Web Photography

Why use pictures on a website?

We like to use pictures when designing our clients' websites. The pictures can either be provided by the client, taken by us, or they may be stock photos available to us from various sources. Nothing can convey meaning to the eyes of a person viewing your web page like a well-taken picture. Have a look at the top of this page, for example. Is there any question where we're from and what area we serve? If you happen to be from the Rochester area, doesn't that fact alone give you a reason to stay for just a few more minutes to learn what we're about? No words could have done that better.

Our approach to web design is simple: We're marketers

We write text that Google, Yahoo, and the other search engines will use to determine where you rank on any given search by one of their users. We then use photographs and other images to convey to your human visitors who you are - what you're about - and hopefully why they should spend a few more minutes on your website to learn about you and your products or service.

What pictures do we use?

The best pictures are those that include people who are happily involved with your product or service. Those that show you, your place of business or your products in a favorable light are also good. The pictures don't require an expensive camera; but shots that are poorly taken should be reshot, if possible. We love to work with your pictures - including old black and whites that tell your company's history - but the main images of your website should be well-taken with good digital equipment and under favorable light conditions.

How do we handle pictures for your website?

Photographs and other images are important components for most websites, but they also create a challenge because they take longer to load onto computer screens than text content does. For that reason, we "optimize" images - or remove unnecessary information before uploading them to the server (note: we never accept originals of clients' pictures - only digital or scanned copies). The first step is to "crop", or cut edges to better frame the picture. Then we may shrink what remains to a smaller size. Finally, we'll "compress" the image by removing any unnecessary information until the file sizes are small enough to load well onto most users' screens.

What about video?

In our view, video on a website is like a website itself: That is, if you don't do it well, it's probably better to not do it at all. We are NOT proponents of video messages that begin to play automatically every time someone visits your website. We are experienced producers of streaming video; and we'd be happy to discuss producing video clips for use on your website.