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DPChallenge Forums >> Business of Photography >> I need some FRESH eyes!!!
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 10/24/2012 03:13:21 AM · #1
Hello DPC World! I haven't been around for a while...life seems to have gotten in my way. Although the good news is that I am still shooting (even though I don't update my portfolio here much) and I am now partnering with a friend to give a go at a legit photography partnership.

We just launched a website, facebook, and twitter. So please feel free to check us out, "Like" us, and "Follow" us.

The reason for my post this morning (2:00 AM local time), is to ask for a fresh set of eyes on our pages. Let me know what you think of the website, facebook page, and twitter page. Any and all feedback is welcome and appreciated.

Hopefully this new adventure will give me more reasons to post pictures here and participate in the forums again. Who knows, I might even enter my 2nd challenge!

Thanks in advance, we do appreciate it!

-drew

H&H Studios Website

H&H Studios Facebook

H&H Studios Twitter
 10/24/2012 04:31:14 AM · #2
Website doesn't even load on my iPhone on wireless I'll got check my other macs

loads on imac and iPad, site looks good clean layout, pics are a bit quick in transition makes me feel hurried

clicked recent work the two sat on the jetty with the crazy frame id loose that have a straight black frame more contemporary and less someone playing in picasa etc

id smooth the skin a little on the baby in back in the saddle the light has made all veins etc show wants softening down a little

overall nice small town feel to it, for the over 10 years experience in portraits line in the about section i dont seen many formal portraits on the site... maybe a few more and get some nice bokeh shots in there as well

Ok offering real world not your mate advice, Facebook

The cover photo on Facebook is a 3.0 on here wants to be changed, or the colourful ballons on a panorama crop, there's a lot of average pics that don't wow me into thinking your professional and the first word in your title is affordable which already has me thinking your not good enough hence why your affordable.... Sell yourself a little more be more confident

facebook needs to be made more like your website if you can crisper...

Message edited by author 2012-10-24 04:56:42.
 10/24/2012 05:00:47 AM · #3
first, congrats and best wishes!

your site is nice, clean, and quick.

facebook: get a better cover photo. the one you have now is a nice idea, but it doesn't really represent your work that well. the baby photo would be a better choice, imho.

here's a goal: where you are now is a starting point. make it a goal every shoot to replace at least two images in your portfolio with better ones. keep pushing yourselves to create personal best every time out. in short time, you will have a portfolio that is both fresh and representative of what you are really capable of delivering.
 10/24/2012 06:25:46 AM · #4
In the Portfolio area clicking on the name of the gallery gives you one image. I didn't realise for a while that if you clicked on the picture there was more to see.
Portraits & Family picture labelled as Engagement Photograph
'Wrong Gallery Short code format' appears as caption to some pictures.
There's a big variety of styles in your pictures, some are OK, some less so. I didn't get a sense of 'identity' for H&H from them.
Site as a whole seems OK apart from the issues on the Portfolio page.
:)
 10/24/2012 07:45:14 PM · #5
Thanks for the feedback so far. I do appreciate the constructive criticism. I know we have a long way to go and wanted to put it out to the DPC community that knows the business and can tell me what is good and what needs to be improved. So please know that frank, constructive criticism is just fine by me.

To address a couple of points:
-the site seems to load fine for iphone and ipad for us when we tested it, although the site is supposed to tweak itself to know what kind of device it's on and the space it is using. The portfolio sucks on the iphone, though.
-I know the slideshow is quick, we don't have control over the speed...I wish I could slow it down, but I don't think we can.
-I want to tweak some pics that we use to optimize them for their size (resharpen, reblur, adjust contrast) We were working off regular sized photos, then cropped them down, but didn't tweak them.
-And we will be adding more and more photos to the gallery. We wanted to start with some and then back build from there. There are a LOT more wedding and portrait shots that didn't make the first grab.
-That probably led the the "branding" or "identity" problem. I'll work on centralizing how the photos are processed to give a similar feel.

Thanks for looking at the facebook site too. I will work on making it a little crisper/cleaner and be updating the cover photo tonight.

Thank you Giles_uk and Chinarosepetal for the honest, constructive criticism.

Skip, I'm glad you looked an chimed in (I was hoping you were still around here). I will make sure it is our goal to outperform ourselves each time we pick up our cameras.

Thanks for looking; and everyone else, please feel free to check us out and chime in with your thoughts.

Thanks again, and I look forward to more comments!

-drew
 10/25/2012 02:31:44 AM · #6
Good luck :)
 10/25/2012 05:15:36 PM · #7
Originally posted by Chinarosepetal:
Good luck :)


Thank you!
 10/25/2012 07:09:06 PM · #8
I checked out the website on Safari on a Mac.

Loads reasonably quickly, with no obvious quirks. The layout and design looks clean and impressive. I'm even more impressed that I couldn't find any spelling or grammatical errors! ;-)
10/25/2012 10:41:23 PM · #9
Originally posted by JH:
I checked out the website on Safari on a Mac.

Loads reasonably quickly, with no obvious quirks. The layout and design looks clean and impressive. I'm even more impressed that I couldn't find any spelling or grammatical errors! ;-)

Thanks, I wrote the copy ahead of time...my dad was a stickler for writing and it rubbed off on me.

-drew
 10/26/2012 01:43:27 AM · #10
Originally posted by drewbixcube:
Originally posted by JH:
I checked out the website on Safari on a Mac.

Loads reasonably quickly, with no obvious quirks. The layout and design looks clean and impressive. I'm even more impressed that I couldn't find any spelling or grammatical errors! ;-)

Thanks, I wrote the copy ahead of time...my dad was a stickler for writing and it rubbed off on me.

-drew

Although sometimes it goes out the window during forum posts!
 11/08/2012 11:29:54 AM · #11
I think you have some presentation and marketing issues. The site is clean but it's a template I've seen a million times. But moreso than that...

1. There's a random senior in your family gallery.
2. The "just for fun" gallery should be deleted. It's too random and not going to get you any business. And why isn't that first photo in the family portfolio?
3. Wedding, portrait, and event photography. Have you considered narrowing your field of focus and being great at just one of those? "there isn’t much that we can’t do" -- but there's a lot that you don't do really well. And people pay for really well.
4. You talk a lot about products and such, especially on the engagements page: "Engagement photos and Bridal sittings are always fun to shoot, and make great backdrops for “Save the Date” cards, online or printed wedding announcements, “Thank You” cards, customized guest book pages, and reception table centerpieces." But that doesn't sell people on why to get engagement pictures. I think you need to start looking at ways to tell stories that make people lust for what you offer.
5. Your location is very broad. "Throughout Missouri and Illinois" -- that could be ANYWHERE. Where are you actually located? What is your target market?
6. You need a phone number. If they can't contact you quickly, they move on to someone they can contact quickly.

11/08/2012 03:40:32 PM · #12
FWIW
kgeary has some very good points. I know it is fun to talk about yourself, but your web site needs a focus and a purpose. For example, the About Us section is too long and unfocused. A potential client wants to know about you, but on a limited basis - how who you are and why you do what you do fits into what they need in a photographer. It isn't an autobiography - but it comes across that way.

I also like what others have said about looking to upgrade your images continually on your pages to be fresh and highlight excellence in your work.

Twitter needs more than one photo.

+1 to the comment on vague location - do you really want to drive 2 1/2 hours cross state to do a 1 hour shoot? Pick your home location, draw about a 30-60 mile travel time around it. Anything outside of that had better be really worth it (money or exposure).

Also, I don't really get the purpose of your partner. Do you both go on the photo shoots together, or does he just hang around at the studio? Is his work priced separately, or is it included in the standard fee?

Marketing is all about managing expectations. Your site gives the impression that you are just starting out, that you work for cheap (which also translates to cheap work, make-shift equipment), and that you are desperate for work. Regardless of whether all or any of those are true, it certainly does you no good to make them your marketing points.

Put on your imagination hat - you've been in business ten years, and have people calling you off of references from thrilled clients. Without being snooty, or ego maniacs, how would you represent your business? You will perform at the level of professionalism you portray (unless you're OK with living with yourself as a fraud).

Best wishes on your new venture - hope it work out really well for you.
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