How to Get The Best Photography For Your Website
Your website is critical to your business.
Make it exude your personality throughout, not just in words but with your photography.
Having worked on website design for over 15 years, I know how critical it is for your web designer to work extremely closely with your photographer at the start of your website project. From bitter experience, I know how difficult it is to retro-fit photography to a web design when there's been no collaboration. Your web designer ends up having to compromise visual impact because the photography commissioned just doesn't fit into a responsive web design format.
Your website is a visual manifestation of your business and services. It is critical to include relevant, high-quality, eye-catching photography that is unique to you and has been planned and designed for the very best website user experience.
But how do you start to get the right images?
With over 15 years web design experience here is my hard-won insight into your next website photography project. If you need assistance with your website project, Arttia Creative can provide you with expert planning for your imagery. During our content discovery and audit stages, we will identify the images you will need. Images that help visualise and complement your text and convert visitors into customers.
From art directed photo shoots to researching the most unique stock library images, we assist throughout the process. Together with our 20 years experience in photo retouching, we enhance and format your images for maximum impact on both your website and your marketing materials, optimised for search and speed.
Slick, professional photography is a must for any business website. Your photography is very much a part of your brand identity and should feature in your branding style guidelines. Your style of photography gives your business a much needed professional and informative look.
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Art Directed Photoshoots
With many of our website projects, we provide full art direction for your website photography. This can include location shoots where we handle all of the sourcing and logistics for you.
We'll work closely with you to develop your photography style, unique to you and your project. Here's what we provide to you:
- Creating a range of mood and style boards to guide the project
- Researching and organising locations for your photoshoot
- Briefing the photographer on your projects needs
- Sourcing and buying any props needed
- Full logistical photoshoot planning
- Planning timing both the location and photographer
- Find models or associates to be part of the shoot
- Editing and retouching photos ready for web or print
- Optimising each image for page load speed and performance
Need stunning photography for your website?
Look no further, contact us to discuss your photography needs.
Professional Photographers
Produce the highest quality photos for your website with our trusted photography parters.
Let your photography set the tone of your business and makes your pages engaging, instantly telling your story.
From location shots to compelling editorial style images, the value of great photography can never be underestimated.
We work the The Bigger Picture, our trusted photography partner:
Photography for eCommerce websites
Photography is a key factor in the success of your e-commerce website.
Buyers don't get the opportunity to physically handle your product. They can't feel the texture or quality. So your images need to show as much detail as possible. Make sure you show how they can be used, providing both clean product shots as well as lifestyle images.
Shopping is emotional - inspire your audience. encourage them to buy and create desire.
Stock Library Images - as a last resort
The right images are critical to your website's success. However, sometimes you just can't create the shot you need with a photoshoot.
Your project may require a distant location, certain weather conditions. Or it may not be cost effective to hire models, specialist props, stylists and lighting, so using stock images can have it's place.
It's very time-consuming going through image stock libraries. Take time to find and select relevant images. Most stock libraries allow you to create a 'lightbox' to save your image selection. Typically you can download or share your selection with your web design team. Very often I spend many hours sourcing the right royalty free images for my projects, making sure the pictorial content is perfect for attracting attention and helping visitors to act.
Make sure you look for something unique and different, many stock images get used over and over again, don't follow the masses, especially when using any Creative Commons images that get selected by many businesses.
A few useful stock image sources to note are:
Get expert guidance on choosing the right images for your website and content marketing.
Tap into our expertise in sourcing and commissioning the right images for you.
The Takeaway.
If you take one thing away from this article it's that the stunning, relevant images create a better user experience (UX) for your visitors, increasing 'time on site' (an SEO factor) and presents a professional image.
I understand it can be challenging getting the right images for your website, but just one half day photo shoot, when properly planned can give you hundreds of unique images for not just your website but all of your promotional activity.
If your serious about presenting the most professional image to your visitors and increasing your SEO ranking with a better 'time on site' user experience, reducing bounce rates and increasing conversions, then get in touch with us at Arttia Creative and we can get started planning your website photography.
