When I first started working with South Carolina-based photographer Drew Somerville, he had only been in business as a full-time commercial photographer for a few years. He quickly gained several important clients, which greatly contributed to the substantial growth of his portfolio. However, it was definitely time for a professional Web Edit to give his portfolio a more polished presentation.
After a close examination of Drew’s work, it was apparent that he had developed a fantastic skillset in a short amount of time. This kind of expertise is particularly valuable when collaborating with brands to help tell their stories. I wanted to highlight Drew’s versatility and ability to present his photography at its best.
Upon examining his website, overlapping categories posed a challenge. We needed to reorganize the galleries for them to align more coherently with his work and the expectations of future clients. Keeping the navigation simple would be the key to establishing Drew’s website as a foundation for future endeavors. Additionally, Drew had a single-image slideshow to showcase his work. However, it needed to be presented in a more engaging way.
My goal was to create an edit for Drew that would allow him to show off his existing body of work while also making it simple for him to add new projects. Furthermore, I wanted to make sure we could highlight that on his website, as well as show the breadth of projects that he is capable of undertaking.
Looking at the scope of Drew’s portfolio, we decided to divide the galleries up into Lifestyle (to capture all the outdoor adventure images), Food (includes all his hospitality work), and Apparel (while Drew’s work does focus on clothing it’s not necessarily high fashion work). I also wanted to create a Projects section where Drew could easily add fresh projects. Additionally, this demonstrates the Brand Narrative work Drew is capable of doing.
Drew’s strongest work is showcased in his collaboration with the brand Huk. They are a brand that creates outdoor apparel with a primary focus on fishing and anything water-related. Drew’s involvement with them has extended from the beach to inland kayaking. His ability to operate effectively in all the environments they put him in has resulted in strong images that truly convey the brand’s story.
We completed this project at the end of December 2022. Since then, Drew has been able to easily add new work to all his galleries as well as several new projects to his Project section. The site has maintained its overall light, fun, and adventurous feel. His latest additions have improved the look of the galleries even further.
Drew was also happy with the final edit, saying,
You really found a fantastic way of displaying my work in a really coherently. It’s been awesome working with you!
It’s pretty exciting to revisit Drew’s website and discover all the fresh content he has added.
When I signed up for a Web Edit my website was very scattered and I needed help organizing my work to tell a clear and concise story about who I am and what I do. Marianne was really great to work with and the website we created together looks much more professional and organized than it did beforehand. I would absolutely recommend this service to anyone who needs help decluttering their website.
Further Reading:
Specialty: Brand Narrative Photography
Expert Advice: Web Design Basics for Photographers
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