website critique

<p>I recently starting my photography business and am new to the professional scene. I would love to have some critique on my website so I can pull in more customers. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.katherinemcphersonphotography.com">www.katherinemcphersonphotography.com</a></p>

<p>Thankyou!<br>

Katherine</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/info/guidelines/</p>

<p>Please see #2 under 'Forum Posting Guidelines'.</p>

<p>A big red flag for me on your website is that you used last names, especially for the babies. Have you asked the parents if it's even ok to post the kids on the internet without passwords? If so, I would post with either first names or initials. Also, because you have the professional price of Smugmug, and people can't right click to copy, I would cut the watermark down. The pets especially, you can't even really see the pictures.<br>

Other than that, nice website :)</p>

<p>Thankyou Debbie for the help. I have asked permission from the parents to use full names, but I will consider removing the last names. Thankyou. </p>

<p>I appologize for posting the website, I am new to photo.net and misunderstood the guidelines. I would still appreciate critiques if possible. </p>

<p>Thankyou </p>

<p>My overall critique is: I would work on improving your photography skills before you invest time and money into marketing your services online.<br>

More specifically:<br>

There is dust on the black and white images in the homepage animation.<br>

Smugmug has taken over your website with promotional links and logos.<br>

Consider learning how to make thumbnails and galleries yourself.<br>

Giant "PROOF" text and giant logos on the images not good.<br>

Pare down your portfolio to only the best images.<br>

There's a lot of so-so focus and not very good lighting in your portfolio.<br>

Don't use spot color.<br>

Whiten any less-than-white teeth.<br>

katherinemcphersonphotography.smugmug.com is really much too long an url.<br>

someone else is already using kmphotography.com so consider changing your "km photography" logo.<br>

The music on your blog startled me and I closed the window immediately rather than figure out where the music was coming from and try to turn it off.</p>

<p>I agree with Michael, practice more with flash, especially for fill. Wedding pics are very dark/grainy. Sports photos for your folio should be the 'action shots' or something that convey the emotion of the moment. Some of the compositions are pretty good, but the overall feel I get is that they are snapshots. I'd also suggest simplifying your price schedules, there are too many...too much reading for potential clients to do. Just give the basics here, maybe just the starting price rate. </p>

<p>I agree with all the previous comments and only add that you consider narrowing the focus of your business, and what you present on your website, to whatever you find you are best at, whether it be weddings, portraits, etc. </p>

<p>I also found your website took an excruciatingly long time to load using both Safari and Firefox; so much time that a prospective client may decide to try somewhere else rather than wait for it to load.</p>

<p>I have been looking at a lot of sites myself, trying to figure out what options I like/don't like for use in designing my own site. Overall, I like the nice clean font you are using, but one thing that struck me that I am not sure I would love if I was the consumer shopping for a photog was your gallery/proofing organization.</p>

<p>If I click on portraits, I was expecting a selection of images that would give an overview of your portrait style/options, but what I got was client galleries with ordering options. I know you don't have unlimited options with smugmug, but maybe adding a proofing section which would hold <strong>all </strong>clients photos from a session, and having your select favorites under the "portraits" tab as a portfolio?</p>

<p>Also, I was initially confused by the pricing tab, at first I thought that your "friends and family" tab was some special pricing for friends/family, it actually took me a minute to realize you had pricing divided by individuals vs. groups.</p>

<p>Picking a small nit: The use of all caps in the site title is kind of clumsy. It looks like a government document.</p>

<p>Bigger nit: "AN ARTISTIC APPROACH TO CAPTURING ALL OF LIFE'S MOMENTS" is <strong>way</strong> too long. You want a catch phrase to be catchy. It's also a bit presumptuous. The viewer will decide if your approach is artistic. <br>

You might try "Capturing Life's Moments" or just "Capturing the Moment." And, even if you keep the title caps, use upper and lower case for the sub-title.</p>

<p>I hope this helps.</p>