My website... - DPChallenge Forums

Olympus 50mm f/2.0 Macro ED Zuiko Digital

12/18/2007 04:34:37 PM · #1

My website has been up and running for a little bit and I would love to get some feedback from everyone.

//www.johnstonephotography.net

I know for one thing I need to get more of my images posted and I may re-organize the galleries that I have. Right now it is just a start and I know it does need improving. So far I have gotten good feedback, but I know the DPC community is a bit more critical which can be a great thing.

Thanks everyone :)

slaakso

Olympus E-510

12/18/2007 06:00:10 PM · #2

I am not thrilled with a front page that wants you to enter and there isn't a photo on it. The navigation is a bit strange on the lower left of the window that comes up after entering the website. I found it counter-intuitive to navigate. Some great images though.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

12/18/2007 06:38:24 PM · #3

I understand that you want to incorporate flash, But I think you shouldn't set the link to open in a new window. I'd just leave it all to open in one window.

Otherwise, I like the layout.

Good luck,
-AC

12/18/2007 06:42:24 PM · #4

Thanks,
Regarding the opening page it is part of the layout of the site I purchased. I can change it but it would involve changing around the website completely. However, I can add an image to the front page... which I have considered and have had, I just have been undecided on what to put as the opening image there.

Thank you for the feedback, please keep it coming! :)

ChaosGirl

Sony DSC-P41

01/16/2008 02:05:34 AM · #5

I like the site. Going with flash was a good choice, there's no right click stealing! The image on the entry page is perfect. However, while I didn't look at all the images, I looked at a few different categories and found that there were rollover captions on all of them. There's nothing wrong with this technique, it's actually one I like quite a bit, but it is one that is better used when you have titles for the majority of your photos. While some of your photos do have titles, you have categories such as male models, where only 4 out of 22 have titles other than 'untitled'. Personally (and this is just my own opinion as a techie but a rank amateur in photography), I find it a bit distracting when the same title pops up multiple times for different pictures. I'm not sure whether it would be better to give all your pictures titles (a very laborious and exhausting process), to simply remove the rollover caption from those that are untitled, or to remove the rollovers completely and just have the title show on the enlargement of the picture.

Other tidbits of advice I have would be to either bold, underline or enlarge 'Online Gallery' and 'Purchase my Prints' links. They blend in a bit with the normal text. I would also leave out the bit on your homepage that stated people could contact you through the contact me tab or your email. I think it is a bit self explanatory since that's what you have a 'contact me' tab for, so maybe it might be better to just have your email there, or omit both of them.

I really like your model shots, as well as images like 'Foggy waters' and the graffiti one on the Seattle page. I grew up in Redmond, so it's always nice to see local shots. The animals were adorable and I loved how you captured the shadows on the lion. As a whole, I was impressed with your site and found it easy to navigate and explore, and I hope the business goes well for you.

Message edited by author 2008-01-16 07:06:03.

Tez

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

01/16/2008 03:08:23 AM · #6

I like the website :) It runs very fast on my modest specced machine. Font is good, layout is good. However, i really don't like when sites insist on opening another window for me to look at the galleries in. I thin Joey L's does this too and i'm yet to see an advantage to it. I think it makes the viewer decide to stop looking which is the opposite of what you want.

Overall, good job. The titles could do with a bit of work and maybe labelling the galleries from the outset instead of the thumbnails. Also, why is the gallery that starts with the egg yolk, not in the one to the left of it? There's a lot fo free space in the galleries and some of them only contain 2 pictures which makes me wonder why the loose ones aren't just in the same gallery to ease navigation and speed of browsing. If you don't want titles, use numbers, use roman numerals. Or Model-A, Model-B or even something like 'Model Name'-A and so forth would be better than 'untitled'. This is fine on a few images, but when the bulk of the images don't have titles, it gets awkward trying to find your fave image again.

But hey, the pics are nice, the site is great, but i think you wanted nitpicking :)

Canon EF 135mm f/2.0L USM

01/16/2008 07:01:40 AM · #7

Thanks so much for the great feedback. I will get working on the dealing with the titles of the images. I think I am just going to leave them all blank because as I add more and more images I don't want to continue titling all of them. I will also deal with the galleries with only a few images in them. I will either combine them or fill them up with more of my work.
As to the page opening in a new window, that actually is something I don't have control over. It is part of the website template that I purchased and I think is just something fairly common with flash sites.

With my splash page I think I might change the johnstone photography that appears on the sides to black instead of white with the outline, what do you think?

lovethelight

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

01/16/2008 07:06:59 AM · #8

I don't really see a need for titles...I don't have titles on my page. I also feel like the front page is uninspiring, the picture is nice but the design of it with all the white just seems really plain. Nice layout of the site, i like it.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

01/16/2008 07:13:02 AM · #9

Yeah I just changed it from just a graphic of "johnstone photography" to add the picture and change it up a bit last night. I agree it looks thrown together. It is just a splash page, but I am not sure if I should just go with a a very simple click here to enter or an image with title like I have now (but different setup)...

I DUNNO, lol

chromeydome

Nikon D7000

01/16/2008 07:14:25 AM · #10

nice site, nice images

might want to "downselect" the similar images a bit: two variations of flowers/table/cafe, etc. I know this is really hard to do (and I could not help you choose, because they are all so nice) but having the same subject from multiple angles can look "indecisive" to the general population.

also, when viewing your Seattle gallery, the night time Space Needle shot kept popping up every third or fourth "next" click. May be a bug on the site--I kept thinking I was back to the beginning, but knew I had seen more thumbnails than that, so kept at it.

I live around here, too--what a great place.

I like your images!

samchad

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/16/2008 07:15:10 AM · #11

Links get blocked by pop-up blocker. Better if you embed it in the same window.

johst582

Nikon D80

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

01/16/2008 07:16:04 AM · #12

The flash-site is very nice, and so are the photos! But I would suggest you skip the opening page and go directly to the flash content - and please do not spawn a new window, that's really annoying.

There's gotta be a way - "changing around completely" doesn't seem like much work in this case - the only thing you would have on the html-page is your flash application.

01/16/2008 07:24:43 AM · #13

So everyone knows... the web page is a template. If I want to keep it as a flash website I am pretty sure I have to have things as it is, so it opens in a new window. I will do what I can to see if it can be switched but from what I believe- I don't think I can change it from opening in a separate window.

edit to add:
I checked everything from my managing stand point and don't see any options as to changing the website to where the flash site does not open in a new window.

I can however keep everything on the main page if I change my template to a HTML option.

Message edited by author 2008-01-16 12:28:23.