Critique requested on web portfolio

04/13/2015 10:03:43 PM · #1

Hi all,

I've got my web portfolio to where I think it's ready to show people, but I am hoping some of you can look at it and make some suggestions.

//jonbuder.500px.com/

One thing I'm not so sure of, is whether I should leave the landscape/cityscape category on there. And the still life/product section for that matter - I really need to get around to shooting more, but the way I light them is hard work and each one is at least an hour or two in total to get it right.

I'm still trying to determine my goals. I'd like to make a little money on the side by shooting portraits/headshots/events/people in general, but I'd also like to just have one portfolio site where if I print business cards and give out the card to people I meet they can check out the other kinds of photos on there too for the heck of it.

Do you guys think it would be better to separate the 'people' photos on a different web address from the other things?

Also any advice on specific photos to get rid of is appreciated, or wording changes/etc.

Thanks in advance.

Message edited by author 2015-04-13 22:04:57.

04/13/2015 10:24:39 PM · #2

Just a quick first impression. I don't have time for in-depth right now. But your mask image seems quite dark for your "welcome" image. I'd brighten that up. Actually, I see that all the images are "opaqued". I'm not sure they show to their best advantage that way.

Message edited by author 2015-04-13 22:25:20.

04/13/2015 10:32:45 PM · #3

Thanks - yeah, that's one thing I don't 100% care for about the theme. Maybe I can disable that cycle-through option altogether.

04/13/2015 10:38:39 PM · #4

Also, just quickly, I didn't see a contact link at the top. Gotta have that in there.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

04/13/2015 10:49:24 PM · #5

The theme puts that link at the bottom, but that's a good point. If you missed it, potential clients might easily miss it as well so maybe a better theme could be a better choice.

Catherine_B

Canon EOS-70D

04/13/2015 11:23:55 PM · #6

I would rework your "about" statement to be focused on the kind of photography assignments you are seeking. If you want to do portrait work, then you are a portrait photographer.... If this is a potential business, state your intentions as if you are already doing the kind of work you want.

I personally love your unique landscape images, and maybe you don't want commissions for new landscapes, but are willing to sell the images in your portfolio.

Overall it is a nice feel to the portfolio

Message edited by author 2015-04-13 23:25:39.

dtremain

Canon EOS 80D

Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 II

04/14/2015 08:32:52 AM · #7

Maybe I just caught it in a transitional phase, but I think a cover picture on the first page would be much better than having a big black blank first page and requiring the user to click a link to see any pictures.
You have fantastic pictures.
A couple of meh's - personal preference, so FWIW - in Portraits, the nearly full body shot of the lady with the top of her head cut off. The skull shot (bottom right) is a bit jarring, but it's almost like you just snuck it in there. The picture of the road has become very common - maybe even cliche.
You have such wonderful, strong images, that you can afford to lose the "typical" shot.
I'd also suggest that in Western culture, the top left image is typically the first place the eye goes - make it your "draw" shot - the image that most shows your creativity and quality.
It's similar to a lot of photographer pages, but the quality of your images makes it a cut above most.

sjhuls

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

04/14/2015 09:21:18 AM · #8

I'm guessing you are still working on it but there is no photo on your home page. If this isn't the case you really need one or a slide show or something. Right now it is a big black page. Other pages look fine to me but they seem to load fairly slowly for me. It is also a big black blank page for several seconds until the photos finally show up. Maybe long enough for someone to click off before even getting started. I agree with Johanna your contact link need to be more visible. It gets lost.

04/14/2015 11:45:04 AM · #9

Catherine_B - That's a very good point and I will reword that statement today. I would definitely not mind selling prints of the landscapes, so maybe I'll include that in the statement.

dtremain - Thank you. I would like a cover picture as well, I actually disabled the slideshow of background images and will see about just putting a static cover image that's meant to be there when I get the time. Before (when

tanguera saw it), it would randomly pick a shot from one of the categories and apply a half-visible gray box over it.

I'm not too attached to the road picture, so I might just take it out of there. I took it for the recent "stock photography" challenge actually. Good catch on the cropping of the thumbnails, I think there is an option to set a portion of the photo for the square thumbnail which I forgot to do. I will give some thought to which photo should be in the top left as well.

sjhuls - Not sure if I can do much about the loading times, probably internet speed dependent. I've sized them at 1200 pixels which gets upsized to fit the window and loses a bit of sharpness. Do you reckon that having a theme where it didn't upsize, and having more compressed images on there, would be a better idea?

04/14/2015 12:20:17 PM · #10

David has pretty much expressed everything I was thinking. If you decide use a slideshow template, I would create a "home" gallery and populate it with your 10 best images. Then you wouldn't rely on the random picker to show anything else.

I don't think your portraiture is your strong suit, so I would not have that as your first gallery. Some poses, crops, etc. seem a bit awkward to me, although your locations are great. The one of Suzy Cue on the bridge is quite unflattering in my mind (as is Davina Sullivan 1), but as David pointed out, these are personal opinions. I also don't see anything in there that says "fashion". However, your light painting shots (including the one in the portrait gallery) could be their own gallery. Those are sensational. Also, if you're posting stuff for "stock", put those in their own gallery.

Your titles are weird, like you're using them for tagging. Tag them properly and give the photos short titles, or like "Mood Ring", place the description under it.

Ok. That's it :)

Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD Canon Mount

04/14/2015 06:24:17 PM · #11

I appreciate the honestly. Doing my best to improve - shooting people seems to be a more likely way to make some money, so although I've spent a lot of time and effort on landscapes, light painting, etc - I don't anticipate anyone wanting to commission anything like that...

Awkwardness is not nearly as easy to overcome as specific technical issues, so I don't really know where to begin if I wanted to improve that.

Mike

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

04/14/2015 08:08:08 PM · #12

my thoughts, take these with a grain of salt :)

first off when you create a website presence you are doing one of two things, showcasing your work or trying to get customers. if you try to do both you will confuse your audience. you admitted that you are trying to get customers so i'd take off everything that isn't related to you advertising yourself. I know you are proud of your pics but don't put them on this site if you aren't advertising that type of photography, if you must keep them up, put them in a spot that someone has to look for them. if you take a look at my site, it's portraits only, nothing else and only my best ones. i have a link to my 500px on the bottom so that if anyone browses my site long enough they will find my other work but its hardly showcased.

find the images that best show what you you want to be hired for, if you don't have enough, wait to make your page and hire or find some models and get more variety.

you have really good stuff and you are very competent, but you need to refine your focus, remember you are advertising not showing off, its an important distinction because very good photographers dont get work because they suck at marketing themselves and crappy photographers get lots of work because they can run a business.

04/14/2015 08:57:33 PM · #13

Jon, you are right. It is tough to photograph people. Unless you are a fashion photographer, working with models who are used to being in front of the camera, your clients will likely be uncomfortable and nervous. Even then, in the beginning you will likely have models just starting out and they won't know how to pose, and will also be awkward.

If portraiture is your ultimate goal, then you need to address all these areas first. You'll have to find a way to make your subjects relax, and have more than a passing knowledge about posing, communicating what you want, and convincing them to be outragous (if the shot requires it) etc.

I'm not sure what is available near you, but I come from a background in theater, and have always felt that everyone needs to take a basic acting class - not so much to learn how to act, but how to communicate with a very wide range of people.

I also think there are more "models" available for you to practice with than you imagine. Model Mayhem, modeling schools, acting schools (actors need headshots!!), high schools (for yearbooks), local businesses for websites, etc.

04/14/2015 09:28:27 PM · #14

Mike - Good points about focus for sure. I might refine the focus of the main portfolio page to people shots only, and consider linking to the rest of the 500px photos...
Maybe I will redirect my domain "jonbuder.com" to the 'people' portfolio.

tanguera - I will do some research and learn about posing, that is definitely something I have neglected and just kind of wing it. Thanks for the suggestions of sources for subjects. I have been using Model Mayhem and local Facebook groups to arrange TF shoots in order to get several of those that are on my page. I have about half a dozen more "pending" in the near future when scheduling is figured out.