We need photographers who can spend time going through the application, looking for bugs and interface inconsistencies and then reporting them to our support team. We’re only going to allow a limited amount of test accounts for a short amount of time and it will be limited to Australian accounts only. It’s going to be a case of “first in, best dressed”.

This is for testing purposes only – your existing photomerchant account login details will not work as this is an all new system. You’re under no obligation to have a go at testing the new system. When the time comes we will be migrating existing PhotoMerchant  accounts over to the latest version. Your current website will not change and will continue to look and feel the same. We are opening up the test platform for anyone who’s interested in taking a peak at what’s going on and also help us find any last minute bugs and/or issues in the process.

Create a new account and become a Fotomerchant alpha tester (Suitable for all people who have never been an Alpha Tester previously)

Existing alpha testers can sign in using existing account credentials (Only applicable to previous Alpha Testers. Your existing PhotoMerchant account details will not work)

Known issues / special instructions

• Only available to new Australian Accounts
• PayPal integration is not complete – you will be able to test the new checkout process by using a simulated PayPal checkout experience
• Published websites are not complete and are therefore not ready for testing and feedback. You can publish your website and make changes to layout and formatting but the current formatting does not reflect the finished product.
• Packages are not complete
• Shopping cart (pop-up) is not complete

Testing Checklist

The main goal of these tests is for you to test the application interface; adding products, customising pages, uploading galleries, managing your library etc… You should only sign up to the Alpha testing if you meet the following criteria:

1. You have at least a couple of hours to dedicate to completing the 5 tests we have setup
2. You acknowledge that there will be bugs and you’re okay with that :)
3. You are on a Mac or PC with a minimum browser specification of IE 9+ or any of the latest iterations of Safari, Chrome and Firefox.
4. You promise not to reveal too much about the  new features you find in the application

PLEASE NOTE: All images and information added to any Alpha account will be deleted. Feel free to attempt to replicate a working website but be aware that everything in this alpha test will be deleted and will not be passed into the beta phase.

Alright let’s do this!

Ready to get started? New users can create a new testing account and existing alpha testers can sign in using your existing account credentials.

This page will now self destruct whenever we feel like closing the alpha testing in five… four… three…

We’re looking for current PhotoMerchant customers to volunteer their time to help test and shape the next version of our photography website and e-commerce publishing software. If you’d like to take a look under the hood and be a part of history, simply fill out the Alpha/Beta Testing Program Survey. We’ll let you know in the next week if you’ve been successful.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a tester do?

As a tester you will be asked to complete a series of specific tasks using the software in it’s current state of development (e.g. “Create a new gallery of images and make them available for sale on your website”). You will then attempt to complete the assigned task to the best of your ability and to provide us with feedback on any roadblocks you encountered, to share with us what didn’t make sense or to offer improvements that would make the process easier. Effectively, your role as tester is to find things that are broken and to help shape how the application can be easier to use.

When will the testing take place?

Alpha testing will commence between Monday 19th November 2012 and November 30th November 2012. Beta testing will commence in early December 2012 and will last for as long as is necessary to finalise the application for public release.

What will I need to do?

We will give you login details to a demonstration version of the new application as well as a list of the tasks you need to complete. You may also be required to install some local software that will allow us to watch how you are interacting with the website and to hear your vocal feedback as you work your way through the tasks. To be an effective tester all you will need is:

1. A modern web browser
2. internet access
3. lots of photos
4. the ability to set aside at least an hour at a time to try and complete each task

… and all of this can be done from the comfort of your home or studio. As an approved tester you will get access to the Private Alpha and Beta discussion on the PhotoMerchant Forum. You will be encouraged to share your stories and experiences with the other testers and to test each others websites out.

Do I need to be very technical?

To be a tester you don’t need to be very good with computers – in fact, it’s more useful to us to know how non-technical users interact with the application.

What does Private Alpha and Private Beta mean?

When software is developed, it usually goes through a couple of final rounds of testing before it gets released Public for general use.

The Private Alpha phase is usually quite buggy and contains incomplete functionality. Anything that is created or uploaded during this phase will likely be deleted. If you would like to be an Alpha tester, you will have an opportunity to make suggestions that could affect the final public release. You will need to be able to commit at least 10 hours of your time over the course of 10 days and be willing to share your experience via our private forum and alpha help desk.

The Private Beta phase is generally much closer to the final release of the software. Certain features and functionality may still be in development, but any content that is created or uploaded will be effectively “live” for you and your customers to experience. Because the software is in beta, there is a chance that functionality and features will change before the final public launch of the software. Part of becoming a “private beta” user means that you will get early access to the new functionality but there is a slight risk that you may encounter some issues along the way.

Once the software has been thoroughly tested and vetted, we will make the new version available to all existing PhotoMerchant customers. At present we have no fixed timeline for the launch of PhotoMerchant Version 2.0 and nor can we confirm the exact plans and features that will be available. Users who are successfully accepted into the Alpha and Beta programs will get an immediate insight into the available features.

Where do I apply to be a tester?

To apply to become a tester, head on over to the Alpha/Beta Testing Program Survey and answer ten simple questions. We are looking for a diverse mix of skills, technology and photographic disciplines so please do not be offended if you are not selected. The public release is just around the corner…

Have any more questions?

Join the conversation thread below or in the dedicated PMV2 forum and we will aim to answer your questions as best we can.

Wow.. here it comes again! It’s time to get your Christmas on folks!!
If you’re using Direct Fulfillment you may want to pass this information on to your customers to help manage the end of year rush..

Australian photographers

Nulab Professional Imaging will be closed from 5.30pm Friday 21/12/2011 and will re-open 8:30AM Wednesday 09/01/2012

The following dates are to be used a guide for ordering specific products. ORDERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 12pm (mid-day) ON THE DAY LISTED.

Wednesday – 12 DECEMBER

• Prints with frames
• Prints with mounting (non-acrylic)
• Canvas prints (that require stretching)

Thursday – 13 DECEMBER

• Metallic prints with acrylic mounting

Monday – 17 DECEMBER

• Last day for “Off Peak” despatch orders

Tuesday – 18 DECEMBER

• Metallic prints (unmounted)
• Canvas prints (without stretching)
• Last shipping day for NZ & Interstate orders

Thursday – 20 DECEMBER

• Last shipping day for Victorian orders

Friday – 21 DECEMBER

• 
Last shipping day for local Nulab courier

Wednesday – 09 JANUARY 2013

• 
Nulab re-opens at 8:30AM

Please note Nulab will continue to take your Direct Fulfillment orders during the Holiday Season. Orders will be printed on a first come – first serve basis once the lab re-opens.

US photographers

Burrell Colour Imaging will be delivering products throughout the holiday season with the same quick response that you’ve come to expect.

Burrell will however be closed on the following days this holiday season:

Thursday, November 22nd – Thanksgiving

Friday, December 21st – the lab will close at 4pm, Central Time and reopens on December 26th

Saturday, December 22nd – Closed

Sunday, December 23rd – Closed

Monday, December 24th – Christmas Eve, Closed

Tuesday, December 25th – Christmas Day, Closed

Saturday, December 29th – Closed

Sunday, December 30th- Closed

Monday, December 31st – New Years Eve, Closed

Tuedsay, January 1st – New Years Day, Closed

Burrel will be open all other business days in November and December to process and fulfill your orders as usual. Add extra delivery time for large prints and wraps.

So there it is folks.. make sure you plan ahead, get your Direct Fulfillment orders approved early and beat the rush!

Wishing you and yours all the best for the holidays!

The PhotoMerchant Crew.

Now available: new print, wraps, framed and mounted products

The wait is finally over and you can now start selling Fine Art, Canvas Prints, Wraps, Framed and Mounted products immediately through your PhotoMerchant website store thanks to Nulab Professional Imaging. Simply login to your account* and the new products are available for you to add to your existing Feature Sets and Pricing Models. Watch this quick video tutorialto see how you can add them to your existing Feature Sets and pricing models.

New print types

In addition to our existing Lustre and Metallic paper types, we’ve added some new paper types and sizes for you to sell directly to your customers with Direct Fulfilment. Please note that the Print options are not framed or mounted and will be shipped as is. Each print is guaranteed to last a lifetime. Fine Art Prints The image will be printed onto 100% – 210 gsm Cotton Rag Archival art paper which will give your image an old world warmth and a classic museum quality feel. A thicker more substantial and slightly textured paper combined with matte pigmented dyes is reminiscent of a watercolour painting. Canvas Prints The image will be printed onto a high quality, archival, deluxe grade canvas (cotton/polyester mix) which provides a more uniform printing surface with less imperfections. The final product will be dispatched “as is” without stretching of any kind, allowing you the flexibility to have the canvas mounted by your own local supplier. New panoramic sizesAt your request we’ve also added a slew of new panoramic sizes for prints and some of the new mounted and framed products. Ratio’s include 2:1, 3:1, 4:1 and 5:1.

Mounted products

	Craftwood Craftwood is a composite timber board more commonly known as MDF and is available in three thicknesses: 3mm, 5mm and 10mm. The image will be mounted to the smooth craftwood surface and will then be block mounted (edge to edge). The 10mm option comes with a hanger for instant use and is the edge is stained black. The 3mm and 5mm retain their natural MDF colour and do not come with a hangar.
	Foamboard The image is mounted to a premium light weight substrate consisting of a high density foam centre with a smooth durable exterior surface and is finished off with a smooth black malamine edging and a hanger for instant use. Foamboard’s come in 10mm and 20mm depths.
	Floating Face Acrylic The image is mounted directly on to a 6mm sheet of acrylic which is then backed with a permanent gloss white vinyl. Floating Face Acrylics come with an easy wall mounting system.
	Bolted Face Acrylic The image is mounted directly on to a 6mm sheet of acrylic, backed with a permanent gloss white vinyl and finished off with x4 tasteful brushed aluminium bolts (0.75″ / 20mm) on the outside edges of the acrylic. Bolted Face Acrylics come with an easy wall mounting system.

Wraps

The image will be printed onto a high quality, archival, deluxe grade canvas (cotton/polyester mix) which provides a more uniform printing surface with less imperfections.

	Gallery Wrap The canvas is then laminated and stretched around hard wood stretcher bars, ready to hang. The edges of the wrap are the outside 2 inches of image.
	Stretched Canvas The canvas is then laminated and stretched around hard wood stretcher bars and is read to hang. The edges of the wrap will consist of a thick white border.

Framed Products

Images will be mounted onto 3mm Craftwood board and are protected by a sheet of high quality perspex.

	Large flat mould (Black) Large matt black frame which is 62mm wide with a 13mm rebate.
	Small flat mould (Black) Small matt black frame which is 20mm wide with a deep 24mm rebate.
	Medium stained mould (Walnut) Medium sized stained walnut frame which is 42mm wide with a 13mm rebate.
	Medium flat mould (Walnut) Medium sized dark walnut frame which is 32mm wide with a 14mm rebate.
	Medium flat mould (White) Medium sized white frame which is 32mm wide with a 14mm rebate.
	Medium flat mould (Black) Medium sized black frame which is 32mm wide with a 14mm rebate.

Shipping costs

Most of these new products will require shipping via Toll International Couriers and the Australia Post option is not likely to be made available to your customers. Shipping costs are still calculated based on the size and weight of the product. The Foamboard option is extremely light and the Wraps of medium weight, whereas the acrylic, craftwood and frames products are quite heavy by comparison.

Tutorial: add these new products to your store

Watch the video tutorial to see how you can add these new products to your PhotoMerchant website. _{* Only available to Direct Fulfilment customers who are on the Plus+ or Premium plans.}

Have you seen other PhotoMerchant websites and wondered “How do I do that on my site?” Ever wanted to add a facebook graphic, embed a video, create a funky slider animation or a just add a dollop of awesomeness but are not sure how?

Join PhotoMerchant co-founder and resident design guy Kain Tietzel as he takes your live requests and shows you how to make your website look more awesome in real-time. Places are limited to 20 people per session so be sure to book early.

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/36y3y/rt/181532922495893913

Dates

United States – Tuesday June 26
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM // PST
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM // CST
9:00 PM – 10:00 PM // EST

Australia – Wednesday June 27
9:00 AM – 10AM // WA
10:30 AM – 10:30 AM // SA & NT
11:00 AM- 12:00 PM //  NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS & ACT

United States – Tuesday July 10
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM // PST
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM // CST
9:00 PM – 10:00 PM // EST

Australia – Wednesday July 11
9:00 AM – 10AM // WA
10:30 AM – 10:30 AM // SA & NT
11:00 AM- 12:00 PM //  NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS & ACT

United States – Tuesday July 17
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM // PST
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM // CST
9:00 PM – 10:00 PM // EST

Australia – Wednesday July 18
9:00 AM – 10AM // WA
10:30 AM – 10:30 AM // SA & NT
11:00 AM- 12:00 PM //  NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS & ACT

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/36y3y/rt/1815329224958939136

Hope to see you there!

Webinar video (archive)

The following video is of the webinar recorded on July 17, 2012.

]]>

We’ve not been mucking around I can assure you. It’s been a long time since we sent out an email newsletter or did some serious blogging, but that’s all about to change over the coming weeks – expect a maelstrom of news and updates. Here’s what we’ve been up to lately…

We’re multiplying!

Earlier in the year we were stoked to have the Gold Coast’s infamous DJ Paine join us as our Community Champion. You’d have seen DJ’s work at our meet up events, at the Australian Professional Photography Workshops, warming up our brand new forum, and updated facebook and twitter feeds with tasty bite-sized morsels of excellence.

More recently we’ve been able to grow our customer support team with the proud addition of two new support legends. Lisa joins us from Austria where she is helping to grow the reach of our timezone support and Mike joins us from beautiful, sunny Ohio. You’ll get to meet these guys on our live chat and responding to support tickets in our help desk.

Adding more two more shells into our programming shotgun are our new Lead Developer Gabs “The Gun” Moreira (Australia) and our specialist Black Ops Wildcard Mr Sammy Harnack from Nor Cal. These two guys are programming powerhouses and you’ll soon start to see some of the cool stuff they’ve been able to develop for Team PhotoMerchant.

To cap things off, our first lady of support Rhoda has just (literally) given birth to a beautiful baby boy. Welcome to the team little Mr X!

Major infrastructure changes

Over the past few months we’ve spent a lot of time re-factoring our code and cleaning up our database requests. What this means is that your public websites are now MUCH faster for your customers to view your portfolio and galleries. It also means that your experience inside the PhotoMerchant application would also be MUCH, MUCH faster than it has been before; particularly when viewing your orders or galleries.

Apart from a few isolated incidents, the image uploading process is FAR more reliable than it has been in the past. Part of the restructure has taken a massive load off of our servers which means your images are being processed faster and more reliably.

Bug fixes and improvements

To give you some idea, we’ve managed to make over 70+ enhancements and bug fixes the past 6 months. Most would have gone completely unseen, some of you may have felt a change in ‘the force’ and others can finally put that pick-axe down and get back to selling photos :) Some of the highlights are:

• Brand new forum (the old one sucked, come join the conversation)
• Improved image upload/image processing speed
• Improved application interface speed
• Improved speed of PayPal order confirmation processing
• Fixed a bug in the Dashboard Gallery Views statistics
• On your website: faster loading Portfolio and Galleries
• Reduced SPAM message in comments
• Improved the speed of Digital Download files (for customers)
• Fixed multiple customer emails for Digital Downloads

As ever, if you’re having any problems, please let us know via live chat or submit a support ticket and our team will get straight back to you.

Looking to the Future

As mentioned at the start of this post, we’ll be making some more feature announcements in the coming weeks, including some of those “big” things you’ve been asking after and an entirely new look on the world. Stay tuned for more…

PhotoMerchant: Tell me about yourself and your photography business.

Sharon Chapman: I’ve been photographing weddings for about 10 years, and have recently given up my full time job as a law clerk to focus on my business, Whole Package Photographics.

I also do horse racing photography, working for a trainer at Caulfield Race Course. I had a friend who owned a horse at Caulfield, and he suggested I come down to take some photos of trackwork in the morning, for something different for my portfolio. The trainer wanted a photographer to take photos to keep the owners updated on the horses’ progress and hired me as the stable photographer.

In 2011, I won the Quill Award for News Photograph of the Year, which has been great for giving my racing work exposure and credibility.

My business is split evenly between weddings and horse racing. I’m happy with the way things are balanced. The horse photography tends to be during the week, so I can do weddings on the weekends.

PM: Can you tell me about winning the Quill Award?

SC: I went to Warnambool last year and lucked into a media pass. A horse jumped a barrier and into the crowd, and even though there were seven photographers lined up next to each other, I was the only one who managed to get the shot.

Because I continued to shoot the aftermath, I didn’t immediately go through my photos to see what I had. It all happened really quickly. When I saw that I had the photo, my initial reaction was to think that everyone else would have it, but I spoke to a few photographers and they said nobody else had got the shot.

Then the media frenzy started. There was a bidding war between newspapers to run the photo on the front page. As part of negotiations, I made sure I retained rights to the photo. The Herald Sun ran the photo as did The Australian, New York Times, and Washington Post.

PM: How did it help your business?

SC: I got good exposure. The next day I had seven radio interviews, and I was interviewed on Channel Seven news. I think people liked the underdog story. I was a wedding photographer with no press experience who sat with the pros and got the shot that nobody else did.

The photo and attention gave me a lot of credibility. I could easily approach race clubs and sales companies and it no longer mattered I didn’t have 20 years’ experience in the horse racing industry.

PM: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about running a business?

SC: Organisation and managing the client’s expectations are very important, particularly when it comes to timing on the wedding day. I always do a pre-planning session with the client to manage expectations. It’s crucial to organising the wedding day.

PM: Why do you think your customers like working with you?

SC: I have a unique work ethic and will work extra time outside of what’s booked if necessary to get the best shots.

I also make sure that the couple has a lot of fun during the day. I try to keep it as candid as possible while still giving some direction. I get so many clients during the speeches thanking me for making their wedding such a fun day. That’s one of the elements I repeatedly get praised for.

I also try to turn around photos quickly and make sure I communicate with them through the whole process.

PM: What about your horse racing clients?

SC: The passion I have for horses comes through in my work. I’m happy to get up at four in the morning to go to track work and make sure they’re getting the photos straight away for the owners.

I also have a different viewpoint. My competitors have done horse racing photography their whole career, and might give some standard shots. I have a different style and look at it through fresh eyes.

PM: Is there anything you’ve changed about your business?

SC: Pricing. In the beginning I didn’t value my work enough, so I priced it quite low. I’ve realised as I’ve become better and more experienced that I should keep my prices in line with my experience.

PM: How do you manage your workflows?

SC: I used to have a full time job and do photography part time. I found it really difficult to do both. Last year I did 32 weddings, had a full time job, and spent four months away in America. It was crazy.

I’m constantly looking at new workflow systems that other photographers are using. I now use Lightroom rather than Photoshop which is very good for processing high volumes of photos. PhotoMerchant has also helped a huge amount because I’ve got a great gallery system that I can show clients for work.

PM: What do you do to stay competitive with other photographers in your market?

SC: I’ve created a niche with wedding photography by giving a disc to clients. As an extra service, I also allow client friends and families to access my PhotoMerchant galleries, so that for weddings with 300-400 guests, they can purchase prints without bothering the couple.

With horse racing, it’s quite complicated because you can’t sell individual photos because of licensing issues. I get my work from racing clubs who would hire me for the day to cover the whole event, including fashions on the field. My wedding experience helps because I’ve done a lot more people photography than the other photographers. Like I said before, with horse racing, I’m starting to get a name for myself because I try to come up with something new to keep people interested. I don’t just stand at the winning post to get the winning shot.

PM: If you could go back in time and give your younger self a piece of advice, what would it be?

SC: I wish I’d started photography 20 years ago. I bought my first camera 10 years ago. I was working in property law and a girl asked me to take her wedding photos. I happened to have the fanciest camera of all her friends, so I got the gig!

PM: Do you have any tips for new photographers?

SC: Always believe in yourself and don’t devalue your work because you don’t have the confidence. Those are the mistakes I’ve made in the past.

You never know what will happen. If a year ago someone had said to me I was going to take an award winning photo, I would have laughed. It’s about believing in yourself, because if you don’t believe in yourself, how are you going to get a client to believe in your work?

PM: What do you think is going to happen in photography in five year’s time?

SC: I’ve noticed I’m constantly challenged by the wannabe wedding photographer who’s done an afternoon class and think they’re a professional wedding photographer. They take a bit of the market away without being experienced.

I know that’s how I got into it, but I started out slowly, doing one wedding a year for a long time. I knew I needed to do courses and develop my portfolio before I could go full time.

PM: What do you do in your spare time?

SC: I do try to have a balance now. Since I left my job, I’ve realised that I don’t have to work every night. I can go see friends, go out to dinner and relax a bit. I like to have that balance because it gives me time to step back from my work for a while and come back with fresh eyes.

I try to mix my photo jobs with going interstate. It’s not really spare time, but I feel like it’s a bit of a holiday. I’m away from my normal computer so there’s only a limited amount of work I can do. I’m forced to relax!

Sharon Chapman runs Whole Package Photographics, a Melbourne-based wedding and horse racing photography business.

Some of you have been experiencing a range of problems inside the PhotoMerchant Application and a slow loading times on your website. Some of these issues have been going on for some time time, others are new and bizarre. Thank you to everyone who has submitted a problem to our help desk and helped us research the problem.

The problems you may have experienced are:

• Slow loading category based galleries (website)
• Sluggish performance during checkout (website)
• Long pauses when viewing the dashboard and customer orders (admin)
• Gallery Order page appearing blank (admin)
• And a few others…

Over the past two days we have performed a thorough “biopsy” on the PhotoMerchant application servers and database. The good news is, we now know what has been causing the problems and we know how to solve them. The bad news is that we will need to make iterative adjustments to our database which is likely to cause some periods of downtime over the coming week.

This will mean that your Website and the PhotoMerchant Admin Interface will be unavailable for brief periods of time – most less than half an hour, and at worse, up to two hours. We are planning these outages so that they will have minimal impact on your productivity.

The result of these outages should see dramatic speed improvements on your website and in the admin area. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

Stay tuned for updated to this blog post and the Help Desk for more.