I can't see how somebody is going to get the originals.
I would say 90% of the people that insist on using watermarks don't really need to worry (the pics aren't that good). You have some nice work, but I hate seeing watermarks. My vote is remove them.
Hey Mike - long time. How have you been? Yeah, I took the watermark off as I was finding it distracting too. I have limited the resolution that can be displayed on the screen, so hopefully that will alleviate some of the issues. Hope you had a great Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year.
I was typing as you replied that you removed it...lol!
I'm doing well. Still hoping for a good picture of the "Fire Fall". Got skunked twice. Now it's becoming more difficult to see it because of the publicity.
@Hikin' Mike said:
I was typing as you replied that you removed it...lol!
I'm doing well. Still hoping for a good picture of the "Fire Fall". Got skunked twice. Now it's becoming more difficult to see it because of the publicity.
Did you recently move out of California?
I was in Denver for a year and just returned back to LA. I heard about the fire-fall chaos. Apparently, they are now going to issue parking permits via lottery system and one can't just pull up and park like we used to. I am just glad that I saw the fire-fall in 2016 when I did. It's crazy that the crowds are so out of control now. Hopefully, you get to see it this year - I believe the fall wasn't flowing in 2018. I also heard that they have ceased the photography tours at Lower Antelope Canyon due to the crowds (and of course, they are making a lot of money by just having regular folks go through the canyon). I stopped by a few months ago and was shocked that the fee to enter has doubled (and the time almost halved). I was in the first group to enter (early morning), but my friend who went later said he had to wait 2 hours in the heat (even though he had an earlier appointment). Crazy, eh?
@shniks said:
I was in Denver for a year and just returned back to LA. I heard about the fire-fall chaos. Apparently, they are now going to issue parking permits via lottery system and one can't just pull up and park like we used to. I am just glad that I saw the fire-fall in 2016 when I did. It's crazy that the crowds are so out of control now. Hopefully, you get to see it this year - I believe the fall wasn't flowing in 2018. I also heard that they have ceased the photography tours at Lower Antelope Canyon due to the crowds (and of course, they are making a lot of money by just having regular folks go through the canyon). I stopped by a few months ago and was shocked that the fee to enter has doubled (and the time almost halved). I was in the first group to enter (early morning), but my friend who went later said he had to wait 2 hours in the heat (even though he had an earlier appointment). Crazy, eh?
Cheers,
It is crazy. I need to look into that permit stuff. Due to my handicapped status, I maybe able to park like I did in the past.
I had a concern regarding my homepage slideshow. I have put in a watermark in the center of my photos in the slideshow (to ward off any theft - I am aware that some skilled PS users can remove the watermark). Do you guys think it's distracting? If I remove the watermark, how secure is the site against image theft? My concern is that someone could download the full res images that are in that slideshow gallery. Thoughts?
My website is in the signature or can be found here.
Cheers,
Hi Nikhil, definitely a no to watermarks.
I also noticed that you might not have the homepage gallery set to very resolution. On a desktop the images look very soft.
Checked your site too and the homepage images are very soft as Kreeson has mentioned. You're only allowing a very small size (XL) for your lightbox images to display, so thats what Smugmug are using for display on the homepage and just blowing them up to full screen.
Two ways you could go about it. Either increase you display size to the maximum you're comfortable with, or create a separate folder and fill that with images just for your homepage slideshow. You could then set that folder to display copies at a higher resolution.
Completely understand your feelings with wanting to protect your images from theft and all of that, however its part of the game of showcasing your work online. Eventually, people will steal it no matter what the size or if its covered head to toe in watermarks.
Much better I think to embed copyright information in the metadata, and then sign up to a service like Pixsy so you can track the use of your images all over the web.
I also noticed that you might not have the homepage gallery set to very resolution. On a desktop the images look very soft.
@Shinrya said:
...Also throwing in my no to watermarks
Checked your site too and the homepage images are very soft as Kreeson has mentioned. You're only allowing a very small size (XL) for your lightbox images to display, so thats what Smugmug are using for display on the homepage and just blowing them up to full screen.
Two ways you could go about it. Either increase you display size to the maximum you're comfortable with, or create a separate folder and fill that with images just for your homepage slideshow. You could then set that folder to display copies at a higher resolution.
Completely understand your feelings with wanting to protect your images from theft and all of that, however its part of the game of showcasing your work online. Eventually, people will steal it no matter what the size or if its covered head to toe in watermarks.
Much better I think to embed copyright information in the metadata, and then sign up to a service like Pixsy so you can track the use of your images all over the web.
Thanks guys - I didn't realize that the resolution wasn't enough to view on a desktop. I was viewing on my Macbook pro and it looked great here. I increased it now, so hopefully it looks fine (I will check on a desktop tomorrow). I decided to just limit the number of slideshow photos to avoid issues. I might also look into Pixsy.
It seems quite unanimous for watermarks - I also agree, if someone really wants your image, they will spend the time removing the watermarks. Only the most busy images are almost impossible to remove watermarks from with photoshop, and they're often times not images that are likely to get stolen. I take some small solace in that the images on the website are not nearly as detailed as the originals, and would only be a screenshot, etc. as long as copyright protection is on.
@CodyP said:
www.pieperphotography.com
I'd love any CC or tips on it!
Two things jump out at me. The first is that your header takes up a third of the vertical space on a large screen monitor and half of the vertical space on a mobile device. Why? Shouldn't the focus be on your photography?
The second is the photo on your contact form. Why haven't you replaced the stock photo on the contact form with a photo of you? To replace the stock photo, click the Me icon in your header toolbar and select Edit My Profile. Change the profile photo.
@picomoments said:
Hi Mike, thanks, thats for desktop only, not for mobile.
Add this to your Theme's Custom CSS section:
/**
* Pins Header on Mobile Devices
************************************************/
@media screen and (max-width: 736px) {
.sm-page-content > .sm-page-layout > .sm-page-layout-region-header {
position: fixed;
top: 0;
z-index: 2;
}
/* Should be about the same height as the height of '.sm-page-layout-region-header' viewed using a web tool */
.sm-page-content > .sm-page-layout > .sm-page-layout-region-body {
margin-top: 157px;
}
}
Hey there, This is my site, I've tried to keep it as clean as possible so hopefully that comes across. There are a few customization in there but other than the button on the landing page there isn't anything too fancy.
How does it look? I've been told the logo looks blurred so would be good to know if others feel the same...if it is blurred I'm not really sure what I'm doing wrong as the original png is very clear! (not that I'm bothered by the logo, it was only a 5 minute text job in photoshop!).
https://www.petejohns.photography also available from http://petejohns.co.uk )
Hello,
There is a slight blur to the logo. I may have not noticed it if you didn't bring my attention to it.
From here on, these are my opinions - you do what you want to do.
The location and other tags are distracting.
Since you state in your About page (which isn't one of the many links on the top of the page) you are into landscape, I suggest you make that a main Gallery. From the Landscape gallery you can divide up my location if that's important to you.
Personally I would prefer them to be organized by type first (shore, mountains, city, etc.) and then by location - only because I am not familiar with those locations. And if you tag them properly, potential buyers can find what they want.
I suggest you re-write, rearrange your about page - get to the point of the site first. If I'm interested, I'll read on. Knowing you also have a Flickr account with images that you decided not to bring to your portfolio site isn't important to me.
And speaking about the purpose and photos - I suggest you either push to sell your images (they are quite good) or remove a bunch of them because a casual visitor will be overwhelmed with the number of images. You could then use the excess images to fill out your Instagram account - that will help draw to your site. And if do decide to ramp up your IG activity - be consistent with what you post. Don't post cars, fish heads, and northern lights back to back. People who follow IG'ers do so for specific content.
Other Social - if you are not going to Tweet on a regular basis, remove the button from the site.
The Facebook link is broken - if you don't post regularly, remove the button.
There you have it - opinions from a random dude on the Internet.
Well every person you can know,
And every place that you can go,
And any thing that you can show,
You know they're nouns.
@PJPhoto said:
How does it look? I've been told the logo looks blurred so would be good to know if others feel the same...if it is blurred I'm not really sure what I'm doing wrong as the original png is very clear! (not that I'm bothered by the logo, it was only a 5 minute text job in photoshop!).
Yes, the logo does look a little blurry but not to an extent where it would be disturbing or otherwise would look bad. My guess is that it's because it has a transparent background, and those images have their issues.
As for your site design, I like it. It's clean, simple, logically structured and easy to navigate. Personally, I do not like to have the little house icon in the breadcrumb navigation displayed because the proportions to the text are way off, but that's just very subjective. Oh, and I also like your imagery work!
Cheers,
Can
Wise words from the Dog of Wisdom: If your ball is too big for your mouth, it's not yours.
I'm here to learn and progress. Honest feedback and criticism on my images is warmly appreciated!
Hello Folks,
I've recently updated my site, but seem to have run into some issues.
Can anyone tell be why the NAV BAR is inactive when you go to a galleries page, i.e. https://www.visionsbybaker.com/browse
Second issue... Apparently, SmugMug does not allow add in sign up forms that slide-out with optional video or pop-up on page exit from places like StickyFoilios.
Is there a work around or plans to add the function?
@VisionsbyBaker said:
Hello Folks,
I've recently updated my site, but seem to have run into some issues.
Can anyone tell be why the NAV BAR is inactive when you go to a galleries page, i.e. https://www.visionsbybaker.com/browse
I'm only going to comment about your nav bar issues for now. When you go to 'Customize > Content and Design'; then select 'Entire Site'. Then create a screen shot of that and post it here. Something doesn't seem right. As an example, this is my site.
For something a little different, see our race photo page, WeRunRacePhotos.com . Click on one of the galleries and you can see another way to drive more income your way. We get from 5-10,000 users a month looking at the photos, so sponsors pay us to be in front of their audience. What can I do to improve on it?
The URL provided has a typo - it needs to end with an "s" unless "We Run Race Photo" and "We Run Race Photos" are two different sites. The following notes are for werunracephotos.com
Organization would be a viewers friend. There are too many galleries displayed on the home page. And they are not displayed logically. Create pages by date or location. Also keyword the events and locations to help viewers find their content.
Once in a gallery, there are too many photos. In the few the I checked there will be 4-8 photos of the same runner. Most are in focus, some are not. Show fewer, better shots.
I am reviewing your site on a large monitor. The sponsor logos become are read because they are on two different backgrounds.
The link to the Artwork and Photo company seem out of place on a site for runners.
Well every person you can know,
And every place that you can go,
And any thing that you can show,
You know they're nouns.
Thanks for the feedback. I will make some changes to it based on your suggestions. We get most of our visits within 3 days of the event with the latest event listed first. Typically only the first or second gallery listed is viewed. I need to figure out how to only display a couple to make it cleaner. Thanks again for the input.
I haven't updated my site in a while. It's a very basic, somewhat random collection mainly for friends and acquaintances. I don't sell anything and don't ever plan to, but could use some input on making it better.
My website is very basic as I do not know much about web design. The homepage is just a slideshow of my wedding works and no other information except the social media icon. Any feedback or tips are much appreciated. Here is mine >> https://www.hipsterwedding.asia/
Tin Tin - overall the site does a good job of providing the necessary information a visitor would want.
Here are a few observations:
The company logo does not display well on the banner - it is difficult to see. I suggest you create a horizontal version.
Since your primary audience is in the Asia-Pacific area, including other language options could help capture more viewers. Other languages would also increase your SEO reach.
You have a double-set of social media icons on the Investment page - remove one set.
You have the following line set-up as a link to your site "Việt Nam, Thailand, Bali Destination Wedding Photographer". This is not necessary and will not help SEO.
I like that you include credit for the other people and vendors involved in the weddings on the Stories section. Typically linking people away from your site isn't good however I feel the relationships you can build with the other companies is beneficial.
Your social accounts are up to date and active - that's difficult to keep up with so good job.
Once again, overall, I think the site is effective. The photography looks great and it seems like you and your clients are having a good time - and that's what matters most.
Well every person you can know,
And every place that you can go,
And any thing that you can show,
You know they're nouns.
I've been fiddling with my site for years but I've had this version for a little while so I'm happy with it. Check it out, would love to get some feedback.
Kresson, your site is rich with great images and is easy to navigate.
That said, without knowing the breakdown of who your paying clients are, I think you have too much content. Based on your Packages page you are a people photographer but you also have food and travel images.
If you are not getting income from food and travel, I would put that content on a different site so you can optimize and focus on people photography.
If you are getting income from food photography, I suggest you include information on how you work with food.
You have a couple of social channels that I don't think are necessary - Flickr and Google +
So, decide who you want to focus on and tighten up the content.
That opinion, courtesy of a random dude on the Internet.
Well every person you can know,
And every place that you can go,
And any thing that you can show,
You know they're nouns.
Derek, I can't help with the Wordpress blog integration however the content looks good.
Overall your site is well laid out and the images are great. Two nit-picking observations:
Your header content takes up quite a bit of space and there are more typefaces in that space than are necessary. Possibly moving the logo to the left and stacking the other content to the right might work. I haven't checked it on mobile so I'm not sure how it displays.
The fact that you sell prints is buried in the site. Being more marketing/sales-forward could help drive visitors to the content. That said, excellent job on keywording. That is an aspect of sites that is not always done well.
And lastly - kudos to you for keeping your social channels up to date.
There are a lot of knowledgable people here on the forum so someone should be able to help with the Wordpress site.
Well every person you can know,
And every place that you can go,
And any thing that you can show,
You know they're nouns.
Comments
Hey Mike - long time. How have you been? Yeah, I took the watermark off as I was finding it distracting too. I have limited the resolution that can be displayed on the screen, so hopefully that will alleviate some of the issues. Hope you had a great Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year.
Cheers,
My Website | My Blog | My Facebook Page | My YouTube
I was typing as you replied that you removed it...lol!
I'm doing well. Still hoping for a good picture of the "Fire Fall". Got skunked twice. Now it's becoming more difficult to see it because of the publicity.
Did you recently move out of California?
Images in the Backcountry
My SmugMug Customizations | Adding CSS to Your Site | SEO for the Photographer | Locate Your Page/Widget Number | SmugMug Help Desk
I was in Denver for a year and just returned back to LA. I heard about the fire-fall chaos. Apparently, they are now going to issue parking permits via lottery system and one can't just pull up and park like we used to. I am just glad that I saw the fire-fall in 2016 when I did. It's crazy that the crowds are so out of control now. Hopefully, you get to see it this year - I believe the fall wasn't flowing in 2018. I also heard that they have ceased the photography tours at Lower Antelope Canyon due to the crowds (and of course, they are making a lot of money by just having regular folks go through the canyon). I stopped by a few months ago and was shocked that the fee to enter has doubled (and the time almost halved). I was in the first group to enter (early morning), but my friend who went later said he had to wait 2 hours in the heat (even though he had an earlier appointment). Crazy, eh?
Cheers,
My Website | My Blog | My Facebook Page | My YouTube
It is crazy. I need to look into that permit stuff. Due to my handicapped status, I maybe able to park like I did in the past.
Images in the Backcountry
My SmugMug Customizations | Adding CSS to Your Site | SEO for the Photographer | Locate Your Page/Widget Number | SmugMug Help Desk
Hi Nikhil, definitely a no to watermarks.
I also noticed that you might not have the homepage gallery set to very resolution. On a desktop the images look very soft.
picomoments.smugmug.com
...Also throwing in my no to watermarks
Checked your site too and the homepage images are very soft as Kreeson has mentioned. You're only allowing a very small size (XL) for your lightbox images to display, so thats what Smugmug are using for display on the homepage and just blowing them up to full screen.
Two ways you could go about it. Either increase you display size to the maximum you're comfortable with, or create a separate folder and fill that with images just for your homepage slideshow. You could then set that folder to display copies at a higher resolution.
Completely understand your feelings with wanting to protect your images from theft and all of that, however its part of the game of showcasing your work online. Eventually, people will steal it no matter what the size or if its covered head to toe in watermarks.
Much better I think to embed copyright information in the metadata, and then sign up to a service like Pixsy so you can track the use of your images all over the web.
Follow me on:
Instagram | Facebook | Flickr
Thanks guys - I didn't realize that the resolution wasn't enough to view on a desktop. I was viewing on my Macbook pro and it looked great here. I increased it now, so hopefully it looks fine (I will check on a desktop tomorrow). I decided to just limit the number of slideshow photos to avoid issues. I might also look into Pixsy.
Cheers,
My Website | My Blog | My Facebook Page | My YouTube
Also, here's my website!
www.pieperphotography.com
I'd love any CC or tips on it!
Two things jump out at me. The first is that your header takes up a third of the vertical space on a large screen monitor and half of the vertical space on a mobile device. Why? Shouldn't the focus be on your photography?
The second is the photo on your contact form. Why haven't you replaced the stock photo on the contact form with a photo of you? To replace the stock photo, click the Me icon in your header toolbar and select Edit My Profile. Change the profile photo.
Musings & ramblings at https://denisegoldberg.blogspot.com
Hi Everyone,
Happy New Year.
By any chance, do any of you know how to make the header in mobile always show (irrespective of scrolling)? Example: https://www.ericwolfinger.com/
picomoments.smugmug.com
www.picomoments.com
picomoments.smugmug.com
Pin the header. Go to 'Layout', scroll to the bottom and find 'Pinning'.
Images in the Backcountry
My SmugMug Customizations | Adding CSS to Your Site | SEO for the Photographer | Locate Your Page/Widget Number | SmugMug Help Desk
Hi Mike, thanks, thats for desktop only, not for mobile.
picomoments.smugmug.com
Add this to your Theme's Custom CSS section:
/** * Pins Header on Mobile Devices ************************************************/ @media screen and (max-width: 736px) { .sm-page-content > .sm-page-layout > .sm-page-layout-region-header { position: fixed; top: 0; z-index: 2; } /* Should be about the same height as the height of '.sm-page-layout-region-header' viewed using a web tool */ .sm-page-content > .sm-page-layout > .sm-page-layout-region-body { margin-top: 157px; } }Images in the Backcountry
My SmugMug Customizations | Adding CSS to Your Site | SEO for the Photographer | Locate Your Page/Widget Number | SmugMug Help Desk
Thanks for those tips!! I hadn't thought of the space being over-used at all and forgot to replace the profile picture after removing an older one.
This is my site, I've tried to keep it as clean as possible so hopefully that comes across. There are a few customization in there but other than the button on the landing page there isn't anything too fancy.
How does it look? I've been told the logo looks blurred so would be good to know if others feel the same...if it is blurred I'm not really sure what I'm doing wrong as the original png is very clear! (not that I'm bothered by the logo, it was only a 5 minute text job in photoshop!).
https://www.petejohns.photography
also available from http://petejohns.co.uk )
Cheers,
Pete
Hello,
There is a slight blur to the logo. I may have not noticed it if you didn't bring my attention to it.
From here on, these are my opinions - you do what you want to do.
The location and other tags are distracting.
Since you state in your About page (which isn't one of the many links on the top of the page) you are into landscape, I suggest you make that a main Gallery. From the Landscape gallery you can divide up my location if that's important to you.
Personally I would prefer them to be organized by type first (shore, mountains, city, etc.) and then by location - only because I am not familiar with those locations. And if you tag them properly, potential buyers can find what they want.
I suggest you re-write, rearrange your about page - get to the point of the site first. If I'm interested, I'll read on. Knowing you also have a Flickr account with images that you decided not to bring to your portfolio site isn't important to me.
And speaking about the purpose and photos - I suggest you either push to sell your images (they are quite good) or remove a bunch of them because a casual visitor will be overwhelmed with the number of images. You could then use the excess images to fill out your Instagram account - that will help draw to your site. And if do decide to ramp up your IG activity - be consistent with what you post. Don't post cars, fish heads, and northern lights back to back. People who follow IG'ers do so for specific content.
Other Social - if you are not going to Tweet on a regular basis, remove the button from the site.
The Facebook link is broken - if you don't post regularly, remove the button.
There you have it - opinions from a random dude on the Internet.
And every place that you can go,
And any thing that you can show,
You know they're nouns.
Yes, the logo does look a little blurry but not to an extent where it would be disturbing or otherwise would look bad. My guess is that it's because it has a transparent background, and those images have their issues.
As for your site design, I like it. It's clean, simple, logically structured and easy to navigate. Personally, I do not like to have the little house icon in the breadcrumb navigation displayed because the proportions to the text are way off, but that's just very subjective. Oh, and I also like your imagery work!
Cheers,
Can
Wise words from the Dog of Wisdom: If your ball is too big for your mouth, it's not yours.
I'm here to learn and progress. Honest feedback and criticism on my images is warmly appreciated!
My SmugMug site - kurzvorzwoelf.com
Hello Folks,
I've recently updated my site, but seem to have run into some issues.
Can anyone tell be why the NAV BAR is inactive when you go to a galleries page, i.e. https://www.visionsbybaker.com/browse
Second issue... Apparently, SmugMug does not allow add in sign up forms that slide-out with optional video or pop-up on page exit from places like StickyFoilios.
Is there a work around or plans to add the function?
Any other tips and/or comments are more than welcome.
Thanks,
Jeff
https://www.visionsbybaker.com/
When Excellence Matters, and Good Enough, Isn't.
www.VisionsbyBaker.com
I'm only going to comment about your nav bar issues for now. When you go to 'Customize > Content and Design'; then select 'Entire Site'. Then create a screen shot of that and post it here. Something doesn't seem right. As an example, this is my site.
Images in the Backcountry
My SmugMug Customizations | Adding CSS to Your Site | SEO for the Photographer | Locate Your Page/Widget Number | SmugMug Help Desk
What can I do to improve on it?
Here are a few observations:
And every place that you can go,
And any thing that you can show,
You know they're nouns.
We get most of our visits within 3 days of the event with the latest event listed first. Typically only the first or second gallery listed is viewed. I need to figure out how to only display a couple to make it cleaner.
Thanks again for the input.
I haven't updated my site in a while. It's a very basic, somewhat random collection mainly for friends and acquaintances. I don't sell anything and don't ever plan to, but could use some input on making it better.
https://www.rollinghillsimagery.com/
Any feedback or tips are much appreciated.
Here is mine >> https://www.hipsterwedding.asia/
Tin Tin - overall the site does a good job of providing the necessary information a visitor would want.
Here are a few observations:
Once again, overall, I think the site is effective. The photography looks great and it seems like you and your clients are having a good time - and that's what matters most.
And every place that you can go,
And any thing that you can show,
You know they're nouns.
Reworked my site www.picomoments.com
I've been fiddling with my site for years but I've had this version for a little while so I'm happy with it. Check it out, would love to get some feedback.
picomoments.smugmug.com
Kresson, your site is rich with great images and is easy to navigate.
That said, without knowing the breakdown of who your paying clients are, I think you have too much content. Based on your Packages page you are a people photographer but you also have food and travel images.
If you are not getting income from food and travel, I would put that content on a different site so you can optimize and focus on people photography.
If you are getting income from food photography, I suggest you include information on how you work with food.
You have a couple of social channels that I don't think are necessary - Flickr and Google +
So, decide who you want to focus on and tighten up the content.
That opinion, courtesy of a random dude on the Internet.
And every place that you can go,
And any thing that you can show,
You know they're nouns.
Derek, I can't help with the Wordpress blog integration however the content looks good.
Overall your site is well laid out and the images are great. Two nit-picking observations:
Your header content takes up quite a bit of space and there are more typefaces in that space than are necessary. Possibly moving the logo to the left and stacking the other content to the right might work. I haven't checked it on mobile so I'm not sure how it displays.
The fact that you sell prints is buried in the site. Being more marketing/sales-forward could help drive visitors to the content. That said, excellent job on keywording. That is an aspect of sites that is not always done well.
And lastly - kudos to you for keeping your social channels up to date.
There are a lot of knowledgable people here on the forum so someone should be able to help with the Wordpress site.
And every place that you can go,
And any thing that you can show,
You know they're nouns.
I use WordPress for my website. I only use SmugMug for my galleries. I customized my SmugMug site to match my WordPress site.
If you need help, you need to create a new post in the Customization section with your questions.
Images in the Backcountry
My SmugMug Customizations | Adding CSS to Your Site | SEO for the Photographer | Locate Your Page/Widget Number | SmugMug Help Desk