This is my first post after reading over the forum for the first time tonight. Just getting my feet wet shooting weddings (feel free to check out the site and roast me) and I have noticed a lot of photogs using music on their websites. What are your thoughts on this? Anyone find it annoying?
Welcome to the forums, hopefully you'll find this a friendly, helpful place, unfortunately I have to warn you that your very first post is about a can of worms that got opened yesterday, there was a big slanging match about copyrighting etc etc
If you DO decide to use music make sure it's royalty-free stuff, after all we're all very protective of our own copyrights aren't we?
Getting back to your question, personally I don't use music on my site, but I can understand the benefits, I think something unobtrusive and mellow can help set a mood and decent ambience, and some people on here have used it to beautiful effecy, but always, always, make sure that potential clients can turn it OFF lol, I doubt anyone would not book you if you DIDN'T have music, but if you've got a tune on your site that annoys them and they can't turn it off, they're just going to navigate away PDQ.
Think about your own browsing habits when answering this question.
I always turn music off if a site has it. It's super annoying to me, and it feels invasive. When I browse the net I am usually already listening to something. If a site has music it disrupts what I am listening too, if I am not listening to anything it's cause I want silence. I obviously feel strongly about this, but would you walk into someones home and futz with their radio with out asking?
And also Myspace, it used to really annoy me in the (brief) period when I used that, I'd go to friend's pages and be assaulted by their taste in music, and I always found myself saying (in an internal, venomous voice) "if I wanted to listen to Kings of the screaming snake metal" I'm quite capable of doing it myself without you thank you very much" but then I'm not the most tolerant man in the world either
Seems to split opinion - I hate it without reservation since I always have music on when I am at the mac anyway, so having some schmaltzy nonsense blasting out over my own choice of choons makes me want to close the site instantly.
At least have the option to turn it off, and make that option easy to find.
Another one that drives me nuts - a page off the homepage that forces the browser window to maximum size - not desirable on a 30" display.....
Yuk. as a customer I could turn me off all together. You don't know what kind of music I like and there are many different kinds of music that can "set a mood" You think some boring elevator music might be calming, I'd rather hear Miles play ballads. Another thing is most copyright free music is free for a reason. It sucks.
Sorry if I'm ranting, but the idea is horrible. If I'm at work (sometimes the only time I have to look something up on the web (don't worry, I'm talking lunch time)), the last thing I need is my computer blasting crappy music.
If you are a true artist with your photography, that crappy music is not helping you in any way. I doubt anyone ever decided against using a photographer because they didn't have music on their site, but I could see the opposite happening very easily.
PDN did an unscientific poll of a few brides where they had them rate various photography websites. Music was a big no-no with all of them. It's not what we like, it's what potential clients like that counts.
I also turn off music everytime I go to a website. I don't think it adds to the appeal of the website, on the contrary it sets a "negative energy" for people who don't like the music.
Music is presumptuous, wrong and a very bad idea. It is common amongst wedding and baby photogs and unheard of among commercial, editorial and 'art' photographers.
Well there we go, I think that says it all....2 of the best right after each other offering totally conflicting opinions. That's probably the best answer you can get...it's an entirely personal thing
1. Midifile royalty-free piano music - plink, plonk, bad cellphone ringtone.
2. Midifile royalty-free psuedo-spanish guitar music - nothing like a guitar, and even worse than above.
3. Sappy alt-rock drivel - you might think it's a 'beautiful song' but to everyone else it's just a grating dirge played by mumbling depressives that have just woken up.
4. Cliche-laden love song by some earnest piano-toting 'songwriter' - massive cringeathon.
5. Eletronicky acid jazz soundscapes - you may think it's urban and sophisticated but everyone else thinks it's that 'annoying stuff they play in stainless-steel bars with names like 'HERE' full of media tossers with funky spectacles'.
I have a simple website (design it myself) no flash, no music. God I need help designing a new site .
I also do not care for the music when I check out other sites… BUT there was a couple of websites I went to that had nice low background music (very well designed) and the music seemed to go with the photos.
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