Critique if you will....

[E3PhotographyStudio]

Ok. Here's my website that my hubby built me for Christmas. I'm really really nervous putting this up for critique. I've read a few posts today, and some are a little ....well....OUCH! But I really want the site itsself to be simple/elegant/classy. I know I don't have a huge portfolio up on the galleries, I'm already working on that. But I would like critique on the overall layout and effectiveness or functionality of the site. Thanks!

http://www.e3photographystudio.com

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[markc]

The color and design look nice. The one thing I would stay away from is designing a site to a specific screen resolution. On my 1280x1024 screen, there's a lot of "buffer" around the center information. HTML is designed to scale. It's good to take advantage of that.

[E3PhotographyStudio]

Thanks Mark
I'll definately let my hubby know. b/c I'm not really sure what that means. LOL He's the computer guru, I'm the photographer. LOL
Were the links and buttons white or blue for you??? We're having some issues with the site right now.The links dont' seem to want to stay white. Grrrrrrr....

[mr e]

Looking good, well laid out and good color scheme, and you did keep it simple, which isn't a bad thing, good job

I would agree that you should have the width be a percentage of the page instead of fixed, 80-90% usually works for most sites.

Oh, and the links look white to me

[ernie]

Color scheme is nice, I'd just add some borders to the left and right to take away the open-space effect round the center. DON't, and I repeat, DON'T make the page dynamic to fit every screen resolution, use fixed tables like you are now. Percentaged tables will stretch out on different resolutions, ****ing up the layout you had in mind.

[E3PhotographyStudio]

Thanks you guys. I'm glad you all like the colors. I just went with some of my faves.

So, ernie what would you think about putting some of my pics along the sides?? Small little ones....maybe make them slide shows?? like the left side rotating up and the right side rotating down?

Not sure....maybe just a funky design of some sort.....I see what you're all saying though about the emptiness on the sides. My hubby says he wants the site to be viewable by people with old and new computers, but I want the site to look classy.....hmmm.....

[markc]

There are ways to scale the site as a whole while still keeping the important info formatted the way you want. Style sheets can be a big part of that. Scaling can make the site look good for both old and new computers, but it does take some work. Website design is an interesting mix of both the artistic and technical.

[E3PhotographyStudio]

Well, I talked with Steven (my husband) and he said he wrote the site in CSS ?? whatever that means, so it's not tables (just looks like it is) and it's scaleable at the same time.....I think that's how he explained it to me....I sorta just zoned out b/c he's gets all technical and I really just don't care. LOL But we're drawing out some new layouts for the homepage. I'll let you all see it when we're done. Thanks for the input

[Jim Gratiot]

Erika:

All in all, I like the site (although the rotating pictures on the home page could be a bit bigger)...

My main suggestion is to RAISE YOUR FEES! You are practically giving away your pictures... just as an example, I'd bump the 11x14 print to at least $40... and the beginning wedding package to at least $1,000.

This might seem counterintuitive... but people who are getting married will actually be suspicious of a $500 wedding package.

Same logic applies to the Senior Portrait package.

I'd spend some time online researching what other photographers are charging... then place your rates in the upper part of that range.

Good luck... hope that helps!

[E3PhotographyStudio]

Erika:

All in all, I like the site (although the rotating pictures on the home page could be a bit bigger)...

My main suggestion is to RAISE YOUR FEES! You are practically giving away your pictures... just as an example, I'd bump the 11x14 print to at least $40... and the beginning wedding package to at least $1,000.

This might seem counterintuitive... but people who are getting married will actually be suspicious of a $500 wedding package.

Same logic applies to the Senior Portrait package.

I'd spend some time online researching what other photographers are charging... then place your rates in the upper part of that range.

Good luck... hope that helps!

Thanks Jim. My fees have been a HUGE debate for me for the last year. I'm currently only an Amature Professional, and I don't feel that I should be charging the same amount as someone that is a serious Pro. With that said, I do know that some of my prices are too low, but at the same time I can still make a profit from them. Mainly b/c nothing is included in the packages really....just my time. So for $500, they get my husband and myself for 5 hours and 5 image enhancements. That's it! Everything else is A La Carte. Since others put pictures in with their packages....isn't it about equal? I guess that's my logic behind it all. But I thank you for your input. I've been working with my husband on a better homepage. design. I think today I've finally realized what I want....now it's up to him to see if he can do it. LOL

[losttravelerfl]

I think it's just fine, and the scaling isn't an issue, in my opinion (perhaps it's been changed, not sure). The menu is the only link that doesn't stay white, and I'm sure that one is intentional.

[alan927]

I think the size is fine as well. I run 1280x1024, but never maximize the browser because most sites end up with "white space" on either side of the main content. Right now my browser window is only 1095x786.

- Alan
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