Photographers’ Websites

Photographers’ Websites

By William Lulow

I wrote an article a few weeks ago about the business of photography and about attracting clients or getting prospective clients to book sessions. One of the most important things that photographers need today is a great website. These days, it functions a bit like a printed portfolio did in the days before the internet. Back in those days of ancient history, your portfolio or “book” had to tell prospective clients who you were as a photographer, what kinds of subjects you really loved to photograph and what types of images you came up with on a regular basis. It had to make almost an indelible impression on those who viewed it. Back in those days, there were no websites that could add descriptions. The images had to speak for themselves.

Well, it’s not that different today. Websites should present the images you would like people to think of to remember you. And, your site should say something about you and what about photography you love. 

As with portfolios, many websites try to be all things to all people, which may be detrimental to leaving viewers with a distinct impression. But if you are genuinely in love with the photographic process, I don’t think it should make a big difference. Many advertising and commercial photographers can photograph different subjects well. One of the marks of really good photographers is that they know their lighting. They know how to light many different subjects effectively and because of their knowledge, they can bring a fresh approach to whatever they choose to shoot.

I have also noticed that, as in most things in today’s world of “instant everything,” people don’t always take the time to look at everything on a website. They often don’t have the time. So, I put the images I do most on my home page. These are the pictures I wish to be known for making. I learned at a seminar conducted by Google, that people’s searches are often conducted while they are waiting in line for something, or while they are doing another task. I have personal knowledge of this because I often watch my daughter feed her kids while holding her phone in one hand! So, creating a website that will communicate the intended information quickly is a must. Viewers should not have to look all over for a phone number, for instance.

In addition, I have recently found that people have contacted me from Google searches, without ever having looked at my site. So, it seems that some folks, when they are looking for services, often call the first name that comes up. Phone numbers are published in the opening box that comes up on any Google search:

           William Lulow Photography

           5.0 (9) · Photographer

           10 Valley View Rd · (914) 263-6213

           Open ⋅ Closes 8PM

So even a good website and a good SEO ranking may not be enough to get calls for work. Someone has to be actively looking for just the kind of images you provide in order to call you.

I have also found that great websites aren’t enough to elicit calls by themselves. I have received many calls from prospective clients who were just looking around at photographers. They didn’t really have a job to shoot, or if they did, it wasn’t at the “hire a photographer” stage. Many of these calls are just researching fees or want to talk to you about their ideas and see what you say about them. There are other calls when people seriously have a job to shoot and if you are in their price range for what they think the job is worth, they will hire you on the spot.

Websites are invaluable tools. But word of mouth advertising has always been the best at landing decent jobs for photographers because when someone asks someone else to recommend a photographer, they are not just searching the web. They are ready to book a session. Those are the clients you need.

Given all the above, deciding which images to put on your site becomes very important. You also need to be able to add to and edit your site whenever you want. I have seen some people have a great website designed but then need to go to the designer to add a new image. This becomes counterproductive after a while. So I opted to build my own website using WordPress. There are other platforms that help with the writing of the code necessary to turn your site into a showcase, but WordPress was the one I started with and I have finally learned how it works enough to continue building my site on a daily basis.

You need to have a “web presence” if you want to showcase your work at all. Begin with just a page or two. Have it well-designed (there are ready-made templates that will do this for you) and put your best work up there. Make sure your name, address and phone number are clearly displayed and that you mention the geographical areas your business serves. The search engines that work to provide users information about what they have typed into the “search” bar often work from geographical information as well.

This is part of my “Home” page. It has images of the type I do most often and displays many of them at once. It lets people know what I love to photograph the most. I have also chosen to add a “sidebar” to the site because I felt I needed to explain my philosophy of photography due to the fact that I teach it so much and I wanted people to know what I was about on the home page.

One thing I have learned about website software, or any software these days is that once you get used to how the program works, it’s best to stick with it. It sometimes takes a while, but I also recommend buying a support package that you can use to help get acclimated to the software. WordPress used to offer a one-month support deal for $149 that let’s you call whenever you want during that month. That’s what was instrumental in teaching me the software and getting my new site up and running.

Shortly, I will be moving to a new location. I will be changing all the information in the description part of the website. I have also learned that whenever you do this, it takes a while for the search engines to catch up with you and the content changes to your site. I will post my progress on this as I go along.