What's your first impression of my site?

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

<p>Too be blunt, the images look contrasty amaturish and some just bad. There a few good ones but you need to present your best images at least on the front page. The main image doesn't even appear to be in focus</p>

<p>Thanks for the bluntness, I'm an amateur, so amateurish is probably fitting, but I'm working on it. <br>

I adjusted the main photo a bit - it should look better but let me know if it's still off and I'll look for something to replace it or just do away with it. <br>

Of the other images, which would you recommend getting rid of? Are there any I can fix the contrast?</p>

Hey Zach,

 

So in general it's really hard to market photography to both weddings and other genres. In a place like Ogden, you

probably have some stiff competition for weddings from some really good shooters. When somebody's baby girl is

getting married—her once in a lifetime moment—it's an easy choice between the wedding specialist and someone who

also does sports and landscapes and aerials, etc. If you also want to do commercial work or landscapes, it's worth

having a totally separate web presence. The random mountain shots and event photos weaken your pitch. It's like

walking into a Thai restaurant and also seeing burgers and spaghetti on the menu. Most people accept wedding

photographers also doing lifestyle and family portraits, but you need to keep it focused—it all needs to fit together.

 

As Robert bluntly pointed out, you could stand to edit more tightly. You need to honestly present yourself, but you

don't need to show so much. A single weak image can do a lot of damage to an otherwise stellar portfolio and a lot of

repetition dilutes your message. For instance in Teanna's wedding, why do we need to see so many photos of the

couple in front of the temple. If one doesn't sell it, twelve won't help. Pick the best one, process it to the pinnacle of

your ability, and only show us that. Have another place where you can let the couple choose from among selects.

 

As far as the design, I'm on the fence about the opening page. I think the design looks good, but I'm not sure if

multiple images works better than one great one. It's a little busy and dark grey is a little somber for promoting

wedding work. It's often the case that one great photo works better than several and the temptation to mix a bunch

together demonstrates uncertainty more than versatility. I think the grid display would work better if the photos weren't

so diverse in style. It's hard to know what I as a customer will be getting from you. It can be hard to decide to commit

to a stye, but you really need to. If you like the kind of washed out instagram look, I have no doubt you'll find

customers who will go for it. But you really need to own it and develop it as a style. Don't dilute it with sepias, faux

distressed filter, etc.

 

If you need a little inspiration on editing, check out Matt Miller. The shooting is (of course) great, but the editing is truly

brilliant. It's crystal clear who he is photographically: http://ourlaboroflove.com/weddings/

 

Two other notes:

 

I noticed you mention you're fluent in Spanish. This could be a really great entry into a difficult-to-crack market. I

would consider translating the entire website so a visitor could click a single button and it would take me to a Spanish

version. I know that's a lot of work, but if there's enough of a market around you it might be worth making a stronger

statement.

 

Client testimonials are pure gold. It's great that you have them, but they'll be MUCH stronger if you can talk people

into putting their names behind them. Even if I don't know who the people are, they will make a stronger impression.

 

It's a long, difficult process. I think your off to a good start. Just keep iterating and distilling and it will get there.

<p>It doesn't work at all in Opera, I'm afraid:<br>

http://www.kazemisu.me.uk/images/zc.jpg</p>

 

<p>I think you have a clear picture of what you want from your website (good) but you need to edit for immediate impact. The average attention span of website visitors is measured in seconds. The opening pictures are great (may a little too much of the "old times" color effect) but you may want to consider culling them down to one (max. two) pictures per theme (and think broad themes, "Wedding", "Portraits" and such).</p>

<p>You may want to think in terms "one message per webpage" (kinda like presentation slides). Think of what is really important and what is a fine print that can be linked to so it does not dilute the main message. Your opening page is too wordy and generally you can assume that people will not read anything that is bellow the fold (if you have to scroll to it, it's a lot less likely to be seen by many). Regarding the language, a lot of different people will see your website and unless you are trying to attract a very specific clientele, keep the language as neutral as possible (otherwise you are bound to tick somebody off - unfortunately, it does not take much).</p>

<p>Avoid "kewl" language: "dead simple pricing" or "a really cool bride" are not terms conveying professionalism. I'm in general highly skeptical of online testimonies and your testimonial pages leaves me with "yeah, right" reaction because of the generic attributions (but I'm highly skeptical in general, so adjust for that). A real names would be a lot better or maybe just first names/initials and place of the wedding (if full names are not possible)? For example "Gene and Gina, Lake Geneva, July 19, 2013".</p>

<p>In conclusion, I think you are on the right path, you just need to think more like a photographer: "what is the main subject of this page" (and crop off the rest). You've got the contents but you need to improve the emphasis and organization.</p>

<p>I'm kind of confused over what you are. On one hand</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>ZC Photography is the premier photographer in northern Utah</p>

</blockquote>

<p>On the other</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>I'm an amateur, so amateurish is probably fitting, but I'm working on it.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Lets hope they're not both true! Seriously if you're taking people's money for recording the most important days of their lives you'd better be professional in every sense of the word. You can't be a Pro when describing your services and an amateur when you're caught a little short. </p>

<p>Equally your prices seem low to me, albeit I'm 5000 miles away. Are you catering deliberatley for the lower end of the market? in which case why imply that you're the best photographer around .<br>

Behind all this is a view that your communications should be designed to succinctly get across what you're offering and in my view you're providing too much info across too broad a base. Getting rid of the landscape stuff etc is part of this but I'm getting the impression that you're trying to answer any query that might possibly arise during discussions in the initial website. Whereas what you're really trying to do is persuade people in the market that you're good enough to handle their work and that your pricing might well prove attractive to them . All the other stuff you have ready ( along with your contract/t&c ) for when the questions arise if they do. Its all part of being easy to deal with. </p>

 

<p>From someone who's been doing this stuff for over 50 years, you have a very long way to go. But please keep going. <br>

Read, shoot, study, shoot, go to art galleries, shoot, get critical input, shoot, read more, and most important of all, shoot.</p>

<p> </p>