they will cut a check, unless you request it before then). I don't really want to wait 8 months (although I really hope that's an exaggeration) before I get my first check. Whereas, Exposure Manager's is only $25.))

I would also like to know what others' experieince has been with Exposure Manager.

Anne

[abn72ny]

I have a smugmug account and I've been quite pleased with their print quality. They use EZ Prints.

I had decided on them because of their ease of use, product quality and the amount of control they give to their customers. They also came highly recommended by friends of mine that are professionals.

I reviewed Exposure Manager, but found their marketing to be less straight foward than smugmugs.

Here is a concrete example: For a 8 x 10 Matte smugmug charges you 1.99 + shipping. With a Pro Account you get to decide what the cost to your customer would be. For example if you want to charge them 4.00 and pass the shipping cost straight through, your profit would be 2.01.

Exposure manager will charge you for the print - 8 x 10 Matte - 2.25 + shipping + 10% commission (.40 in this example), so your profit is 1.35.

Also, smugmug has a whole community of people that are very friendly and want to help you when you need it.

If you decide on smugmug, and send me a personal message, I can give you my email which will save you $5.

Good Luck in selling your photos, whatever you decide.

[Dizzle]

naeno here is my previous thread I posted about my SmugMug site: Feedback on site design please. Check out post #9 for a really nice discount code.

If you have any questions about SmugMug feel free to ask me.

Good luck!

[Loose_Canon]

I've been w/ ExposureManager for a year and a half. I like it - it works for me. It has more features and options than I need (vouchers, packages, etc.) I set the prices, pay cost of item and 10 percent commission; customer pays freight (postage). I get a check every month. Click the link in my sig to check it out.

[abn72ny]

Dizzle: 50% off!! Wow, where were you when I signed up?!

LOL

[naeno]

I'm still not sure which one to go with, but I'm leaning towards Smugmug. I started checking out Zenfolio as well. I read that Exposure Manager's printing wasn't as high quality as Smugmug's. If someone has experienced otherwise, I would love to hear it. Smugmug's customer service appears to be the best too. I sent a simple question to both Smugmug and Zenfolio. Smugmug replied within an hour, and Zenfolio replied about 6 hours later. Hmm. I also discovered that there really is a 50% off coupon for the first year from Smugmug, which would make it the least expensive up front for now.

My apologies for being confusing earlier. I was referring to the payout, not the yearly fee when discussing the $25.

[ZackOJones]

It really all depends on what you need. I started out with SmugMug and then switched to Exposure Manager due to keyword limitation on SmugMug. My issue was I photographed motorcycle races and on SmugMug I couldn't use "613" or "1" as the keyword (which would represent the number on the motorcycle). I never really got around to setting up all of my photos on Exposure Manager so I can't say how well the prints looked since I never had anything printed. Of the two services I liked Exposure Manager better.