The 2010 Winter Olympics are just over 10 months away, and construction projects continue to disfigure and disrupt this beautiful city as if Mothra and Godzilla had chosen to wage a street hockey battle in our little metropolis. But if you think that’s the actual subject of this article, you’re mistaken… and forgiven. I did, after all, become culpable for this deception when I chose to illustrate my words with photographs of downtown construction sites. It’s just that the real topic of this post — website construction — isn’t nearly as photogenic as all the cranes, backhoes, and mounds of rubble scattered about the city.
But website construction is, indeed, the topic of this article. And unlike Vancouver’s myriad building projects, mine didn’t inconvenience a million people for five years. More importantly, mine is now complete. Among the more mundane additions to the ULTRAsomething photography site are the inclusion of sample images in the gallery link, and the addition of an RSS feed (which appears in the bottom-right footer of each blog page).
More exciting — at least for those who feel compelled to part with a little pocket change between economic meltdowns — are the new e-commerce features. First, I am now making selected blog photos available for purchase. Customers in any country can purchase blog prints (or digital downloads) from my hosted gallery pages on Smugmug.com.
Second, I’ve created a new client site for my Canadian customers (ADDENDUM: This feature has been removed since the original publication of this article). This site has a completely different focus than the Smugmug-hosted galleries, and is designed specifically to allow local clients to proof images and buy event photos with Canadian currency. While the hosted gallery is still the best choice for viewing and purchasing public gallery photos, my northern neighbors now have the option of purchasing blog photos with Loonies and Toonies.
Finally, for those of you who enjoy these blogs and photos but have no need for prints or downloads, I’ve added a donation option.
Now if the City of Vancouver would just follow my lead and finish their construction projects. I’m dreaming of a day when, once again, I have sidewalks to stroll upon and roads to drive down. That daytime photo above? That’s Granville Street — Vancouver’s entertainment district, and our major north/south artery. Seriously. February 12, 2010 can not come soon enough.
©2009 grEGORy simpson
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