Some time at the beginning of October, I cracked open the www and embarked on a tedious journey of learning how to code and design a website for my photography. The method of coding in tables and multiple browser versions have now been replaced by the newest streamlined versions of HTML and CSS. Flash, as it turns out, is so 1999, which meant I had to dive into new territory with javascript, jquery and a little bit of ajax. Might was well jump into the blogging community while I’m at it. How hard could it be learning wordpress and php anyway?
Well, one month after I finished whacking the keyboard on my laptop and releasing my website into the wild, out comes design number two. As it turns out, I spent a lot of my time learning the nuts and bolts of coding and less time getting a good understanding in design. Color coordination, spatial relationships and typography are some of the obvious issues that come to mind during the design process but there are many other important design goals that usually are overlooked. Does the website focus on solving a problem? How well does my site deliver the content to meet the expectations of the user? Is it clear what the site is trying to accomplish? When I further evaluated my site after it’s initial launch, it was obvious thay it was not answering the big overall questions that it needed to.
Luckily for me, I stumbled upon a photographer on the web by the name of Zack Arias who is very generous in sharing some incredible knowledge with anyone who has an appetite to learn. About 9 months ago, he started a screen cast on his blog called Critique, where he (and his wife) critique other photographer’s websites. What Zack’s blog brings to the table that is missing from other sites such Webdesigner Depot or Smashing Magazine, is the focus of designing for the problem at hand. He is a photographer, not a web guru and understands what other photogs are trying to accomplish. Thankfully I’m getting over being consumed by all the newest and flashiest web trends of today and instead learning how to put my energy where it needs to be – showcasing the most important asset I have, my photographs.
So here it is, Giant Smile Photography redesigned. Feel free to give me any critique you have about my work or this site. Thank you Zack Arias, for all the great information you put out on the web for us photogs to see. If you would like to know more about how to better become a photographer and better showcase your work, please check out his blog, it’s an excellent addition to anyone’s blogroll.