Frequently asked questions Why is important to have images on my company's website? "Advertising is seen not read," says Jerry Della Femina, advertising icon. Nothing could be a more apt saying for the internet age. In a society where it takes less effort to click a mouse than to turn a magazine page, you have to stop the viewer and deliver information as quickly as possible. (Click images for larger size) How can you do this? Fill your web pages with the most wonderful prose you can find? When was the last time you enjoyed looking at a page full of text? More likely, if you are REALLY interested, you will skim the words. Otherwise, you take a quick look, then click away to somewhere more visually exciting. Can you imagine how much text it would take to describe the atmosphere around this Gateway ® computer photograph? What about images from those photography disks I hear about? Will a generic, royalty-free image work? Sometimes, if you are talking about a pure concept image. However, when you use an image from a widely distributed disk, you take the risk the viewer has seen it many other places before. Generic images tell the viewer nothing about your product. How comfortable are you buying a product sight unseen? You want to make it easy for your customer to feel good about buying from you. Can someone in my company take the pictures? In some cases when the subject is simple, outdoors, well lighted, the answer is yes. However, in such a visual society, it is the subtleties that an image conveys that make a difference. What are you trying to tell the viewer about your company or product? Is the person taking the photograph able to bring this out in an exciting manner? Is the photo taken from the best angle? Are important details illustrated? Does the atmosphere help or hinder the presentation? Is the photo too complicated to easily view on the web? What about fixing it later in the computer? The motto, "We'll fix that later," should always be followed with "garbage in, garbage out." Can things be changed and enhanced in retouching later? In many cases, yes, and in some cases it is the only way to achieve an effect. But it is more expensive and often requires better original photography if you wish the manipulation to go unnoticed. It also takes specialized image processing software, such as Adobe® Photoshop®, and experience in using it. Many people put their own pictures on the web. Why shouldn't I? There is a BIG difference. Snapshots of family, friends or vacation will interest acquaintances, reqardless of quality. Stopping anonymous viewers and holding their attention long enough to keep them from clicking out of your website before buying is a totally different matter. A lot is riding on the quality of that image.
Where can I get my photographs done? Can you call up any professional photographer and have him/her take the pictures? Unfortunately, that doesn't always work either. The photographer might be able to do a great job with a wedding or portrait of your family, but be totally unprepared to provide web-ready photography. You should look for a photographer experienced in creating great web-ready commercial images. You want to create the best company image you can. Start with great images on your website. What makes a web-ready image? Keep it fast. If you don't need a background, drop it out. Sometimes backgrounds are necessary to tell a story or for page aesthetics, but if not, get rid of them. Large file sizes increase your load time -- a big no-no on the web. There are ways of either keeping the background simple or replacing it with one that helps with load time. But again, it requires preplanning by an experienced professional to make it look good, as well as load quickly. Keeping it simple also means minimizing the clutter and maximizing only the details needed to get across the information you want to communicate. These factors can be controlled by careful lighting and camera angle. Do your website images retain sufficient detail while loading quickly? If the answer is no, the viewer is missing out on desired information -- or worse yet -- has moved on before the image has even loaded. Experienced web surfers do not need Alan Weber, founding editor of Fast Company Magazine, to tell them that "speed" is the key word on the web. If a large image file exists even after the professional photographer has used all possible techniques for creating expert web photos, he/she should be able to create an file that will load progressively, or in interesting pieces, to hold the viewer's interest. A last note. Now that the web has become such an important marketing tool, professional photography can make a world of difference to the effectiveness of your website. Make your site stand out from the crowd. Visit www.leewhitephoto.com to see more of Lee White's images. e-mail: lee@websitephotography.com ph. 818.779.1002
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