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While photographer Mark Kuroda of Los Angeles was in the process of redesigning his website, he wanted to refine the look and presentation of his galleries at the same time. Mark primarily creates sports and portraiture photography, but he also has a deep interest in motion work which he wanted to integrate more prominently into his brand. Previously, he maintained separate websites for still photography and motion but this unnecessarily diluted his brand message. To create an integrated presentation and refine his galleries, Mark signed up for our Website Tune-Up service.
As an experienced photo editor with a background in publishing, I helped Mark merge his websites into a single portfolio and optimize the presentation of his images in collaboration with his chosen web developer. He needed a comprehensive and unified online presence to effectively communicate all aspects of his business. Over my years with Wonderful Machine, I’ve helped countless photographers who needed to strengthen their brand message with a targeted edit. This was, however, the first in which I collaborated with an outside web design company, Neon Sky.
Our Website Tune-Up is a service designed to help photographers quickly refresh and refine their online presentation. We focus on reorganizing the photographer’s existing content to create a clear and engaging brand message. Unlike a comprehensive Web Edit, which involves considering new content and rethinking the entire site, a Website Tune-Up optimizes current material for a better presentation and brand cohesion. This service is ideal for photographers who need a swift update to align their online presence with their marketing goals.
Our primary goal for this project was to merge Mark’s motion and still photography websites into a cohesive portfolio. In collaboration with web developer Neon Sky, we designed a unified presentation that effectively showcased all Mark’s work. One of our primary challenges was to incorporate his love for large single-image views into a contemporary aesthetic and user interface. Mark loved the impact of seeing one image at a time and didn’t want to lose the feature in his new presentation.
In collaboration with Jayson Singe of Neon Sky, we developed a navigation system that fit Mark’s brand. First, to integrate his motion work, we simply created a gallery to showcase some choice examples. Then, we turned our attention to his still photos. While single-image galleries can create a greater impact with each image, they do not allow viewers to see multiple images at once and browse more quickly. Mosaic galleries that display multiple images at once, however, tend to promote engagement with the website. The new website would incorporate the best of both of these options.
We created a new design in which a large-format image is displayed on the landing page as well as at the top of each gallery. The homepage is a large-format slideshow of selected images. Within each gallery, the large-format image is followed by a mosaic of smaller images which can be enlarged with a click. Once the image is enlarged, the viewer can choose to browse through the gallery one image at a time or return to the mosaic view.
My collaboration with Neon Sky resulted in a website that effectively merged Mark’s motion and still photography into a unified portfolio. We ensured that the new website met Mark’s needs and aesthetic preferences, while also prioritizing easy navigation and user engagement. In the end, Mark was thrilled with the results. We created a streamlined and contemporary presentation that integrated all aspects of his photography business.
This Website Tune-Up provided Mark with an online presence that more fully represents his brand identity and enhances his marketing efforts. Moreover, our collaboration with Mark’s personal web developer demonstrates how our consulting services can be customized to each photographer’s unique situation. By integrating all his existing content into a single website, Mark can now communicate his artistic vision more effectively and market his business to his target audience with a greater impact. We created cohesion and clarity in Mark’s new website that reinforces the presentation of his brand. Through a targeted and personalized edit, we were able to make broad-scale changes in a short time.
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Further Reading
Case Studies: Website Tune-Up
Expert Advice: Web Design Basics for Photographers
Specialty: Sports/Fitness Photography