New website goes live and GFWilliams teams up with CambridgeAutogleam!

[GFWilliams]

I really like the front page, looks really professional, very polished but the services page looks a little tacky, doesn`t have the same impact that the front page does. The portfolio page is awesome but do think you need to watermark, even if it is small but understand your reluctance not to. I have a professional photographer friend who does a lot of equestrian events and has " given " images to a horses owner to later find them published in a magazine!! Now he watermarks everything unless you pay for the image and even then there are clauses about commercial use of the image. The conact page isn`t as polished as the front page either.
Hope it doesn`t sound like I`m tearing it to bits but I think the front page and portfolio pages have just set the bar so high.

Not at all, thank you very much. All feedback helps to improve the site which can only be a good thing. I'll be having a think about the layout and typeface on the services page to make it look more professional. I'll also have a think about the contact page.
I'll think about the watermark tonight and if you check back tomorrow it might have a little logo in the corner of the photos

website is nice, too bad about the crappy pictures!! ( )

All the more reason for people to book shoots so I can practise
(And now I can photograph super super clean cars too!)

 

[MariusL]

Love the X-bow shots, is that GregB's?

 

[jk83]

This is why I never asked for feedback on my own site

I think its just the lay out and type face on the service page... maybe the angled writing too? The contacts page is pretty much basic and you dont need anything more than that... Maybe even drop it all together and just have an email link and phone number in the footer of each page? I'm not a fan of website forms and when given a choice prefer to email from my own email system anyway.

 

[GFWilliams]

Love the X-bow shots, is that GregB's?

This part of the forum is open to the public, so probably best not to say... If you really want to know, pm me

 

[GFWilliams]

This is why I never asked for feedback on my own site

I think its just the lay out and type face on the service page... maybe the angled writing too? The contacts page is pretty much basic and you dont need anything more than that... Maybe even drop it all together and just have an email link and phone number in the footer of each page? I'm not a fan of website forms and when given a choice prefer to email from my own email system anyway.

I've added an option of emailing to the contact page as well as the form

Service page will be changed tomorrow at some stage as I've got a friend coming to visit me in a minute...

 

[LuckyP]

Really good George. Agree with the font size thing. Most of your intended will read a bit more than just Viz!! You can go smaller.

You still have the angle thing going on with that offer text. What is that all about/ Same colour but at an angle....odd mate.

 

[GFWilliams]

Really good George. Agree with the font size thing. Most of your intended will read a bit more than just Viz!! You can go smaller.

You still have the angle thing going on with that offer text. What is that all about/ Same colour but at an angle....odd mate.

Sorted

 

[LuckyP]

Trouble is....and please take this as praise....but as a punter, I'd only get to your header page and 'think' that I couldn't afford your services!!

You is almost too profeshnial!!

Which is...err...nice.

 

[Woppum]

Do you not need an about us page? When your inviting a random off the Internet around to take pics of your super car it may help? I've met you and know your a ok but for those that haven't...

 

[Nathan]

I like it from a design point of view but from a coding point of view it isn't very good.

No search engine can read any of the text, it is generally considered bad practice to have text in images anyway for accessibility reasons:

http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/

You've populated the meta data suggesting you are interested in search engine traffic but the metadata isn't used by google for ranking so you are left with nothing for it to index.

Wouldn't take you long to redo the text and menus in text using pure html + css and it'd really be worth it in terms of getting traffic to the site. All IMO.

Edit to say move style info and javascript to separate docs too.

 

[Del]

c) When people steal a photo you can send them an invoice. Has happened a few times and they've paid out happily both times.

But how do you know that there are not more of your images out there ... TBH if they really want to use your photo then a little logo in the corner can easily be cropped or pasted over. Nice work on the site though

 

[Azrael]

Sounds good

I've now changed the font to a much smaller size. Big improvement, but might try to find a better font.

Definitely better

 

[Radders]

I probably should, but a) it's a bit more editing and I spend long enough editing photos as it is! And b) I think watermarks/logos can often look very distracting. And c) When people steal a photo you can send them an invoice. Has happened a few times and they've paid out happily both times.

I think you should think more on this and do more to protect your images. Also include a section on the site with details for licensing commercial and personal use. Have you also considered offering your images to companies like istockphoto etc and see if you can earn some royalties?

Nice entrance page but the site doesn't get the message across with regards to what your offering. IMO people should understand exactly what you do without having to read. Perhaps pictures of one of your shoots in action?

 

[KnickeRS]

Some very valid comments from other PGT'ers but I like it myself so only fine tuning me thinks. Well done. A good idea teaming up with Nathan too. His work is top draw it really is.

I will sort something this year for a few of my cars and bikes to be photographed by you George, tieing in with Nathan for their annual spit and polish also. I will try to think of some good backdrops.

Regarding commercial, I have an idea ...........which I will speak to you about also.

 

[jk83]

Some very valid comments from other PGT'ers but I like it myself so only fine tuning me thinks. Well done. A good idea teaming up with Nathan too. His work is top draw it really is.

I will sort something this year for a few of my cars and bikes to be photographed by you Graham, tieing in with Nathan for their annual spit and polish also. I will try to think of some good backdrops.

Regarding commercial, I have an idea ...........which I will speak to you about also.

Hello Nick..

I think its George

 

[GB]

George, what about blurring the number plates for the site gallery rather than watermarking (which looks crap) or adding a logo to the shots (too easy to crop) or even making a flash animated slideshow which is harder to copy the image from, than a static jpeg or bitmap?

I personally always blur my reg plate if posting photos of any of my cars on the web.

 

[Woppum]

George, what about blurring the number plates for the site gallery rather than watermarking (which looks crap) or adding a logo to the shots (too easy to crop) or even making a flash animated slideshow which is harder to copy the image from, than a static jpeg or bitmap?

I personally always blur my reg plate if posting photos of any of my cars on the web.

Par the one in your avatar

 

[GB]

Par the one in your avatar

Saddo alert. You zoomed in to check. :finger

 

[KnickeRS]

Hello Nick..

I think its George

LOL, i'm getting old Nathan. Edited and sorry George.

 

[poon]

sorry didn't see your text re travel, that said Maidenhead isnt far from Surrey!