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Would you hire me?

Discussion in 'Websites' started by photo heather, Sep 5, 2004.

  1. #1
    Please let me know what you think of the overall layout and photographs at:

    http://www.vallentyneweddings.com

    Would you hire me if you were looking for a wedding photographer?

    This is my very 1st time designing a website, so be kind :D !
     
    photo heather, Sep 5, 2004 IP
  2. Lever

    Lever Deep Thought

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    #2
    Heather,

    Good website; clean layout, no fuss, relatively easy to use and class photographs - the frames are a nice touch :)

    Did you test it on 800x600 screen resolution? My standard 1600x1200 is fine but at 800x600 some of the pages have to be scrolled horizontal and vertical and IMO that spoils the aesthetic - from the stats on most of my sites 800x600 accounts for 33% of views, with 1024x768 it works great and that's approx 50% of views.

    Also your text is embedded in graphics so you'll lose the advantage of the text for any SEO you may want to do, if that's important to you.

    Just a couple of minor points there, but if that's your first attempt you'll do well and go far :D
     
    Lever, Sep 5, 2004 IP
  3. THT

    THT Peon

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    #3
    very nice looking, not to sure about the click here to enter page!

    very nice looking i a little slow to load

    THT
     
    THT, Sep 5, 2004 IP
  4. NewComputer

    NewComputer Well-Known Member

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    #4
    I have never been a fan of intro pages. I want 'meat and potatoes'. I think you would have greater success starting with the red rose pedal photo then the intro page. I also found the dots a little confusing. I clicked the roman numerals 6 or 7 times before I realized I had to click. Also, when you click the numerals, my suggestion would be to change the image so that the user knows that something has 'happened'.

    Layout is nice, quick loading and very much grabs your attention. The price scares me ;), but all in all, very nicely done.

    PS: I hope this does not come across as harsh...
     
    NewComputer, Sep 5, 2004 IP
  5. Nitin M

    Nitin M White/Gray/Black Hat

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    #5
    Very nice site. I agree on the bullets/dots --- not very intuitive.

    Also, when I click Gallery - the first picture i see should be your best and IMHO it isn't ... there are many awesome pictures in the gallery but the first one didn't do it for me.
     
    Nitin M, Sep 5, 2004 IP
  6. ResaleBroker

    ResaleBroker Active Member

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    #6
    Great Photography. I think you do great work.

    It sounds like a lot of the "web stuff" has been covered already; intro page, dots, etc.

    From a consumer point of view I would be interested in seeing different packages posted with prices. But that's just me ;)
     
    ResaleBroker, Sep 5, 2004 IP
  7. photo heather

    photo heather Guest

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    #7
    Thanks everyone for all the honest opinions! I agree that the gallery page needs to be easier to navigate...it seems cheesy to me to put instructions there so may be I will change the format a bit. New computer mentioned he was surprised at the price, and I am actually at the lower end of the spectrum! I have a friend in Laguna Beach who charges 20,000-45,000 per day which would be the highest-end available (shocking, I know but he is booked year round)
    A few people did not like the intro page. I was going to keep that only because I am building an online wedding resource guide for my customers and others who come across the site. I wanted the first page to give the option of either entering the photography site, or viewing the resources. I guess I'll see how well that works once I get tha guide going...

    So, thanks for the responses
    :D I appreciate it!
    Heather
     
    photo heather, Sep 7, 2004 IP
  8. photo heather

    photo heather Guest

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    #8
    Someone mentioned that my text on my website is tied up in graphics. This is true because I designed these pages in Photoshop. What I am wondering is, If I write the same paragraph in my alt text, would that be better for search engines?
    Heather :confused:
     
    photo heather, Sep 7, 2004 IP
  9. digitalpoint

    digitalpoint Overlord of no one Staff

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    #9
    Maybe... although there probably is some limitations on to how much alt text you can use before it's considered spam by Google, but it wouldn't hurt to try.
     
    digitalpoint, Sep 7, 2004 IP
  10. photo heather

    photo heather Guest

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    #10
    I'll try it. After all, with an amazing google rating of ZERO! I'm not going to lose much here. :D
     
    photo heather, Sep 7, 2004 IP
  11. mopacfan

    mopacfan Peon

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    #11
    Definitely loose the intro page. Otherwise, for the market you're targeting, I think it looks very nice. (oh yea, the roman numerals were confusing)
     
    mopacfan, Sep 7, 2004 IP
  12. NewComputer

    NewComputer Well-Known Member

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    #12
    I think as long as you 'keep it real' you will be find. Something like "photo of girl in wedding dress standing beside a tree" paints a nice picture and also contains some important keywords and phrases.
     
    NewComputer, Sep 7, 2004 IP
  13. bobafind

    bobafind Peon

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    #13
    Maybe combine an image of the rose petals or another beautiful photo into the "intro" page ...

    Images always draw people in.
     
    bobafind, Sep 7, 2004 IP
  14. Trance-formation

    Trance-formation Peon

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    #14
    Beautiful site... sumptuous even :) Demonstration that design is design is design I guess

    I like the numerals and dots... quite arty and minimalist in a way... maybe it would help if you simply had "Gallery I" instead of just "I"

    It does annoy on my laptop that the site just spills over the page requiring a horizontal scroll bar... I would suggest restricting the width of the page to fit a 800x600 screen resolution
     
    Trance-formation, Sep 7, 2004 IP
  15. Geir

    Geir Berserker

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    #15
    Nice site.
    I too would loose the intro page - chances are I would turn around right there.

    I also found the dots/numbers on the gallery page confusing.

    :) Geir
     
    Geir, Sep 7, 2004 IP
  16. Dominic

    Dominic Well-Known Member

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    #16
    What geography do you cover?

    We are based in 'x' - available 'x,y & z.'
     
    Dominic, Sep 8, 2004 IP
  17. arestia

    arestia Peon

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    #17
    Just based on your gallery of work i would hire you for my wedding. Would be nice to have beautiful photos for that special of a day.

    also, from a designers standpoint, your site is very well designed for a first try.

    -Dan
     
    arestia, Sep 8, 2004 IP
  18. rhinoplayer

    rhinoplayer Peon

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    #18
    I paid more for my wedding photos and they didn't look as nice! (darn) I think it looks good. Maybe I'm a little slow...but it took me a few seconds to figure out how to view the different pictures which means it would have taken my mother-in-law about 20 minutes!! - - - maybe you could make it more obvious.
     
    rhinoplayer, Sep 8, 2004 IP
  19. david_sakh

    david_sakh Peon

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    #19
    you've got my thumbs up

    but the webpage itself could always be improved.
     
    david_sakh, Sep 8, 2004 IP