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Post by Accebera on Sept 19, 2009 16:44:49 GMT -5
We've all pretty much agreed on the other thread that a photographer needs a web site for self-promotion these days. But it doesn't matter if every photographer in the world has a web site if they all look like crap.
So what must a photographer have on his or her site for it to be successful? What things should he or she leave out?
What makes a site look good? What makes it look bad?
What are some of your pet peeves when it comes to these sites?
Which photographer's web site is your favorite? Why?
If you have your own web site: Did you design it yourself? What program(s) did you use? Did you get advice from anyone before you started?
What questions do you have about web site design?
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Post by Saknika on Sept 20, 2009 0:34:12 GMT -5
So what must a photographer have on his or her site for it to be successful? What things should he or she leave out? You're going to want a page to introduce yourself, a way to contact you, and at least one gallery of images. Most choose to separate out into specific types of imagery though. That is the absolute bare minimum. Personally, I have my home page with updates, a bio, a way to contact me, what services I offer, and my galleries. I do not, however, put most prices on my site. That way I can negotiate.
What makes a site look good? What makes it look bad? Organization will make it look good, as well as good colour schemes and keeping it uncluttered.
What are some of your pet peeves when it comes to these sites? Too much flash, not enough navigational options. I hate it when I enter a gallery, and the only way to get back to the home page to get to the contact page is to hit the back button. And the sites that do this have always been 100% flash for me.
If you have your own web site: Did you design it yourself? What program(s) did you use? Did you get advice from anyone before you started? I did design my own site. I hand-wrote the code in Dreamweaver, and basically used the program to check the coding. I also had a couple of friends proof it out in different web browsers to make sure it was compatible. Lightroom built the galleries for me though, and now I just edit them by hand as I export photos to add in. The only advice I have ever gotten was while I was in school, and from those who are online while I'm spending hours building that are willing to proof it for me as I go.
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firequall
Weekend Photographer
Canon shooter
Posts: 64
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Post by firequall on Sept 20, 2009 3:01:08 GMT -5
So what must a photographer have on his or her site for it to be successful? A strong portfolio that emphasizes who you are as a photographer. What things should he or she leave out?Background music. What makes a site look good?Clean, easy navigation and colours that compliment eachother. Firstly, I want to look at your images. Secondly, I want to know who you are and where you came from. Lastly, how can I contact you? What makes it look bad?Too much text, not enough pictures. In addition, using white text on black backgrounds. Unless the person has one hell of a strong portfolio, I'll typically leave a site once I find white text on black. If you absolutely must use white on black, make the text larger than normal so it's easier on the eyes and everything doesn't run together. Which photographer's web site is your favorite? Why?Donald Weber. It's clean, it's simple, and I see a powerful set of images without having to figure out where they are. If you have your own web site: Did you design it yourself? What program(s) did you use? Did you get advice from anyone before you started?I'm in the process of developing mine once I finalize my portfolio. I code most of it by hand, using either Dreamweaver or TextEdit. If you plan on launching your own, learn some basic HTML and CSS, maybe even some Javascript. Websites nowadays rely just as heavily on CSS for layout as they do with HTML/PHP/JS. And for the love of God, don't use some lame iWeb template.
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Post by comicIDIOT on Sept 21, 2009 15:30:49 GMT -5
I like this unimposed standard ;D So what must a photographer have on his or her site for it to be successful? What things should he or she leave out?Three things: Artists Bio, portfolios with artists statement and contact. What makes a site look good? What makes it look bad?A clean & simple site looks good. You don't want your portfolio to be over shadowed by a your twitter updates and/or blog entries. Use your domain (domain.com) as your portfolio. Use a sub-domain (sub.domain.com) for additional sites on your web site, such as your blog. Bad? Too much information. You don't want your blog entries on the side, ads or anything else. What are some of your pet peeves when it comes to these sites?An artists web site should first show their artwork, not their blog entries. I'm interested in their work and not their life. Which photographer's web site is your favorite? Why?Praire-Stuart Wolff. Why? Her site is simple, to the point and introduces you to her work right off the bat. The colour palate doesn't contradict with her current portfolios. If you have your own web site: Did you design it yourself? What program(s) did you use? Did you get advice from anyone before you started?I'm working on my own website. I'm mostly using basic text editors - such as notepad on Windows. But since Mac doesn't have a notepad equivelent I am currently using Dreamweaver in code view, previewing my work directly though Firefox & Safari instead of Dreamweaver. What questions do you have about web site design? What do people see in complex and complicated designs? Why have fifteen links at the top of your page when you can have three, four?
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firequall
Weekend Photographer
Canon shooter
Posts: 64
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Post by firequall on Sept 22, 2009 20:29:20 GMT -5
But since Mac doesn't have a notepad equivelent I am currently using Dreamweaver in code view, previewing my work directly though Firefox & Safari instead of Dreamweaver. Open up TextEdit, select Format>Make Plain Text and save files with the appropriate .htm/.html extension.
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Post by comicIDIOT on Sept 22, 2009 22:26:39 GMT -5
Oh yeah. I remember pointing a similar mark out to someone before on another forum. But instead I said to go to open and check off "Plain Text Document" or something. I totally forgot TextEdit had that function.
Thanks!
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Post by ayan555 on May 16, 2012 2:39:11 GMT -5
What are some of your pet peeves when it comes to these sites? Too much flash, not enough navigational options. I hate it when I enter a gallery, and the only way to get back to the home page to get to the contact page is to hit the back button. And the sites that do this have always been 100% flash for me.
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Post by sajid141 on Jun 6, 2012 2:22:38 GMT -5
I updated my operating system the day OS X 10.6 came out because Lightroom & CS3 were 64-bit and the new OS was 64-bit so I could handle larger files, have increased speed (not just due to 64-bit computing but from the various other speed improvements within 10.6) and hope to see CS5 utilize Grand Central Dispatch (GDC) which was created to allow developers to squeeze every drop of power out of the components of their Macs.
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