Thumbs Down

How NOT to make your website horrible:

1. Don’t resize my browser! I don’t care if you want me to view your work on all white. I have it that size for a reason and I don’t like it when you louse it up!

2. NO MUSIC! That’s about the most annoying part of photography websites these days. Your music is not cool, I don’t care what band you’re listening to right now. If you’re not getting paid to put someone else’s music on your site and it’s not yours, get it our of there.

3. Locking the buttons from page to page. When I scroll around on someone’s portfolio I like to click, next, next, next. When the next button moves it ruins the flow of the experience.

4. Too much flash. I get dizzy when there are windows and words flying all over the screen.

5. No Thumbnails. I know a lot of people like them and use them. I don’t understand the reason for having them. You shouldn’t need to have a next button and thumbnails. Pick your poison.

This mostly applies to the photography websites I look at. I see a photographer’s blog and I think the person’s work is really interesting or lovely. Then I get to their website and I can barely get past my browser being huge and the newest Jack Johnson song playing, to even peruse the work.

And I apologize to Duston for using his entire website as an example. I really love your work. I just can’t stand the way you present it. Your blog is far superior. With a lot of friends asking who I would suggest as a photographer for their wedding, I would definitely recommend him to anyone getting married in Utah. Good price, good eye.

Granted, I do not yet have my own website. But I’m working on it! You can bet your bottom dollar I’m not forcing you to listen to my favorite Travis song or making you navigate all over the place for a way to scroll through my images.