New Website; New Brand. Critique?

[Destin]

Alright guys, so I've fully jumped into changing my genre. My wedding/portrait website is no longer and I'll not be advertising for that type of work anymore, though I'm sure I'll still do a little via word of mouth. It just doesn't make me happy anymore, and I want to ensure that photography remains something I love doing well into the future.

With that, I'm rebranding to being the "New York Adventure Photog." This started as a simple IG account to share my landscape and outdoor shots, and has progressed into me starting youtube channel and designing a new website. With time I'm hoping to gain a following on youtube shooting vlogs of my adventures as well as gear reviews and tutorials.

With that being said, I've just completed the "rough draft" of my new website. I toyed with this a while back in a different thread but wasn't happy with the results, and posting this new site there didn't gain any new responses so I'm starting fresh in this thread.

Looking for feedback on design/layout, branding, typos, and how the site looks on your specific device. I'm not happy with how it's scaled to my iPhone currently and I'm working on that, but it looks fairly polished on my laptop.

NY_Adventure_Photog

 

[tirediron]

A few thoughts.

First and foremost, un-mirror your picture on the 'About' page. That backwards Nikon is driving me crazy!

I really dislike the use of the term 'photog' - I think it demeans our craft. I understand it's a commonly used term, but I don't think it projects a good image when we use it about ourselves.

Lastly... (and I don't mean this in a negative way, I genuinely don't understand) I don't get the 'adventure' bit. When someone tells me they're an adventure photographer, I expect pictures of bungee jumping, Tough Mudder, X Games, white water.... you've got some great landscapes and scenes, but most of it doesn't say 'Adventure' to me.

 

[Designer]

With time I'm hoping to gain a following on youtube shooting vlogs of my adventures as well as gear reviews and tutorials.

To what end?

I don't understand the purpose of your website. Maybe if you intended to sell prints, then I could understand putting in the effort. As it is, there doesn't seem to be any purpose to it. Are you trolling for clients? If a potential client made contact, what would they be expecting? Will you take them to these places? Will you show them how to take photographs?

I noticed quite a few things on which to comment, but too many if I wanted to nit-pick. Instead, I will simply say:

Purpose (see above)
Architecture (have all your thumbnails lined up horizontally. Home page appears to be three pages in length.)
Continuity (Your blog story needs closure, at the very least. Put the links to your social media on the page where it is mentioned.)
Detail (As in; more detail would help fill in the gaps in your adventure stories.) Captions for photographs (place names, fellow hikers' names, etc.) More relevant information in the blog entries. Two or three short paragraphs doesn't convey enough story. I do not imply that you should write drivel, just make the stories interesting.

 

[zombiesniper]

Good luck with the adventure side of it. I think it may be a tough go at first but if you can get a following it could work.
Remember youtube isn't paying 1% of what the used to so all those muti-millionaires from the 2000's are all gone. Look into other revenue streams such as patreon etc.

vlogs of my adventures as well as gear reviews and tutorials.

Tutorials and videos the like will be evergreen content. Meaning they will be relevant years from now. Take great care in producing these. They'll be your long term content that will still be useful to viewers.

Reviews are like Milli Vanilli. Big news when a camera is new but nobody cares about reviews 6 months later.

Good luck. Keep us updated on your journey.

 

[Destin]

A few thoughts.

First and foremost, un-mirror your picture on the 'About' page. That backwards Nikon is driving me crazy!

I really dislike the use of the term 'photog' - I think it demeans our craft. I understand it's a commonly used term, but I don't think it projects a good image when we use it about ourselves.

Lastly... (and I don't mean this in a negative way, I genuinely don't understand) I don't get the 'adventure' bit. When someone tells me they're an adventure photographer, I expect pictures of bungee jumping, Tough Mudder, X Games, white water.... you've got some great landscapes and scenes, but most of it doesn't say 'Adventure' to me.

I forgot that image was even mirrored, I'll take care of that. Took it with snapchat with automatically mirrors images.

I'll agree to disagree on the term photog. I think it's just a commonly used slang term; every profession has a few. As far as the purpose, it's just an outlet for my hobby and creativity. I'm going to add the functionality to sell prints on my website shortly, and that's part of what I want to push people to, but I'm really not doing this with an end goal or financial gain in mind. Just a way for me to publish my work while shooting what I love.

I'm sort of trying to emulate what guys like Thomas Heaton have done on YouTube.. gain a following while sticking to my roots in photography and improving my craft.

As far as the "adventure" that's more about how the images are made, which will be evident in the blog and youtube channel going into the future. Basically a "This is the adventure I went on and what it took to make these images."

To what end?

I don't understand the purpose of your website. Maybe if you intended to sell prints, then I could understand putting in the effort. As it is, there doesn't seem to be any purpose to it. Are you trolling for clients? If a potential client made contact, what would they be expecting? Will you take them to these places? Will you show them how to take photographs?

I do intent to sell prints. That functionality hasn't been added yet but is coming. However this whole thing isn't really about money as much as it is about giving myself a purpose and creative outlet for my work. I'm not really intending to troll for clients or get hired for shoots. Think of it more as a photography blog than a business effort.

If it ever took off enough I'd consider doing things like workshops and such in the future potentially, but that is *not* my goal with this.

Good luck with the adventure side of it. I think it may be a tough go at first but if you can get a following it could work.
Remember youtube isn't paying 1% of what the used to so all those muti-millionaires from the 2000's are all gone. Look into other revenue streams such as patreon etc.

Tutorials and videos the like will be evergreen content. Meaning they will be relevant years from now. Take great care in producing these. They'll be your long term content that will still be useful to viewers.

Reviews are like Milli Vanilli. Big news when a camera is new but nobody cares about reviews 6 months later.

Good luck. Keep us updated on your journey.

Thanks man! I honestly don't really care if I gain a huge following, that would just be a bonus. I'm mainly looking to give myself some purpose/outlet for my landscape photography beyond just sharing them here or posting on IG. If I get into a regular schedule of blogging/vlogging it'll give me a reason to get up and make images/content rather than just hitting the snooze button.

The reviews are what gain you new followers while riding the wave of a new product from what I've seen. The tutorials and vlogs are what keep them following into the future.

 

[Ran Van]

Alright guys, so I've fully jumped into changing my genre. My wedding/portrait website is no longer and I'll not be advertising for that type of work anymore, though I'm sure I'll still do a little via word of mouth. It just doesn't make me happy anymore, and I want to ensure that photography remains something I love doing well into the future.

With that, I'm rebranding to being the "New York Adventure Photog." This started as a simple IG account to share my landscape and outdoor shots, and has progressed into me starting youtube channel and designing a new website. With time I'm hoping to gain a following on youtube shooting vlogs of my adventures as well as gear reviews and tutorials.

With that being said, I've just completed the "rough draft" of my new website. I toyed with this a while back in a different thread but wasn't happy with the results, and posting this new site there didn't gain any new responses so I'm starting fresh in this thread.

Looking for feedback on design/layout, branding, typos, and how the site looks on your specific device. I'm not happy with how it's scaled to my iPhone currently and I'm working on that, but it looks fairly polished on my laptop.

i might be late on discussion on this thread, but i can say you need some good contents on your website with proper placement. Your site need to be faster load so that people can watch faster on time. If you want to sell your products if not its okay. well this is my point of view.

 

[birdbonkers84]

Hey dude went onto your page to have a looksie, saw this in your store section

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

$19 for a 5X7?

 

[Destin]

$19 for a 5X7?

They sell at that price more than you’d imagine, and that’s priced *significantly* lower than many other people around me. And if someone doesn’t wanna pay it, then they can gladly go buy a landscape photo elsewhere.

I haven’t really been using this website at all in the last few months, I’m likely going to eliminate it. I generate most sales directly through Instagram or in person.

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

At the risk of sounding like a father ( I can't help it, as I am one ), I can only say good luck. I never had the quality of taking risks. I am conservative when it comes to finances ( if you could see my 401K, you'd see why I say that ). I wish I could give you professional advice, but I sadly know my role in this, and only admire the work of the talented here.

 

[JonA_CT]

I think the prices are okay, and I think passive print sales are fine too. I post my images in a bunch of places. When people inquire about buying prints, I give them prices that treat my work as art. If they don't want to pay, I'm not offended. My most recent print sale was $130 for a 24x36 print. I made about $95 after expenses. It'll never be enough to support my family, and I'm okay with that.

The time before, someone asked for a 8x10, and I asked $40. They declined, and I was okay with that, too.

 

[birdbonkers84]

Destin do you see the error in the screen print I posted? everyone seems to be focusing on your prices, but that's not why I've shared the image

 

[JonA_CT]

No issues here for up-to-date Chrome running on Mac OS.

 

[Destin]

Destin do you see the error in the screen print I posted? everyone seems to be focusing on your prices, but that's not why I've shared the image

I do! I appreciate it, but the site will likely be taken down soon as it really doesn’t have a purpose or audience like I had planned. I don’t have the time to keep up a blog and drive traffic to it.

 

[smoke665]

I can understand the desire to "showcase" your work. All of us spend considerable sums of money on equipment and invest heavily in time to capture a shot only to have it sit in a computer file. However, I found building and maintaining a website was taking away from my photography experience. Not being negative but what you plan sounds like a lot of work for minimal gain, and steals time from your photography pursuits. Is the enjoyment gained equal to the enjoyment you get from photography?