Learning points:
At this stage I am not yet ready to create a website but the leaning points from this exercise will help me to develop one that displays my work in the best possible ways.
It is possible to generate web galleries and contact sheets in Photoshop and Lightroom. I practiced generating web galleries in both programmes and found the whole process easy and intuitive. The web gallery output has two main functions: it is used to select the images that will be displayed online and also for generating the HTML codes that will be necessary for building the website. There are many output options available now, including one for Bridge.
As the above screenshot demonstrates, it’s easy to preview the images in the Browser.
The web gallery function in Photoshop has 19 different style templates. Additionally, each template can also be customised. My personal preference at the moment is the Filmstrip ‘Darkroom’ gallery style. I noticed that when I look at other people’s websites, I find it much easier to navigate those that have filmstrips running underneath the main image.
I’ve visited a number of photographers’ websites in the last month to learn about different features and learn about things to do and not to do on my own site. Below is a compilation of web links with some reflections on the features that I found most useful.
I was interested to see how Kevin Walsh (http://photoskwalsh.com/page2.html) used different font colours on his site. My personal preference remains with a more conservative combination of colours and I give Kevin credit for being so brave in selecting the bright fonts and positioning them next to the black spaces that work almost like pauses in the human speech. I liked Kevin’s entry page with an image and the links above it, it also loaded very quickly.
I liked the first (entrance) page of Alan Bassett’s site: with the name right at the top, an image in the centre and some links below, the entrance page looked nice and simple. On the main page, the menu is situated on the left hand side and is clear and easy to navigate. The slideshow is taking up most of the centre/right hand side of the page so the images have enough room around them. The background is grey which helps to view the images. Some images have a coloured mount around them (blue) and I found that some of the colours selected for the mounts weren’t fitting too well with the images (this is only my personal opinion).
Learning points picked up from Kevin’s and Alan’s websites: links and front page loading quickly; being careful with the choice of colours for the fonts/ colour scheme of the whole site; spacing out the text; being aware of the different elements on each page and how they are interacting with each other.
Learning points picked up from Kevin’s and Alan’s websites: links and front page loading quickly; being careful with the choice of colours for the fonts/ colour scheme of the whole site; spacing out the text; being aware of the different elements on each page and how they are interacting with each other.
I liked Neal Reed’s site for its simplicity and style. Neal presented his portfolio really well; there is a good selection of images here and the pictures open in a separate window which allow to see and use all the controls/ functions of the website and switch to other sections easily.
The images have enough space in the separate window and the slideshow strip of images runs underneath. The only downside that I noticed was that I could not easily see the small thumbnails (simply because they were too small to see!). I will consider this point when getting my own website ready and will make sure that it’s possible to include a large size of thumbnails.
This is one of the points that I liked about this website of Adam Edwards – the thumbnails were in fact framed, giving a sense of being present in a gallery.
I also liked the menu options – I would definitely consider these headings for my own site. I liked the guestbook which gives a sense of other people’s views and lives a little window for interaction. I would prefer to have more interaction on my site, possibly through a blog.
This is what attracted me to Hougaard Malan’s blog: http://www.hougaardmalan.com/blog/ - his site is designed for some interaction, for sharing and exchange.
I also loved the map that he has on the site – this tool allows a travel photographer to link the images to locations – what a great idea! This site really started me thinking about being creative and different. It also made me think that I need a bit more time for putting my own site together as I really don’t want to rush it.
