The importance of using professional photography in website design

By by Shoga Admin Posted on 23rd May 2016

As designers, one of our greatest problems is persuading clients that investing in professional photography is a key component in creating a visually engaging, professional website.

The web is a visual environment, your imagery is among your most powerful ways to communicate with your target audience, yet it is oftentimes an afterthought and becomes a sticking point for the whole design process.

Your website is your virtual shop front and should be cared for as such, by making sure it is visually inspiring, appealing and a represents your business in the best way possible.

If you’re about to launch a new website or planning a website refresh in 2016, here are few things to consider when evaluating your approach to photographic content.

Don’t be afraid to invest in professional digital photography

Use professional photographers that have working experience in shooting images intended for website design and up-to-date with the modern day technology. Take a look at other websites they’ve worked on and make sure that their style and design suits your purpose.

Get your website designer engaged in the shoot

Including your web designer in the photographic shoot will certainly prevent needing to compromise the design to match the pictures afterwards. This doesn’t imply that the developer needs to be present at the shoot but having a discussion about how exactly the pictures are to be utilised can be very helpful.

Consider sharing wireframes with the professional photographer ahead of time to provide an insight into the types of photos that are needed. For instance, widescreen shots with sufficient space to the left might be necessary for a specific layout as oppose to close up shots to accommodate text content positioned on top of the image.

Think before using stock photography

Stock photography is extremely valuable and also has its place in some web projects, but should be put to use with care. In an online environment, earning the trust of the end user is vital should you need them to participate in your business. Real pictures of your people as well as your merchandise go a long way in building user trust.

Stock photography often lacks personality; however making use of real digital photography of what you offer will help you to represent your brand’s values. So, while it may be less expensive to purchase stock over using the services of a professional photographer, the advantages of making use of genuine photography to your business as well as your brand will certainly out-weigh the potential cost.

We recently employed the services of a professional photographer in the development of a new responsive website for leading PR agency, Skout. The photos made a real difference to the end result. They elevated the overall design of the site and reflected their position as a professional B2B agency.

Make use of pictures that best suit your purpose

The majority of brand new websites will be responsively designed and your digital photography will have to be viewed across all devices from smartphones to Computers. It is necessary to consider exactly how the picture will appear at smaller sizes. In the event that text overlays the picture on the webpage, it is advisable to think about where the focus point is placed within the photo to prevent it being buried when your site is accessed on various devices and screens.

So in conclusion, working together with you web designer, or providing the photographer with the wireframes as a guideline ensures the photography will work alongside and compliment the content as oppose to

Professional photography is frequently seen as an expensive additional task at the outset of a website development project. From experience we have seen first hand the difference in quality between a website where it has been utilised and a site that uses stock shots. We would therefore highly recommend that when you’re considering the costs for a new site, you account for this task within your overall budget.