Pimp your photo website!

[jezzyjj 10]

Working great in IE is not good enough as a lot of people do not use it. It doesn't matter if you don't rate FF/Safari/Opera, but as others do, you should still design a website that works in all of them and please do not take umbrage if someone helpfully points out it's broken in FF.

[office 10]

Working great in IE is not good enough as a lot of people do not use it. It doesn't matter if you don't rate FF/Safari/Opera, but as others do, you should still design a website that works in all of them and please do not take umbrage if someone helpfully points out it's broken in FF.

 

Anyway what did you think of the site as a whole first time not bad at all and you'll probably find 80% use IE. But as I say the post was about the whole website not just the browsers and title text. At the end of the day I'm more than happy with it. As for firefox that can easily be sorted out.

I didin't realise people were so passionate about their browsers it's all about experience though. The next site will be up for comment very soon hopefully not too many slips next time. Look forwardd to your views.

[jezzyjj 10]

As browsers are an integral part of the viewing experience, when you are talking about websites,then you must talk about them too. And if 1/5th don't use IE [plus the fact that different versions of IE also work differently], that's a lot of people who may have problems if you only consider whichever version of IE you have on your machine.

Personally, I only use IE or FF to check sites as they are too clumsy and way inferior in so many ways to the browser I normally use [Opera]. Never understood the fuss about FF, it's like raving about Win 3.1/OS 6 when Win XP/OSX is already available.

 

As you asked for thoughts on for your site design itself.

There's a lot of dead space above the logo which is way too big, which means on my laptop I have to needlessly scroll down to see rest of page, which should easily fit within the space available. The Terms/Contact/Site map are also unnnecessarily repeated at top of page which again takes up valuble vertical height.

The layout doesn't work properly in Opera and I, like many others simply wouldn't bother using IE to see a site that's broken, unless I had to. Navigation is also a bit flaky in Safari, with prices on a second line.

On the subject of navigation, there are no visual clues as to which page you are on by looking at the navigation itself, which is the normal and easy way to orientate oneself.

I'll just comment on one page in depth, the slideshow page as that's open in front of me - too much repitition of very little info and the fact that there is a separate slideshow page is not obvious [and which also displays quite differently to rest of site - not good]. The slideshow on initial example page is ugly, confusing, takes up more space than necessary and is a bit odd in use. The example page you have to click to, would be better as the only example page - if it was made consistent with rest of site. Though popups you have to close to see next image are very annoying to use, there's a tweaked version of that method [ http://www.huddletogether.com/projects/lightbox2/ ]which allows you to go back and fore through the images and is much nicer in use.

 

The gold/embossed font looks odd next to the black stroked font beneath it and generally the site looks and feels very 90s and assumes the customer had not used a website before.

 

 

I understand it may be your first site, but doing good web design, with clear navigation, that is consistent across browsers/OSs is anything but easy, it's something I used to do full time. But now with doing photography + design more, I simply do not have time to keep up with all the browser fudges one needs to learn. So I'll have someone else do my coding in future.

As for coding - you have CSS in your page header and then specify things like bold text individually, that's not how to use CSS efficiently.

And on your prices page you use frames, ugh!

 

Generally on the site, I'd recomend less text and more examples of work, with a brief caption, to better show what you do. If people ask me about my photography, I show them pictures, I don't waste time descibing what I do, so I always have examples with me.

[KelseyKaotic 10]

I'm only at ameteur level but feedback would be great, my photography myspace: http://www.myspace.com/kelseykaoticphotography

 

and deviantart: http://www.dutchess-of-feshu.deviantart.com/

 

 

little word to the wise - when I was in college we were told of which sites we could use to host our photography, if anyone uses facebook for it, it just violates your copyright and they technically own any image you put on that site.

[office 10]

Jezyjj

 

Thanks very much for your comments along with inps comments I will surely

make good use of them, I do tend to use lots of white around what I do just

so the look is easy on the eye and I do tend to explain things indepth a little purely because I'm interested in what I do and I do design well and code accordingly.

 

But yes valued comments I will use, if there are any other aspects of the site you can help me with then yes send them to me.

 

Cheers:thumbsup:

[jezzyjj 10]

I do tend to use lots of white around what I do just so the look is easy on the eye

If you are talking white space, then it's used inapproriately on your site with regard to window placement and is lacking on your first page with regard to text and images within the window itself as there is none to speak of with the text being very cramped and in places not even readable as a result. Some padding would help.

 

 

and I do tend to explain things indepth a little purely because I'm interested in what I do

But it's what your customers are interested in or will work best for them that is actually important. I don't bother talking about what software or cameras I use, I simply show some nice pics. A photo/imaging site that has more text than images simply misses the mark.

[jezzyjj 10]

I'm only at ameteur level but feedback would be great, my photography myspace: http://www.myspace.com/kelseykaoticphotography

 

and deviantart: http://www.dutchess-of-feshu.deviantart.com/

 

 

little word to the wise - when I was in college we were told of which sites we could use to host our photography, if anyone uses facebook for it, it just violates your copyright and they technically own any image you put on that site.

And if you want to be serious about showing your work, using MySpace/Deviant Art is not good as having your own site. They may be good for networking or seeing peers work maybe, but it's much better to have your own website with your own identity if you want to go beyond amateur status.

 

There's a discussion here on Lightstalkers [pro photographers group] about Facebook

http://www.lightstalkers.org/copyright-grab-by-facebook-

[office 10]

If you are talking white space, then it's used inapproriately on your site with regard to window placement and is lacking on your first page with regard to text and images within the window itself as there is none to speak of with the text being very cramped and in places not even readable as a result. Some padding would help.

 

But it's what your customers are interested in or will work best for them that is actually important. I don't bother talking about what software or cameras I use, I simply show some nice pics. A photo/imaging site that has more text than images simply misses the mark.

Actually white space on my site is used quite well, text isn't cramped it's readable, I never use white lettering on a white background for obvisous reasons and I never use pages which waste space with just text on saying more images to follow totally a waste of time looking at them, look at any restoration site everyone explains how the process is done, not everyone knows how to scan a photo properly or the difference between restoration and manipulation. As for not enough photos on the site have another count you will be quietly surprised.

 

Text on a site is quite important than loads of photo/images explaining the same thing I have tried to balance text with photos, I think it works and the work coming in now shows that. As for the design aspect I've been doing it too long now for that to be an issue.

Someone many years ago gave me sound advice, if the person is better than you, listen to them if not don't listen.

[DaFoot 10]

Office, after the discussion going on here I thought I'd have a look.

 

Not a bad effort, though in a couple of places there are images that overlap text making it unreadable (I'm using Flock, browser based on Mozilla if you're interested in looking at it).

[office 10]

Cheers Dafoot,

 

I will be making a few changes when I get the time, also reviewing the look of my site and making the changes you mentioned. Hopefully my next attemps will be better.

 

But thanks again

 

Cheers Office:thumbsup:

[jezzyjj 10]

Actually white space on my site is used quite well, text isn't cramped it's readable

So maybe DaFoot and I imagined the text on your first page being cramped and at times unreadable due to poor design.

 

I never use white lettering on a white background for obvisous reasons and I never use pages which waste space with just text on saying more images to follow totally a waste of time looking at them

As for the petty digs at my site, white text with a strong drop shadow means text is perfectly legible on a white background and saying more images will be added to the less full galleries is actually a sensible thing to do, as it means you do not need to view further, duh!

 

look at any restoration site everyone explains how the process is done, not everyone knows how to scan a photo properly or the difference between restoration and manipulation. As for not enough photos on the site have another count you will be quietly surprised.

Text on a site is quite important than loads of photo/images explaining the same thing I have tried to balance text with photos, I think it works and the work coming in now shows that.

Completely missed the point of what I said.

 

As for the design aspect I've been doing it too long now for that to be an issue.

One website done and you're an expert! Wow, that impressive. BTW overuse of the bevel/emboss filter is a dead giveaway of a novice designer, not to mention that it's somewhat dated.

 

Someone many years ago gave me sound advice, if the person is better than you, listen to them if not don't listen.

Somehow I doubt you even notice if someone had more knowledge, skill or experience.

[kblade 10]

Mine http://www.flickr.com/photos/gigglejuice/

 

Been a bit uninspired for a while now though so not entirely happy with recent stuff