I think for me the purpose is somewhere to show my better images, and somewhere for my friends and family to have a look at images I have created.
In addition it acts somewhere between professional and amateur location for the display of my work which is a bit more "professional" to say flickr, facebook etc
When I upload images to social media web sites I always watermark my images. Whilst some element is to protect them from illegal usage I will only upload small images sizes around 100k. There needs to be a balance between protection and the actual display of work. This watermark with copyright now also has the same web address for my website so people can redirect themselves if they choose.
Additionally should anyone want to commission me for some work I do at least have a semi-professional looking website for them to see my work and the style of it
Compliance or Individuality
At some pint it would be good to create, or perhaps have created for me my website but there are companies that allow the use of templates, and then these also allow customisation. At this point I think I would like a website that is bold and a bit more individual branching away from the look of most websites. I'm an individual with my own developing photographic "voice". I've always had a bold outlook and perhaps at heart have always been a bit of a rebel. I think non-compliance and individuality suit me, perhaps I may need to temper this with professionalism at a later stage
Simplicity
The best websites are often the simplest. Easy to navigate and most of all easy to see the images. I want the home page to scroll through a set of predetermined images and I want the option of a gallery where I can separate some images into specific categories. I don't want the galleries to be auto scrolling, I want the viewer to purposefully look at them and move to the next image at their own pace, whether it quick or slow
What have I done?
I've taken the step to create my own web domain, its simple, contains my name and says what its for...I'm not telling you what it is just yet, be patient. I've also used a company that for a small fee will host my website and allow me the choice of multiple templates and a lot of customisation. For a fee they will design one for you or help smarten an existing one. For the moment I'm going to have fun experimenting and learning. The company I have chosen to do this is clikpic: https://www.clikpic.com/
Here it is
I've uploaded an image of the home page, it may of course change in the future but this is where I'm at today:
Here is the link to my website:
http://warrenjonesphotography.com/
Please, please do leave a comment, feel free to highlight the good and/or bad. Even if you have nothing to say please do just leave a comment here or via my website to say hello to confirm you have visited, I'd be absolutely delighted to see that people have had a look
Self Critique
I think I'm pleased as its original, different and I believe simple and bold. That's what I set out to create. Have move around the site and let me know if its easy to use
For portrait size images it really works but I think I have some work to do as the landscape images are being cropped; its trying to create box sized images. Some more investigation and rework no doubt but I'm well on the way.
Anyone noticed the use of colour combinations from the art of photography module :D
Update
I've now managed to resolve a few issues with thumbnails and stopped or reduced the cropping on landscape format images in the galleries. The front page has also been adjusted moving the left hand section to the left more allowing for a larger window to scroll through a sample of the images
An OCA course colleague Jeff has kindly given me some feedback on the site, visible below in the comments section.
On the Facebook OCA page I've made a post asking what other people have done and there is a surprising spread of different companies used and I think some wonderful images held within their websites. Each site appears to have some individuality and some look closer than others in terms of style. I also note some practice photography for a living whilst others practice it currently as a hobby. Its good to note I'm on the right lines and also that I retain some indivuality. I will continue to look at other websites and look to take the good and see if and how I can I apply this to mine where appropriate
Wow. Quite a lot of hours represented here. Good job. My overall impression of the color and font design is, as you put it, BOLD! The image conveyed is strong and brash. I expect to see sports, outdoor, or adventure images. I assume this is a work in progress, as some of the categories have only one image. Have you noticed that image file names appear on the page, which seems a bit of a distraction when they don't relate to the image content. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to your final project.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeff, Thanks very much for the feedback and yes its a work in progress, U guess my portfolio is a bit small. People and Place module next should see me again getting pushed out of my comfort zone and hopefully some of the image types you mention !! Image file names - Yes, I may have a look at this but also need a method to identify them in my catalogue. If the rain lets up this weekend I hope to make a start
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