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As Senior Designer at Wonderful Machine, I’ve spent four years helping photographers transform their marketing materials to be as compelling as their photography. Recently, I had the opportunity to work with Joe Carrotta, a talented healthcare, portraiture, and documentary photographer living and working in New Hyde Park, NY. on a Web Template Customization. His original website was built on a small website builder for artists called xhbtr. He wanted to switch to a web host with a more user-friendly backend that maintained a minimalist and professional front-end aesthetic.
To understand Joe’s needs, we had a meeting to get to know each other and discuss his photography business, marketing materials, and career goals. Joe wanted to push his business more into the commercial and editorial sectors of the photography industry, and work on more long-form documentary projects. We both recognized that, although his existing website had some strengths, it lacked modern touches that would optimize both user engagement and the presentation of his work.
Our Web Template Customization service is designed to help photographers create and design a template that is uniquely suited to their aesthetic, client-type, and career goals. When Joe came to us, his main concern was the backend interface. He felt that the xhbtr interface made updating the images on his website more time consuming and difficult than necessary. We decided to move his website to Squarespace which has a streamlined backend with a simple file management system. I’ve found this is essential for photographers who frequently update galleries. Once we made the switch, I provided Joe with a customized user guide to help him through every step of the transition.
Joe has a bold and captivating photography style but didn’t have a brand to match it. I thought we could improve the overall presentation of his photographic aesthetic to make a stronger impression on potential clients. This gave me the freedom to experiment with fonts and colors that complemented his photographic voice, and helped create a modern and professional feel that would resonate with his audience.
I suggested several improvements for Joe’s new website. The navigation bar was well-positioned at the top of the page, but now the text changes colors when hovering over each item. This dynamic feature allows users access to information easily, while creating a more intuitive and enjoyable browsing experience.
We also created a single page to display all of Joe’s projects. I wanted to reduce navigation clutter and provide easy access to Joe’s work. Rather than listing each project individually, we consolidated them all in one page. This also introduced a clearer distinction between a category like “Portraits,” and individual projects.
Furthermore, to enhance the presentation and flow of his photos, I replaced the horizontal scroll interface with vertical scroll. The images are now organized into two columns and arranged organically on the page. I then added a lightbox feature to view images individually against a blue background. This created a striking contrast that makes the images stand-out more from the rest of the page.
Finally, we turned the contact page into an “About,” page. A brief bio and headshot can help unify a photographer’s presentation and brand, and they were both missing from Joe’s previous website. We organized this page into three columns featuring Joe’s bio, contact information, and client list. This layout ensures that all content is accessible at a glance.
The final product is a significant improvement. Joe’s new website is more visually appealing, professional, and aligned with his business goals. It offers a better user experience and showcases his work effectively. Joe’s new website is consistent with his brand and will have a stronger impact on his target audience.
José executed all my website ideas while offering his own personal style and suggestions that paired well with the final site. He was wonderful to work with. This testament to our successful partnership exemplifies the high-quality service provided by Wonderful Machine.
Working with Joe was a great experience! Throughout the project, I adapted plans based on his feedback, and combined various layout ideas to create a cohesive final product. Our conversations shaped the design, and allowed for adjustments that aligned with his vision while incorporating my expertise. He had a clear idea for his website but trusted me to implement his ideas. Joe now has a website he can easily update, with a design to more effectively market his work.
See more tips from the experts @wonderful_at_work
Further Reading
Case Studies: Web Template Customization
Expert Advice: Web Design Basics for Photographers
Specialty: Social Documentary Photography