EPJ: Second Website Critique

Louie Aguinaldo is a Filipino photographer whose work is primarily commercial. I like the fact that his site does not operate in Flash, so it is not limited to web browsing devices that support Flash. I was surprised at how difficult it was to find a photo website blog that was not entirely Flash (other than blogs).

The site's layout is simple and very easy to navigate. While it is not as minimalist in the number of images in holds as many portfolio sites are, the frame number is not gratuitous. Aguinaldo also has links to more extensive galleries for food, product, and jewelry photos. I appreciate his foresight in offering potential employees more samples if they wish to view them, but not overwhelming the viewer with score upon score of images in the main galleries.

One thing that I would change about the website is the individual image viewing. When one clicks on the thumbnail for an image, the photo opens larger in a new tab without any navigation back to the gallery or to any of the other photos. While the new tab/same tab argument can be made for both sides (with a new tab being equivalent to a new window depending on the browser you are using), I think the need for navigation between photos is definite. As a viewer, I don't want to have to exit a page entirely to have to view the next photo. I would much rather be able to click on the image, move with my keyboard arrows, or click on navigation tabs on the page to move between pictures in a particular gallery.

I respect Aguinaldo's recognition of his strong suits. While his site has 15 different galleries, his bio page makes note of his skill with metal, glass, and food photography. These are also the focused topics of the links to the exterior galleries that I mentioned earlier. He does not limit himself to the areas in which he is most accomplished, but he does emphasize them over any other category. The one thing I might suggest to make these focal points even clearer is to start the category list with them (food, jewelry, products) on the left.

Lastly, I am impressed at the extensive contact information given. If I were a potential employer or if I wanted to buy an image, I would not want to be limited to emailing the photographer. While technology allows fast communication, email is rarely as direct as a phone call. I am glad that Aguinaldo does include telephone information, for it seems that many photographers do not. Furthermore, texting is key in Filipino culture, so including a cell number as well as a land line was most fitting.

EPJ: First Website Critique

Brent Stirton is a photojournalist whose website was among those listed in Smashing Magazine's "35 Beautiful Photography Websites" posting on July 10, 2009. Stirton is a staff photographer for Getty Images whose work has been published by many noteworthy international news organizations as well as non-profit organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund for Nature.

The website was accurately evaluated in the posting. I like the fact that Stirton includes his contact information at the top of every page, though it does seem strange that he lists only phone numbers and no E-mail address (though he does on his specific contact page). There is no link back to the home page throughout the site, but the site is not designed around a home page. There are convenient gallery links on the upper right hand side that hold the entirety of the website's media.

The site's largest limitation might also be considered its greatest asset. Each gallery is presented entirely in Flash. With 40 some images in each gallery, this makes load time long on anything but an ideal internet connection. This also means than any device without Flash cannot view the photos at all. Another thing I noticed was that the individual images do not include caption information. While this seems common among photo websites, I do wish that the norm would change to include the specific details that come with an informative caption.

There is a "words" hyperlink attached to the various galleries within the "Projects" menu. This link opens a description of the entire gallery in a new window. While I appreciate having access to the information in some format, I do wish that there was a more convenient presentation for the text. A new tab would be less awkward than a new window, but I'm not sure how that would operate in different browsers. The most ideal option would be to include the text within the website itself, possibly in a summary form that could extend into a longer format if the viewer wished to read the entire description.

While Stirton's website may not be ideal for those operating on less than a lightning speed connection, most of his potential employers at this point in his career probably do not fall into that category. His images are compelling and professional, as is the format they are presented in. Because he has lengthy experience and wide diversity in his photography he can afford to include 50+ image galleries. This would not be wise for someone in my position, but one day it just might be...