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1. jaylethbridgephotography
   Member
   Jul 15, 2009, 9:44 PM

   Hi everyone,
   I am new here and extremely new to WordPress.
   I have just signed up for a WordPress Blog and was wondering how I would go about creating a Blog/Website (3-4 pages max) of a photography portfolio.
   I do know some basic HTML/XHTML and CSS, though haven't done much in the past month and I do "not" know anything at all about MySQL, Apache, PHP, JQuery, Javascript and so on. Though I can "add" Javascript if required.Now, I know that I probably do not need all that with WordPress. I was just letting you know what I do and don't know.....just incase (though this is probably not needed, so why did I bother LOL).
   Anyhow, would there happen to be a theme that I could use for displaying photographs as thumbnails, but when clicked on, brings up a larger preview. Alternatively, could I add a lightbox script to my wordpress page, which will be the Gallery page?

   I would also like to ask (purely out of politeness), if it is OK to use a theme as a starter, but recode to add my own desired header image etc?. If not, I totally understand.

   Any help with my questions would be appreciated.
   Thanks for having me and for looking

   Jay

   The blog I need help with is jaysdigitalphotography.wordpress.com.

2. raincoaster
   Member
   Jul 15, 2009, 9:48 PM

   Well, we will need to see the blog you signed up for before answering. The answers depend on the blog, so give us a link to your blog, starting with http, even if there's nothing there yet.

3. jaylethbridgephotography
   Member
   Jul 15, 2009, 9:55 PM

   Here you go. I have used 1 from the themes that WordPress already offer for now, though this may change, depending whether I like what I see or not. Though, did you mean the very first "original" theme that was active once I signed in (before I change it myself).
   http://jaysdigitalphotography.wordpress.com/

   Hope this helps.

   Jay

4. raincoaster
   Member
   Jul 15, 2009, 10:14 PM

   Thanks, we just need to see the link in this case:

   Javascript is banned here for security reasons, you can't add plugins like Lightbox, and you cannot add external themes or invent your own. What you can do is add the paid CSS upgrade and start editing an existing theme: Sandbox is a blank slate and you can build from teh ground up there.

   There are workarounds for all kinds of goals, including a lightbox-like feature, so it's easiest for us to help you if you describe desired outcomes.

   http://sensicology.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/pop-up-picture-box-thingy-for-wordpress-blogs/

5. jaylethbridgephotography
   Member
   Jul 15, 2009, 10:32 PM

   Thanks raincoaster. Sure do appreciate your incite and help.
   At this time, I cannot afford a paid CSS upgrade (not being a tit-fisted git. That's just how it is at this time), but I really do appreciate you letting me know this.
   No worries too about the added extras. I want to make it as easy as possible anyhow, so if I cannot add Javascript and sucgh like, it really isn't an issue here. Thanks again.

   Basically, as it stands, it would be to just add the images as they are pretty much, as standard....correct? To just upload them as an image on the actual page? Again, not a problem. I was just curious (not having used WP before) if there were any other alternatives besides just uploading an image to the page.
   I guess I just have to ween my better photographs down a little and decide on which of the best qualities I want to add to the page LOL.
   Cheers for the help, advice and input my friend. Very much appreciated.

   Jay

6. raincoaster
   Member
   Jul 16, 2009, 12:37 AM

   There are, I think, 78 themes that allow custom header uploads, and you can filter your theme seach to find only those.

   To upload images to a page is easy, there's also a Gallery Option but I don't find it really does justice to the pix (displays a whack of thumbnails in each post, but thumbnails are too small to be enticing, I find).

   If you want to post one image per post and feature it well, you could use Monotone. It's designed for that, but you cannot use widgets and you cannot have more than one image per post. Test it out; it changes the colour of the entire blog to match the colour of the image in the post. I have a Monotone themed blog here: http://lolebrity.net but there are lots of ones being used by professional artists and photographers.

7. jaylethbridgephotography
   Member
   Jul 16, 2009, 12:23 PM

   Hey again raincoaster. Appreciate your staying with me on this one. Cheers my friend.

   I just want somewhere to show off a few of my better photographs and link the "portfolio" to other sites (some for sale as prints, wallart etc) so that people can view some of my works.
   Don't get me wrong.....I am not the best photographer, but I am not the worst either....I think LOL( maybe that is me being Bias HUH).
   I do have a 200mb webspace suppplied by my ISP, BUT......they don't allow such coding as apache, mysql, php etc (which is pretty much how the web standards are going at the moment. Please correct if I am wrong). This would mean that I am also limited at what I can and cannot do. Though, they do allow Javascript and such, which means I could add some form of Lightbox etc, but I am finding it hard discovering which would work best for me.
   I just thought that WP would be a better choice and thought that they would have better gallery themes and such like, but I was mistaken.
   If I could afford to, I would use a third party webspace provider with the necessary stuff needed to make a photo gallery and so forth. Know what I mean?
   I am no expert in the tech side of websites and such like, basic web site design I am ok with, but anything beyond HTML/XHTML and CSS is a no go for me.

   Thanks again for sharing your useful input and ideas with me.

   Jay

8. jaylethbridgephotography
   Member
   Jul 16, 2009, 12:25 PM

   BTW, forgot to mention. I added part of 1 of my photographs as the header. Not bad LOL
   http://jaysdigitalphotography.wordpress.com/

   Jay

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