The do's and don'ts of web photography
This is an article by internetbureau Redkiwi for which our Margot gave her input. Redkiwi is so kind to allow us to place the article on our website.
In the picture
Whether it's moving or not, we simply can't get enough of it: images. We are addicted to all the content on our timeline for a reason, and we don't stop scrolling until the "you're all caught up" message alerts us to the time that has passed. The influence that imagery has on your online platform is often not yet fully exploited. You want to captivate your visitors immediately and put them in the right mood. We asked web photographer Margot de Heide how you can grab your visitors immediately with the right images.
In this Byte, we highlight photography and expert Margot de Heide of Studio Flabbergasted gets you started with the do's and don'ts of web photography.
DO!
1. Start from the concept
Work from a concept, first map out the strategy for this. The strategy determines what story needs to be told. The agency developing the platform should already involve the photographer in the strategy phase. Who is your customer? This is a very important part of defining a strategy. Get to know your client and find out what images fit the website being developed.
Clients often choose images from the image bank instead of matching that particular web page. Don't just pick a picture from somewhere, but sit down with the web agency's designers. Do you use photos that completely meet the concept? Then you are unique and you create more out-of-the-box websites. An absolute DO!
2. Go for authenticity
Quality obviously plays a very big role. Stock is actually always overtly stock. It is not authentic, does not tell the right story and feels unnatural because of the perfect people. When you use your own imagery, it speaks much more to the imagination and is authentic.
The customer should have a good feeling about your company and brand. A lot of imagery that is used is not real, it is too polished, the people look like models and you know: these are not real employees. It's blatantly not a realistic representation of the company and you're pretending to be different than you are. Sometimes that even backfires. Not everything is perfect and it's in the details that make it real. In addition, when customers come to visit you, they like to recognize the company directly from the website. That inspires confidence!
3. Be original
Think carefully about the photo style you choose, it should suit your business. Does a standard portrait photo with a white background suit your business? We color too often within the lines and therefore we do much the same as the competition. Do not take the easy way out; choose innovative photos that are just that little bit different and unique.
4. Go for professionalism
As much fun as you may have filling your platform; ask yourself if you can really judge when a photo is good. Good images are essential and it's often just a feeling too. The feel should not only be good, but also authentic and completely one with the concept and the rest of the site. Good photography exudes professionalism, just as on the other hand bad images immediately evoke a seedy feeling. When you exude professionalism, visitors find you attractive. This is essential for higher conversion.
When is it good?
Photography is good if it is right and fits the organization; think formal versus informal, fresh and colorful versus a harder atmosphere, a friendly club versus a multinational. Websites always have a certain structure; 'about the product or service', 'a team page', 'a contact form', everything has its own image. This should always be a good reflection of your organization.
DON'T!
1. The wrong resolution
The technical development of the website or webshop is finished. The moment is there, you can start filling! Yay! When populating the photo content, always choose the low resolution, so maximum 400 to 500 kb per photo. This is important to maintain the desired speed. When you upload images with a high resolution, the loading process takes far too long. This will make your website slow, even on mobile devices. Not only visitors will drop out, Google will also give the site a lower rating and that's not good for your ranking in the search results.
Tip from the professional:
Use high resolution only for print (300 dpi), these are much heavier and larger files. Notice that the photos on the web page come out drab? Ask the photographer to export the files 'save-for-web' as sRGB files (72 dpi) and the problem will be solved immediately.
2. Do not supplement photos
Unfortunately Margot hears the following statement all too often: "These photos from the image bank are still good enough, let's add some new ones". A crucial mistake if you ask Margot. Every photographer and photography studio has its own style. This is guaranteed by the professionals. Having a different photographer fly in every time does not add to the synergy. This doesn't only apply when you change photographers; the older photos were also taken with cameras from the past. Go for consistency!
3. Forgetting the formats
When placing web photos, you must take into account the designer's design. Think, for example, of titles or texts that are standard in the header or a different size of the content block. A web photographer must adjust his image accordingly and think about the empty spaces that sometimes need to be filled.
Pictures of people taking pictures. Margot in action, photo credits Anne Sunderman.
4. Failure to consider scalability
Ask your photographer to shoot the images to fit in the content block and to cut them to fit when the website scales. After all, everyone has a different screen where the image scales differently. When the photos are manually cropped (cropped), they always fit.
Even on mobile, the photo should look perfect. The photo is scaled differently than on desktop, so think about where the sharpness of the photo is so that not part of the sharpness is cut off. When scaling to smaller, more falls off from the side than from the height, keep that in mind. Often when the focus is in the center the right parts stay in focus.
