To rectify this, I’ve prepared two zip files for updates. Please download the correct file.

3.2 Two Columns – functions.php
3.3 One Column – functions.php

Instructions

1. Download file from above.
2. Unzip the file (functions-32.zip or functions-33.zip)
3. Login to blog via FTP.
4. Find theme folder (usually wp-content/themes/tofu-##)
5. Upload and replace the functions.php file

If you have any issues, email tofurious.staff@gmail.com and someone will have you sorted out.

Thanks,

Lawrence Chan

I initially avoided single column because

• it’s bandwidth intensive
• difficult to navigate with large images
• no call to action at the end

As a result, I inserted a number of new wicked features to help you market yourself better. Remember, it is full iPad, smart phone, mobile browser compatible as well. No flash needed, yet it’s still cool. Max image size: 930px. There are no parent-child nodes to maintain simplicity.

THEME DEMO | P.S. Limited time promo below

Menu

I chose to go with a large typography for clear navigation. I also minimized many functions to narrow choices. Ever heard of “paralysis by analysis?” It means that by having too many choices, users cannot decide, therefore won’t decide.

So rather than inhibiting viewers, let’s help them pick the right choices (the few that are available). Plus, it follows the viewers wherever they are for quick navigation.

Banner

No flash used so fully compatible with iPad and mobile phone browsers. The banners rotate out using javascript. And you can specify links to each image.

For example, if you have this unbelievably beautiful wedding you want to promote, you can link it directly from that image!

(limit 10)

Customizable Profile Section

In our creative industry, we differentiate ourselves through transparency and unique propositions. So let’s make that section available from the get-go. You can also customize it so that it will only appear in certain places.

Post Excerpts

Ever feel like a single column blog theme’s length is…forever? Well, worry no more.

• You can turn the excerpts on / off in dashboard
• Text is still there, so it does not jeopardize SEO efforts
• Users may also click “See Full Post” rather than expanding to avoid new learning curve
• Customizable excerpt images
• Improves ease of navigation

Call To Action

When brides land on your post and looks through all of the beautiful imagery, what is there to do at the end?

1. Comment on your post (unlikely)
2. Scroll all the way past your big images in hopes to find a contact button (maybe)
3. Leave the website (most likely)

So control their navigation by giving the next call to action. Each button is customizable with link and image.

Roll Out Tags

Some of you love your tags, but it doesn’t look too pretty when there is a whole slew of them. I added a roll out feature (also iPad and mobile browser compatible).

Post Separators

You can add your own image to separate posts. I suggest using png files so that it’s transparent.

Widgetized Sidebar Footer

There are four columns of where you may add widgets in the sidebar!

Customizable Backend Dashboard

For those who love coding it on your own, there is a free version you may download. For the rest of us who prefer not to get our hands dirty, there is an easy to use backend that you can drag, drop, click, upload…everything!

There’s much more than what I’m showing you here, but you get the idea.

Promotion

I will have an assistant distribute coupons for 25%, 50% and 100% off at random. Promotion ends on 2010-09-24 at 11:59pm PST.

Tweet This:
Lawrence Chan’s (@tofurious) new one column blog theme is out!! Check it out – http://bit.ly/cd4tNl

(make sure that you’re following me or else I can’t DM you code)

or Facebook This:
Lawrence Chan’s (@tofurious) new one column blog theme is out! Check it out – http://bit.ly/9qxedQ
(make sure to tag me with “@Lawrence Chan“)

…and I will DM or FB email you a discount code! Limit once a day, so don’t spam.

Buy Now

Free Version

For those who like to play with php and CSS, enjoy! I left the banner rotators because that part is more complicated.

 

Name:

Email:

We respect your email privacy

 

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

Whew long post done,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. Hope you all like it! And good luck with your businesses! Thank you for the support xo!

P.P.S. Many thanks to Israel from Avalanche Photography for help on the back-end.

The 1-column photographer blog theme is available here.

THEME DEMO

Smaller Images

After studying my Google Analytics, not everyone is like a photographer with 27″ or 30″ cinema displays. Actually, many are laptop sized. Plus, slightly smaller images allow for the sequence of images to flow like a story.

A very good example is a blog theme I designed a while ago for Jose Villa. And he’s still using it, so I’m assuming he likes what I did and more importantly it works for his business. Plus, it loads faster!

Menu

I chose to go with a large typography for clear navigation. I also minimized many functions to narrow choices. Ever heard of “paralysis by analysis”? It means by having too many choices, users cannot decide, therefore won’t decide.

Example – Whenever I dine out with Julie at restaurants with huge menus, I can never decide. I always tell Julie to pick for me as long as I get half of hers.

So rather than inhibiting viewers, let’s help them pick the right choices. Plus it follows the users wherever they are.

Banner

You can upload your own images and link them to specific portfolio posts or portfolio categories. Again, control your audience’s navigation. And it uses javascript, so it’s iPad and smartphone compatible! Limit: 10.

Sidebar

Fully-widgetized sidebar so you can add your own things. Plus, there is an area for your own profile to promote transparency.

Post Footers

After a viewer lands on your post and looks through all of your lovely images…what is there to do at the bottom? Either comment, scroll all the way back up to find a contact button… or leave. Usually it’s the last. So I added customizable links at the bottom. The marketing strategy behind this is called “call to action.”

Additionally, I know how tags and comments can clutter your portfolio, so I added a javascript expander to show/hide everything…booyah!

Much More

For more information like images of the admin control panel, you can visit here.

Promotions

Like all of my product inceptions, I always have some sweet incentives.

This is what you have to do, tweet or facebook post the following:

Tweet This:
Lawrence Chan’s (@tofurious) new blog theme is out! Check out why it rocks – http://bit.ly/dlHsGp

(make sure you’re following me or else I can’t DM)

or Facebook This:
Lawrence Chan’s (@tofurious) new blog theme is out! Check out why it rocks – http://bit.ly/dlHsGp
(make sure to tag me with “@Lawrence Chan“)

…and I will DM or FB email you a discount code for a random percent off from 25%-100%!! My assistant is generating the codes, so I have no clue what I’m distributing.

Deadline: Once a day! No spamming, just sharing.
Promotion ends 11:59pm June 26, 2010 (Saturday).

Free Version

Subscribe and you will be granted This one is for coder-friendly peeps so it doesn’t have the back-end except for the banner customizing part.

 

Name:

Email:

We respect your email privacy

 

Thank you for the support and hope you all like it,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. I actually test the marketing validity of these themes out for months before hand, which is why I sometimes have delays in releases. And since then, I successfully booked a number of clients for Caribbean based weddings…over the web. *pats self on back*

P.P.S. Many thanks to Israel from Avalanche Photography for help on the back-end.

subscribe | follow @tofurious

Okay, I am releasing version 2.1 of the same theme with many improvements. I am considering to create another (pro / amateur) photographer blog theme after this one catered more for pro business users. Nevertheless, the theme is completely editable and for you to use under Creative Commons rules.

The following are two previews of the new photography blog themes.

Soft Tofu 2.1 – FREE

Soft Tofu 2.2 – $30

Demo | More Details

After taking into consideration everyone’s suggestions, I planted myself down for an entire day and made significant changes to the original theme. In terms of the premium photography theme, the following changes were made.

Theme Updates

1. Centered logo
2. Fixed flash banner plugin
3. Added profile section
4. New Twitter plugin for realtime updates
5. Removed AJAX commenting
6. Social networks (can be updated without it going vertical)

Thank You

I want to thank everyone for their support. This blog theme was actually the first thing I ever offered on Tofurious and everyone still demands it. The goal was to offer a clean and simple theme that can be customized to fit your needs for free (or at an affordable rate). Thank you, seriously!

To demonstrate my appreciation, I am offering the first 500 downloads for $1! Your chances are pretty good if you are reading this post as I am posting it on a weekend (when everyone is getting ready to shoot weddings).

Instructions For Installation

UPDATE: Flash Banner Fix

subscribe | follow @tofurious

Cheers,

Lawrence

P.S. I love sashimi. My new favorite is albacore sashimi coupled with light soy sauce, fried garlic and jalapeno. The combination is a party in my mouth.

Subscribe | Twitter @tofurious

FREE – Contest Sign-Up Form

Subscribe and I will pick at random 20 individuals to win this WordPress plugin – FREE! Deadline: 05-22-09. Those on mailing list already must subscribe again for contest.

The software geniuses at Made By Simple finished a premium version of the slideshow plugin for WordPress. It is really simple to use! Just upload your images and add one line of code and voila! Just make sure to add the slideshow code in your HTML mode (not Visual).  Here is a sample slideshow below using the new WordPress plugin.

Sample Images From Cancun

[mbspremium slideshow=1]

WordPress Slideshow Plugin Screens

Slideshow Usage and Installation

You can configure the slideshow in so many ways – timing, background colors, speed, size, image order, menu alignment, etc. Plus, there is a free version to try! The premium wordpress flash slideshow plugin is $9.99.

Installation instructions – here

Usage instructions – here

Any questions, please use the contact form at Made By Simple lest I will harpoon you.

Cheers,

Lawrence

P.S. “It’s never too late to be what you want to be…live a life that you’re proud of…have the strength to start all over again” -Benjamin Button

If you want to be a photographer [or anything else], follow your passion and just do it. Life is too short to squander it away doing anything less than what you dream. It is also all right to have new dreams!

P.P.S. Photography is my fourth career. [Light] programming is my fifth. Before that I did investment banking at JP Morgan Chase, insurance at AIG, IT work for UCLA and cyber cafe businesses in Los Angeles and Atlantic City. I am fortunate to have found photography. I am happy and proud to be a wedding photographer.

I know that many have insisted I create a profile area for a pretty picture of yourself and an area to express your area of expertise. I made a simple one recently and would like to share. Unfortunately, I do not have time to make a video tutorial. Please follow the instructions carefully and copy every little line of code.

You are obviously encouraged to change it up to make it look prettier and to fit your personal flair!

This is how it can look like:

Steps to install profile area to blog:

Cheers,

Lawrence

SUBSCRIBE via emails
@tofurious – tweet me

ANNOUNCEMENT:

The plugin is done! Please visit here

My buddies at Made By Simple created a trial plug-in for WordPress. Here are the limitations:

1. limited images
2. limited sizes (small and large)
3. MBS tag

The future version will have unlimited images and there will be more sizes to pick from to fit your blog. This is an awesome addition because you do not have to individually add 80+ images or something anymore. Just add one line and it magically makes you a slideshow – can’t complain about that! 

By far, the coolest feature is FULL SCREEN! Imagine your brides or clients looking at their images as a screen saver.  This is definitely wicked – agree? Just make sure to upload larger sized images like 1600px wide and etc. It is based off a 3:2 ratio so standard 35mm cameras.

[mbspremium slideshow=1]

The images are from a recent trip I took to San Francisco where I photographed Aaron Dieppa’s engagement session with his spunky and beautiful fiance Barbara “soon to be” Dieppa.

We were very fortunate to have Gene Higa and Ann Hamilton come along with us! Just from watching the two of them shoot, I learned so much!

Anyway, you can get your own slideshow plugin from http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/made-by-simple-slideshow

Make sure to import the zipped file through WordPress’ dashboard and follow the instructions from the link above. You can also rearrange pictures by hitting the “gallery” tab after uploading. The premium version is coming out shortly per our last conversation.

I will be heading to a wedding in San Jose tomorrow and then to Vancouver, so I will be gone for over a week. I know you all will miss me dearly (I hope haha), so please do not email me questions about how to use the plug-in. Read the instructions!

I will, however, make tweets so follow me on twitter – @tofurious as you know I will post pictures about my dining experiences hehe!

Also, please please please subscribe because my list is a little small and it makes me glum.

Have a good weekend,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. Please retweet to spread word –
RT @tofurious check out this awesome WP slideshow plugin! http://bit.ly/XFXsD

P.P.S. Got suggestions? Twitter / email me!

Please visit http://www.tofurious.com/professional-photography-blog-theme/ for an updated version!

Before your clients get to speak to you and get to know you, entice them with all of your current events. Post them through your blog and display them as big as possible.

Soft Tofu Blog Theme

Editable and Customizable Blog Theme for Professional Photographers

“Soft Tofu” is an extremely popular blog theme because it is

• FREE to download
• Compliant with Internet Explorer 6 / 7, Firefox 2 / 3, Opera and etc.
• Clean and simple to use
• Powered by WordPress
• Optimized for Search Engine Optimization – and I am really good at that

Without further ado, I present to you Soft Tofu 2nd Edition

Please visit http://www.tofurious.com/professional-photography-blog-theme/ for an updated version!

“WordPress is a state-of-the-art publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.”

Simply put, WordPress is (in my opinion) the ultimate customizable blogging software. The layout was inspired by many wedding photographers who use the single column blog theme that hosts wide pictures.

Soft Tofu WordPress Blog Theme

Super simple and clean wordpress blog theme to host large pictures. All single column and catered for wedding photographers and other professional photographers [or not]. Comes in three versions (see below for details).