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.
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