my website and personal notes - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM II

06/21/2012 08:30:53 AM · #1

the last week has been a blur. I had three photo shoots plus designed my website.

Still learning the trade here but at least I feel confidant I can produce a quality result for paying customers.

just a small back story on the photoshoots:

day one, I shot my first couple and it was my first time directing, i was really worried and nervous, but my fears were alleviated when I got home and saw the pictures. most were sharp the exposure was good, spent more time in photoshop than i wanted to but it wasn't that bad.

day two, wow was this one easy, i think i may stick to just photogenic couples, nearly no post processing, i used a gelled flash for almost the whole shoot and the images came out crisp and almost perfectly exposed. i had to go back and lighten some dark ares where shadows caught the eyes, but overall pretty easy. they were under a time constraint and i wish i could have gotten some individuals of them to use on my website, but im sure i'll another chance.

day three, this was the toughest shoot and the one that really had me worried during, it was for a friend i hadn't seen in years and she saw the images of the first two shoots so her expectations were through the roof. I didn't feel confidant at all while i was doing it, it was 95 degrees out, and I was having a hard time keeping the couple focused and getting facial expressions the way i wanted them. I got home and was trilled to see what i got. I was so happy they turned out, not just for them but just knowing that I got the result i did under the pressure i was under and not feeling it during the shoot itself. this one was a big confidant booster for me.

on the website, i ended up going with bigblackbag.com i purchased my own domain as well instead of letting them do it. i tried smugmug, zenfolio and 500px, smugmug was way to complicated to get a simple site, zenfolio was a bit better but I couldnt get the clean interface i was looking for. 500px was stripped down but closer to what i wanted, but for the price it wasn't worth it, had it been cheaper i would have gone with it probably. bigblackbag was nearly perfect except for price, more than i wanted to spend for what i got but it was perfectly easy to craft a simple good looking site.

so thanks for everyone who gave me input and advice on this endeavor

and now:

//www.michaelalestraphotography.com/

pamb

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

06/21/2012 08:38:02 AM · #2

looking, reading, looking...

typo in 'about me'... happily travel to anywhere in the tri-state....

...your logo isn't on every pic, so that made me look for it instead of looking at the pic...

...I don't like the double scroll bar bits in the 'about me' section, but I don't suppose you can do much about that...

All in all, a professional looking site, simple to navigate, with (for me) a good variety of people based shots that look exactly like what should sell well.

Well done.

Message edited by author 2012-06-21 08:43:58.

NiallOTuama

Google Pixel 2

06/21/2012 08:44:16 AM · #3

Change your DPC link to:
//mike_311.dpchallenge.com
It looks better :-)

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II

06/21/2012 08:52:31 AM · #4

thanks i was going to redo the about me section, i dont like the layout. thanks for the link fix too.

Venser

Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO M.Zuiko

06/21/2012 09:42:53 AM · #5

In the about me section, instead of opening a clumsy window within that interface, you should have it open another tab or window. The DPC website looks terrible when confined to your sleek interface.

CS

tate

Apple iPhone 15 Pro

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D

06/21/2012 09:57:05 AM · #6

- I like the simple window and easy-to-navigate set-up. I don't feel like I get lost.
- The photos are sharp and balanced all-in all.
- My preference would be to crop them slightly differently,moving up the image and taking out most of what is above the heads of the models - in some cases, we will then see the hands a bit more. Examples in "couples" section: 1,3,4,8-10.
- I like the "about me" and the innocent feel to it. You seem trustworthy etc.

I had never heard of bigblackbag.com but it seems to work nicely for what you are doing.

I went with smugmug and now use it mainly for a backup system since they allow for unlimited storage. I really have never felt my web-page was very useful or simple - but your site kinda reminds me that it is important to not get lost on a web page.
My main problem is that I can not / will not focus on a specific type of photography. So my images are all over the map. Perhaps soon I will ask for a critique as well, but right now I'm too scared of all the criticism I would receive =\

robs

Canon EOS R6 Mk II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

06/21/2012 09:57:34 AM · #7

Well done to get this far so quickly!

- Good solid pictures to start with - obviously you can add variety as you get more work.
- On the link thing, I would not show the url but just have text - have something like "Me on DP Challenge (some 3 word desc of site)" & Me on 500px maybe.
- The layout is small on my screen.... do you have a reason for that?

Venser

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II

Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO M.Zuiko

06/21/2012 10:05:56 AM · #8

Originally posted by robs:

- The layout is small on my screen.... do you have a reason for that?

This is rather annoying when you have a 27" monitor. It's confined to some small area in the middle. Forgot to mention this initially.

Something else, related to that, is in the about me section again, the sentences are all jaded and offset to fit words into the spaces; it looks broken and slightly amateurish. I would either fix the problem or move the text on the left of your photo just below your photo.

Mark-A

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

06/21/2012 10:31:34 AM · #9

Not bad at all.

My only gripe would be to get some different portraits up asap. Only having one model / person is never a good idea, just use someone you know (or preferably a couple of different people) mix it up a bit too do some studio type work if you have the facilities.

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D

06/21/2012 10:54:37 AM · #10

the layout is fixed. i think i can purchase an option to have it scale larger for larger screens.

the individuals yes i know i need to get more. need to get some shoots lined up, i may just remove them for now.

tate

Apple iPhone 15 Pro

06/25/2012 08:01:55 AM · #11

I have avoided linking to DPC on my web page. I figured it confuses things because it is a completely different concept/setup/layout etc. If anything, someone would see some of my worst photos if they really do any snooping aound =D â�¦ seriously. Maybe if there are images on DPC that you want to showcase, just use them on your web-page? As always, IMHO.

Originally posted by NiallOTuama:

Change your DPC link to:
//mike_311.dpchallenge.com
It looks better :-)

jagar

Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+

Sony Sonnar FE 2.8 35mm ZA

06/25/2012 08:21:42 AM · #12

I really like the simplicity of the layout and as a starting point I think it's perfect, hope it works out for you.

Mark-A

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

06/25/2012 09:02:14 AM · #13

Originally posted by mike_311:

Nah no need to remove them, it's fine until you get some different people, just get on Model Mayhem or ask some friends to help you out and get a few different people on to add the feeling you are more experienced than just one shoot - we know you are but anyone looking wont necessarily.

rooum

06/25/2012 09:14:22 AM · #14

It's looking great so far Mike.

Re: the size issue, with the site being too small for large monitors. I also have a Big Black Bag site and have the same issue of course. Yes, there is an option to 'supersize' to fill larger monitors which i'm thinking about doing. It is a bit annoying that this costs extra though as i do think it should be basic.

I also don't think it's a great idea to link to DPC really. It kind of comes across as unprofessional in a way i think. Perhaps just put your favourite challenge images into a 'Personal Work' gallery although i think even doing that is slightly unprofessional sometimes it seems to me.

Apple iPhone 5

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 ED

06/25/2012 11:36:16 AM · #15

Originally posted by rooum:

I also don't think it's a great idea to link to DPC really. It kind of comes across as unprofessional in a way i think.

Well, I suppose it *is* unprofessional, as it's work you didn't get paid for. :)

06/25/2012 12:03:35 PM · #16

eta duplicate.

Message edited by author 2012-06-25 12:04:20.

06/25/2012 12:04:05 PM · #17

I though about not linking it but I think it gives the impression that i dont just do this for money.

and yes the supersize is such a rip, $50 a year???

willop

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM II

06/26/2012 12:38:40 AM · #18

Originally posted by mike_311:

I though about not linking it but I think it gives the impression that i dont just do this for money.

and yes the supersize is such a rip, $50 a year???

lose the links to 'amateur' soccer mommy sites. You want to be a professional, get respected and paid accordingly? Then you need to be /different/ than my neighbor sally that got a rebel for christmas and tells me she gets great pics of the kids in her backyard at 8pm during the sweet light (and post such on FB 5 times a week) where she only gets 'rave' reviews (from family mostly)

You /are/ doing it for the money. I dont' want to hire someone to cut my grass or repair my car that does it 'for fun' - I want someone serious, someone that is a professional not a hobbyist looking to have a good time on my dime.

Your about me sounds like 90% of all other photogs out there - I think you left out /passion/ though LOL. You love photography - good for you. What does that do for me, the customer? I only care about me (as we all only care about ourselves).

bhuge

Canon EOS-550D Rebel T2i

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

06/26/2012 12:59:59 AM · #19

Originally posted by willop:

Originally posted by mike_311:
I though about not linking it but I think it gives the impression that i dont just do this for money.

and yes the supersize is such a rip, $50 a year???

lose the links to 'amateur' soccer mommy sites. You want to be a professional, get respected and paid accordingly? Then you need to be /different/ than my neighbor sally that got a rebel for christmas and tells me she gets great pics of the kids in her backyard at 8pm during the sweet light (and post such on FB 5 times a week) where she only gets 'rave' reviews (from family mostly)

You /are/ doing it for the money. I dont' want to hire someone to cut my grass or repair my car that does it 'for fun' - I want someone serious, someone that is a professional not a hobbyist looking to have a good time on my dime.

Your about me sounds like 90% of all other photogs out there - I think you left out /passion/ though LOL. You love photography - good for you. What does that do for me, the customer? I only care about me (as we all only care about ourselves).

I would love to hire someone to cut my grass that does it 'for fun'

Ozzie

Nikon D90

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR

06/26/2012 01:23:09 AM · #20

If you haven't noticed, in the Pricing wording, you have a la cart. It should be a la carte.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II

06/26/2012 07:38:22 AM · #21

Originally posted by willop:

good points, thanks for that. i actually took out the first paragraph and the links. you are right, i modeled it after what i found on some other sites. As a customer I wouldn't care about any of that.

Message edited by author 2012-06-26 07:38:38.

pgirish007

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

06/26/2012 07:46:09 AM · #22

I am not sure if you fixed this but I see a typo in the image link, after .com/ is missing and causing page not found. Use firefox with Temper data add-on and you will be able to catch all issues that you may have in the website!

Over all it is looking nice, when I re-size the browser window, entire page is getting re-sized which is good.

//www.michaelalestraphotography.comasp_scripts/print_image.asp?WebsiteID=44568&GalleryID=159015&MediaID=3014890&Print=0

paynekj

Pentax K10D

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

06/26/2012 09:05:05 AM · #23

I question the use of the word "snapshot" in your about me text. It's got too many associations with non-professional photography, but I may be over-thinking that.

The site-map is a bit of a mess being black text on a very dark background and the direct links to the images are broken.

Overall I like what you've done.

Message edited by author 2012-06-26 09:06:26.

06/26/2012 09:53:27 AM · #24

Originally posted by paynekj:

no good point, i went back and reworded it, i actually like what i have better now. disassociating from a snapshot is a good thing since the images i want my customer to know i can for make are the furthest thing from a snap shot.

ETA i'll have to look at the site map. The site generated it by itself.. so im not sure whats going on..

Message edited by author 2012-06-26 09:54:29.