Resurrecting an old but popular Ocean City website.

A travel/business directory style site is being repurposed for local art and entertainment.

I am in the process of resurrecting an old travel/destination website, Visit Ocean City at www.OCtheBeach.com, that had a major server crash last year. I am also repurposing it to be an art and entertainment resource for the Ocean City area. We live two miles from Ocean City and do like the music/entertainment at many venues in the area. I will focus on our favorite entertainers and venues within the Beach Resort Area from OCMD to Bethany Beach and Rehoboth Beach because those are the ones with which we are most familiar.

The focus on Ocean City art will, of course, feature photography by me – and be billed/promoted as Bill Swartwout Photography and USPictures. For “Visit Ocean City” I have chosen to feature Pictorem as our POD (Print On Demand) fulfillment partner because they offer free ground shipping within the United States and Canada, where most of our site viewers reside. The produce high quality work and have a satisfaction guarantee. See the intro article here: Ocean City Art Gallery.

Bill Swartwout Photography Ocean City MD Header Image

For many years, OCtheBeach.com was a premier travel directory for the Ocean City area and provided information about local businesses and, of course, a way to book a hotel room. The original site was launched in Late May of 1999 and served for nearly two decades as one of the more popular Ocean City Websites. We were even a member of the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce for 11 years – until they started to directly compete in the hotel reservations market, which was our main source of revenue.

OCtheBeach.com is being “reborn” to coincide with its 23rd “birthday” and is, once again, providing value to Ocean City visitors. There are myriad other websites and (of course) Facebook sites and groups that extol the virtues of every place to dine, stay and play. Visit Ocean City will offer a slightly different “view” of the Beach Resort. We hope you, too, will find it useful.

A Pirate and an American Flag

Skull & Crossbones with Yacht Ensign on a Fence in Ocean City, MD.

This presents, for comparison, two nearly identical, outdoor still-life style photographs. The first has been edited with a gold-tone filter to give it more of an “old time” feel/appearance and the second is almost at captured by the camera.

Please feel free to leave a comment saying which one you prefer – and why. Thank you.

(Yes, the links do work to browse prints for sale at Fine Art America/Pixels Gallery. )

Skull and Crossbones with Yacht Ensign in a gold tone edit.
Pirate and American Flag (yacht ensign style) as photographed – no edit, other than cropping.

Link: Edited Photograph Prints

Link: Natural Photograph Prints

Can you identify the location in Ocean City, Maryland where this display can be seen in person? Hint: it is near a dune crossing.

Jigsaw Puzzles by Independent Artists

Photographs by Bill Swartwout are now available on Jigsaw Puzzles.

These premium jigsaw puzzles are available in two different sizes: 18″ x 24″ (500 pieces) and 20″ x 28″ (1,000 pieces).   Each puzzle is made from premium 0.200″ thick card stock and includes a custom-designed box containing the puzzle with artwork by Bill Swartwout Photography.

Jigsaw Puzzles by Bill Swartwout Photography
More than 700 Jigsaw Designs with images by Bill Swartwout Photography.
Representative Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces to Illustrate the High Quality of the Product

Challenge yourself and your brain with a jigsaw puzzle designed with imagery by Bill Swartwout Photography. These puzzles are made from premium 0.2″ thick paper stock and include a semi-gloss coating on the top surface to make the image really stand out. The puzzles are available in two different sizes and piece counts: 500 pieces at 24″x18″ and 1000 pieces at 28″x20″. The puzzle pieces are unique and contained in a sturdy puzzle box with the image printed on the top. Care instructions include keeping the puzzle in the box when you are not “puzzling” and store it at room temperature.

Jigsaw Puzzle of the Indian River Bridge at Twilight
Jigsaw Puzzle of a Crowded Beach at Ocean City, Maryland

These are produced and fulfilled by Fine Art America/Pixels and have a 30-day Satisfaction Guarantee. In addition to the 700+ offered by Bill Swartwout Photography there are over a million designs by created by other independent artists. CLICK HERE to get started.

Jigsaw Puzzle of French Fries Not Judging You
This puzzle design always evokes a laugh.