Yo everybody, I just finished the wedding section of my new website design and decided I'd humbly post it up for thoughts. There are so many photographers in this section that are just far, far too good so I feel a little skiddish posting this...but I figure I might as well
Here's my current site (really old) - take some time to get a good feel for it:
www.danielcolvinphotography.com
My new site will have separate sections for weddings and portraits, but I haven't quite finished the portrait section...so you're seeing the wedding part.
I went for a complete overhaul with this one...let me know what you think (try to think like a consumer - preferably a woman).
Oh, and I will be changing a few things...such as the photo in the 'about Daniel' section, putting up testimonials in the opinions section, and adding some info as to my location.
Personally I would lose the smiley and the 'post script' section in your about page. The first part is enough and sounds professional - the post script makes it too long to read and the info isn't relevant to b+ g.
I like the philosophy page.
Bin the music. Why do wedding togs think music is a good idea?
Personally I would lose the smiley and the 'post script' section in your about page. The first part is enough and sounds professional - the post script makes it too long to read and the info isn't relevant to b+ g.
I like the philosophy page.
Bin the music. Why do wedding togs think music is a good idea?
Thanks, man (or woman)!
I'll consider the post script change...I was debating on that one. My main goal with the redesign was to show alot more personality and be 'real'. That can make or break a sale, I've found. My clientele don't go for someone based solely on their images (I'm also targeting a younger, 'hipper' crowd - not classy 30 somethings).
As for the music, I'll be keeping it. I actually had many clients say 'wow, it's so silent' or 'I wish there was music'. I was stunned...apparently photogs look at things different than others do.
Fair enough RE music. Suppose it depends a lot on browsing style.
If you look at one site at a time music is OK but I generally have a few tabs open at once then it becomes a pain as you get random music that you have to go search for and turn off (or if you aren't that invested in the site you just bin the tab).
I think I fit the bill as I'm a consumer-minded 20-something year old of the female persuasion!
My first impression was that I liked the orange circle loading thingamabob that resembles an engagement ring.
Second impression was that it wasn't quite centered between the two-photo title image.
Third impression (as the photos were flipping by) was that the auto-resizing thing is really slick and the photos are beautiful, especially the one where the couple is kissing in the green field with the orange sunset.
Fourth impression was that the sub-menus load too slowly for my taste (for example, you need to wait for "about Daniel" and "my philosophy" to show up before the "pricing" option shows up). While I don't *think* you'd lose a serious potential client over this, repeat viewers who know exactly where they want to go may get a little impatient. And I've got a short attention span when it comes to waiting for pages to load.
Fifth impression is that the font size is a bit small for me on the "about Daniel" and "contact" pages - again with the short attention span thing, but if something requires too much effort to read, I won't read it.
Overall, I found the site to be well laid out, user-friendly and easy to navigate. I think the "about Daniel" photos are fun and will go a long way in attracting the type of client you're looking for. The neutral color scheme with orange accent complements the images well. The full screen and music on/off options are good.
Hmmm... found it too slow.
Especially while picture browsing, thereīs a delay while the next image is loading. Do a preload. And I havenīt found a way to zap through the images really quick.
dayinmay wrote:
I think I fit the bill as I'm a consumer-minded 20-something year old of the female persuasion!
My first impression was that I liked the orange circle loading thingamabob that resembles an engagement ring.
Second impression was that it wasn't quite centered between the two-photo title image.
Third impression (as the photos were flipping by) was that the auto-resizing thing is really slick and the photos are beautiful, especially the one where the couple is kissing in the green field with the orange sunset.
Fourth impression was that the sub-menus load too slowly for my taste (for example, you need to wait for "about Daniel" and "my philosophy" to show up before the "pricing" option shows up). While I don't *think* you'd lose a serious potential client over this, repeat viewers who know exactly where they want to go may get a little impatient. And I've got a short attention span when it comes to waiting for pages to load.
Fifth impression is that the font size is a bit small for me on the "about Daniel" and "contact" pages - again with the short attention span thing, but if something requires too much effort to read, I won't read it.
Overall, I found the site to be well laid out, user-friendly and easy to navigate. I think the "about Daniel" photos are fun and will go a long way in attracting the type of client you're looking for. The neutral color scheme with orange accent complements the images well. The full screen and music on/off options are good.
Ah, a female! Thank you ma'am, that actually was helpful. There are a few things I'm just not able to change (such as the loading speed of the submenus), but I made note of the rest. I changed the first image so there isn't a symmetry issue, and made the fonts larger in the text sections. I also added a few new images (first bridal photo and a couple others) and rearranged them a little.
