Website

[blakemcguire]

Hey guys, I finally got around to setting up a website using wordpress.

It's a little dry as far as content goes so far, but I did just get it up.

Can you give me any feedback to help guide the development?



blakemcguire.com

[terrib]

Hi Blake, I'm not sure how valuable my feedback is since I've never tried to design a website and I don't put much thought into the ones I visit. But for what it's worth...

I like the clean, uncluttered simplicity of it. I found it very easy to navigate but I wondered as you add more photos if that would change. I don't know how many photos you plan to put into each category. If there are to be too many more wedding photos, I think I'd consider a grid of smaller photos that are clickable instead of having to scroll a single column.

I did find the first page to be a bit odd in the way it scrolled. I would want my title/menu bar at top to be fixed with the rest scrolling up under it if scrolling is necessary. But those type things are probably artistic preferences.

Good luck on your web presence!

[gregj1763]

Hi Blake, just had a look at your site and I think you have done a very good job with it.
It's easy to navigate and you can scroll thought the photo's quickly, unlike my site
My only suggestion would be perhaps a frame around the images to separate them from the white background. Just a thought?
Well done.
Cheers, Greg

[allenlennon]

Blake, in my opinion simple is better for websites such as yours. And you nailed it. Now to carry on with the others, frame the images to help separate and also have small to medium thumbnail size image that we can, if we choose, click to see bigger sizes. I want to make a website myself but i dont know if i want to pay for a website url, aswell as with the process of a free domain where you use multiple sites like website hositing, eg something.freewbs.com, and another domain name site that looks like name.co.nr.And having to check in every month or so or forfeit the site. And since i have a mac i can use the program iWeb.

[blakemcguire]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

As for the navigation, I want to keep it to around 15 (absolute maximum of 20) per category. I'm also planning to get everything into slideshows once I work the glitches out. I didn't code any of this (I'm not nearly that good), I paid for a wordpress theme.

I'm looking into putting the pictures on a black background though (I usually prefer darker tones for things like that) but that means going in and editing the theme. I've done some programming and html in the past, but I'm pretty rusty so that's going to be a process to say the least.

Everything happens in increments, right? Now to write a bio...

[allenlennon]

thats right, i just realised my site was still going, hmmm, lol, been updated. But the diffrence between mine and yours is that yours is better quality due to i went around of doing it for free.

here is MINE/

[blakemcguire]

Your website looks pretty good! If you want feedback though, I'd move the links to the albums to the main page, since that's the main point of the site to begin with.

[jcuknz]

There is a considerable difference between looking at a picture on a white screen and looking at a photo on a white board.

It is very common for photographers to mount their pictures on white board but this is drack on a monitor as the peak white detracts from the image ...I prefer to date to something like cOcOc0 if you get into the html that far but considering something dark and more restful to the eyes.

Currently on my website the 'big' pictures from thumbnails open out on a white screen which is horrible but sadly I have forgotten how I wrote the code for the large versions to open on a toned background .. it basically involved having a toned page which opened another link which is the photograph... probably a kacky way of doing things but I worked it out for myself originally.

I have not used a white board for so long I cannot remember

When I browsded through the wedding portfolia I came across a bride looking at herself in a mirror ...to my eyes she is not that attractive like all the rest and I think should be replaced by a similar shot ....I know there is a reverse argument BUT.

[Donald]

The discussion about colour/tone of background is interesting.

I always understood it to be perceived wisdom that, on a screen you had a dark/black background. I have a dark one on my own website. But, have a look at the sites of such as Michael Kenna & Joseph Hoflehner (arguably two of the biggest names around at the moment), plus others working in broadly similar ways, and you see a definite trend/fashion towards light backgrounds. I've never measured to see if they are pure white, but they look like it.

And, I have to say, I find it quite attractive. Clean, uncluttered.

Whether it's passing phase, we will have to wait and see. But it's certainly the way a lot of 'big' photographers are going with their sites.

[William W]

What is the Purpose, of the website?

WW

[rpcrowe]

I like the site... However, I have some suggestions:

1. I would like to see the wedding section arranged in more of less a chronological order - even if the images are from different weddings. The prepareation, the ceremony and the reception.

2. I would like to see a few formal bridal portraits included.

In fact, even though I mentioned organizing the wedding section somewhat chronologically, starting it with a formal portrait of a bride might be a thought.

I would like to see more shots in the other categories. Perhaps some engagement images and some relatively formal portraits...

Finallly, the most important parameter (if you are using this to get wedding business) is a drop-dead attractive bride... Even if you have to hire a model and a wedding dress to get those images.