The do's and don'ts of web photography

Article by Redkiwi

In the picture

Whether it moves or not, we simply can't get enough of it: image. It's no coincidence that we're addicted to all the content on our timeline, and we won't stop scrolling until the “you're all done” message notifying us of the time that has elapsed. The influence that images have on your online platform is often not yet used optimally. You want to immediately engage your visitors and immediately put them in the right mood. We asked web photographer Margot de Heide how you can immediately grab your visitors with the right images.

In this Byte, we highlight photography and expert Margot de Heide from Studio Flabbergasted gets you started with the do's and don'ts of web photography.

DUMB!

‍

1. Start from the concept

Work from a concept; first map out the strategy. The strategy determines which story to tell. The agency that develops the platform must already involve the photographer in the strategy phase. Who is your customer? This is a very important part of determining a strategy. Get to know your customer and find out which images fit the website that is being developed.

Customers regularly choose images from the image bank instead of connecting to that particular web page. Don't just pick a photo from somewhere, but sit down with the designers of the web agency. Do you use photos that fully comply with the concept? Then you are unique and create more out-of-the-box websites. An absolute DO!

‍

2. Go for authenticity

Of course, quality plays a very important role. In fact, stock is always clearly stock. It's not authentic, doesn't tell the right story, and feels unnatural to the perfect people. When you use your own footage, it appeals much more to the imagination and is authentic.

The customer must have a good feeling about your company and brand. Much of the footage that is used is not real, it is too polished, people look like models and you know: these are not real employees. It is clearly not a realistic representation of the company and you are pretending to be who you are. That sometimes even backfires. Not everything is perfect and it's in the details that make it real. In addition, when they visit you, customers like to recognize the company immediately from the website. That inspires confidence!

‍

3. Be original

Think carefully about the photo style you choose, it should suit your business. Does a standard portrait photo with a white background suit your business? We color within the lines too often, which is why we do much the same as the competition. Don't choose the easiest way; opt for innovative photos that are slightly different and unique.

‍

4. Go for professionalism

As much as you might enjoy filling up your platform, ask yourself if you're really good at judging when a photo is good. Good images are essential and it's often just a feeling. The feeling should not only be good, but also authentic and completely in line with the concept and the rest of the site. Good photography exudes professionalism, just like bad images immediately make you feel shady. When you exude professionalism, visitors find you attractive. This is essential for a higher conversion.

When is it good?

Photography is good when it's right and fits the organization; think of formal versus informal, fresh and colorful versus a tougher atmosphere, a friendly club versus a multinational. Websites always have a certain structure; “about the product or service”, “a team page”, “a contact form” - everything comes with its own image. This should always be a good reflection of your organization.

‍

DON'T!

‍

1. The wrong resolution

The technical development of the website or webshop has been completed. The time has come, you can start filling! Jeez! When filling the photo content, always opt for the low resolution, i.e. a maximum of 400 to 500 kb per photo. This is important for maintaining the desired speed. When you upload high-resolution images, loading takes far too long. This makes your website slow, even on mobile. Not only will visitors drop out, Google will also give the site a lower rating, which is not good for your ranking in search results.

Tip from the professional:

Only use a high resolution for printing (300 dpi), which are much heavier and larger files. Do you notice that the photos on the webpage look grey? Ask the photographer to export the save-for-web files as sRGB files (72 dpi) and the problem is fixed immediately.

‍

2. Do not upload photos

Unfortunately, Margot hears the following statement all too often: “These photos from the image bank are still good enough, let's add some new photos”. A crucial mistake if you ask Margot. Each photographer and photography studio has their own style. This is guaranteed by the professionals. Having a different photographer fly in every time does not contribute to the synergy. This does not only apply when you switch photographers; the older photos were also taken with cameras from the past. Go for consistency!

‍

3. Forget the formats

When posting web photos, you should take into account the designer's design. For example, titles or texts that are in the header by default or a different format of the content block. A web photographer should adjust his image accordingly and think about the empty spaces that sometimes need to be filled.

Pictures of people taking pictures. Margot in action, photo credits Anne Sunderman.

‍

4. Don't take scalability into account

Ask your photographer to shoot the photos to fit the content block and cut them to fit even when the website scales. After all, everyone has a different screen where the image scales differently. When the photos are cropped (cropped) manually, they always fit.

The photo must also look perfect on mobile. The photo is scaled differently than on the desktop, so consider where the sharpness of the photo is so that part of the sharpness is not cut away. When scaling to smaller, more falls from the side than from the height, keep that in mind. Often, when the focus is in the middle, the right parts remain in the picture.