LIFEOGRAPHY | Virginia Beach + Norfolk's Maternity, Newborn, Baby & Child photographer bio picture

First, you must know that I'm a lover of words and stories at heart. These days, I prefer to use a camera to share them.

My hope:

Is that my sessions are filled with lucky shots that are no accident;
That I am not merely an observer, but a narrator;
and a craftsman that is masterful at fostering conditions that allow for real moments to unfold.

Anyone with an eye for composition and light can document life as it happens. I firmly believe it takes something more to dig beneath the surface--to evolve into a photographer who is more than a picture taker, but a picture maker.

There is a moment of extraordinary that can be extracted from every 10 minutes of ordinary. Capturing it is not about point of view, equipment or framing. Instead, it stems from connection: connection to who the photographer is as an artist, and most importantly, connection to the people being photographed.

What does love look like? Exhilaration? Exasperation? How did she gently twist your hair around her fingers when she was three? And, what did it feel like the day you first held his tiny hands in yours?

I aspire for my photographs help to tell the stories. Theirs. Mine. Yours too...

-Stephanie Beaty, Photographer

Photographer’s Corner: Create a Password-Protected Client Information Site w/ Custom WordPress Login

02.18.10 Posted in For Photographers

This is the first installation of a series of posts targeted just for photographers. I often get questions via email and thought it may be useful to share some of the behind the scenes tips with my photographer friends + readers.

I recently created a new client info site via WordPress and wanted to password protect it. Even better, I wanted to brand the login page to match my identity. Here is the link:

www.lifeographer.com/clients

This is what the login looks like:

Only clients who are logged in can have access to the info. Start by downloading and installing this plugin:

1. Members Only: wordpress.org/extend/plugins/members-only/

Now login to your Admin Panel at www.yoursitename.com/wp-admin/

Step 1: Add a user – it can be a general username + password that you will give to all prospects. Do this in the WP-ADMIN section under the “users” menu. You can add more than one user if you’d like/need to.

Step 2: Go to the Settings>Members Only menu. This menu will appear AFTER you install the Members Only plugin. Check the box that says members Only. Then, select any other options you prefer:

Now your site is only accessible to users with a password.

But, your login is the default WordPress login.

To create a custom login download this plugin.

BM Custom Login: www.binarymoon.co.uk/projects/bm-custom-login/

You will have to read the instructions to create your custom graphic– they have a flickr group as well if you have q’s. It’s relatively simple, though, as a PSD template comes with the download.

Once you create your custom files, install and activate the plugin.

To further restrict guest access to any portion of your admin panel, you can install the Backend User Restrictor Plugin: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/backend-user-restrictor/

You’re all set…and private

by admin

8 comments

link to this post

email a friend

SonseriaJuly 28, 2010 - 8:25 pm

Thank you soo much for this awesome tutorial! I am trying to get my husbands website set up with a private login area for clients to view their photographs, and this is exactly what I was needing to know!

Thanks again!
Sonseria

kristiApril 5, 2010 - 8:18 am

thanks for this , Steph.

HollyMarch 8, 2010 - 9:57 pm

Thank you so much for posting this. I was literally just trying to figure out how to do this.

Sarah GoblotFebruary 24, 2010 - 3:21 pm

Thanks for the followup to my question.

Alisia KFebruary 22, 2010 - 6:05 pm

i would love to be a part of ‘photographer’s corner’. however i can’t figure out how to get a password. thanks!

adminFebruary 19, 2010 - 11:13 am

Thanks everyone. Glad its useful!
@Sarah – clients could technically share with friends — and that would be fine. My client info isn’t all that “secret.” I just like to make a connection before handing over all of the info. I will probably rotate the password several times a year though. You can also create multiple users if you’d like. It would be more cumbersome, but it’s another option.

Sarah GoblotFebruary 19, 2010 - 10:51 am

What a great idea! And I love how you customized it. I get so confused when I go to sites that require a wordpress login but it isn’t mine.

Quick question: how do you handle security? If you have a single login, do your clients share with their friends? Do you change the password on a regular basis?

Thanks so much!
Sarah

shawnFebruary 18, 2010 - 11:34 am

how sweet are you, steph? i already have one of these, but it would have been SO helpful to have a tutorial to get me started!!!

LIFEOGRAPHY | Virginia Beach + Norfolk's Maternity, Newborn, Baby & Child photographer

Photographer’s Corner: Create a Password-Protected Client Information Site w/ Custom WordPress Login