Photos page critique

**Bellydancingcaroline** · 07-16-2009 05:14 AM

I would just like to check in that my photos on the photos page of my website are hitting the mark. I had some feedback recently suggesting I should change them and am wondering what others might think.

I won't explain my rationale here for why I put up certain shots, as I don't get that chance with potential customers, so please view this 'cold'

I am seeking critique of the ones that are there, and suggestions as to what would be an improvement (if anything).

photos page

**artemisia_danst** · 07-16-2009 07:23 AM

hey caroline,

half the pics on my page are crap/need changing/ dont have time to sift through the masses of better pics i have...so take what i say with a huge grain of salt

myself, i'd like to see

- more of your face, its a bit blurry in the top ones, than i see your back, than a down looking pose, and i need to wait till the last pic to see it.. as a customer i'd like some happy inviting face to smile at me right away. so whenever you have a new photoshoot, make sure you get some nice smiley headshots in there

- dont be afraid to crop pics (like the last one, very dynamic!)

- i like captions with action shots (wedding in XX, 5th june 2008) and a reference to a photographer for the posed shots. adds to the pro feel for me.

**Bellydancingcaroline** · 07-16-2009 08:23 AM

Thanks for your comments, much appreciated. I have changed them around a bit inline with your suggestions. Something that I now realise is that I look better in real life (when performing) then in these pics for the face close-ups. The lighting was very harsh like one of those toilets where you look in the mirror and go *ugh* do I really look like *that?*. I need some softer shots.

**Michelle75** · 07-16-2009 08:28 AM

Hmmmm, the link is not working for me. WEIRD. I'll come back later and try again.

**Bellydancingcaroline** · 07-16-2009 08:31 AM

Oh I was just in there updating, but it's finished now :-)

**artemisia_danst** · 07-16-2009 08:36 AM

ah voila, i like it better already!

**Lauren_** · 07-16-2009 09:04 AM

I think you look beautiful. I would totally hire you. I wish I had pics of myself in a party-type environment, I think it really helps potential clients imagine you at THEIR party.

The one where you're holding up your hair is hot hot hot.

p.s. You're so much prettier than your avatar!

**Michelle75** · 07-16-2009 09:06 AM

Gosh darn it, it's still won't load. I never have this problem. I will try from my home computer this afternoon.

**SatinWorship19** · 07-16-2009 09:10 AM

You have some awesome performance shots! The only picture I'd lose is the first one, because I just don't really love the crop. (Oddly, I think I remember a photographer telling me that you should never crop a photo right above a joint like an elbow or knee! Always just below. I know, nitpicky trivia).

Now, on the other hand, if you've got a full-sized version of that picture, either do a full-body shot to show your pretty beledi dress, or crop it far enough out where you can see at least your chest and just past your elbow.

Aside from that, it makes a lot of sense to include a picture of yourself in an outfit that's more "covered," since you never know when somebody's going to ask. (I've been performing professionally for 3 years and got my first inquiry of that nature just the other day! It's rare, but it happens.)

Also - Those wedding shots are STELLAR!

**andalee-oriental** · 07-16-2009 10:10 AM

Hi Caroline,
I think you're off to a good start with your pictures and gallery. I have a few suggestions which are really picky. These are all based on my experience as a Web manager at my day job.

1) Your page needs a title. I'm not sure what editor you use, but currently it is called "Blank". In the html you want to place this

<title>Caroline—Edinburgh Belly Dancer Gallery</title>

in the meta tag immediately after the <head> tag. That is, if you have any html editing capacity.

I looked at the html of your page and it looks like whatever program you are using is adding a lot of extra crap to your page that you don't need. I wouldn't worry about it yet, but as you add more photos it may affect your load time.

2) I have a slight issue with the fact that this page background is pink and the rest of the site is green. You may want to make the colors consistent, as well as keeping the navigation menu on that page. You may also want to pick a font other than Times for the site, to a sans serif font. It's just a little bit more professional and easy to read. Trebuchet is the current Web font trend.

3) I really like the pictures you have, although some of them look sort of "samey". For instance your first two, your head is cocked the same way and the shot is from the same angle. And then in the third one, your veil is in the same position as the second pic. I would mix it up a little. I would also try to make sure the photos were sized consistently. There are programs that will run pictures through and equally resize everything. It is called Batch Edit. You may also consider having some sort of gallery program. You can get these from Adobe, Picasa, or other places. I beleive I used adobe fireworks or bridge. I can't remember. Simple viewer is also a popular gallery program, but you can't integrate it with your site. I really like it when you can click on a thumbnail and get a larger image without leaving the page.

Here's mine: Andalee Belly Dance - Gallery
Eventually, I'll put different galleries in it so you can chose which type of photos to browse (show, studio, event, etc). It's a work in progress, mind you!

**andalee-oriental** · 07-16-2009 10:12 AM

PS I love your hair! And that baby blue costume. Yum!

**joanneraks** · 07-16-2009 12:45 PM

sort of brain dead at the moment so I'm not much help, but I *can* tell you that you're gorgeous!

**Zobeida** · 07-16-2009 03:51 PM

I would second everything that Andalee said, especially on point number 3. Many of your pictures look the same. The coloring and color scheme make them all look like they came from the same photo shoot. It would be great if you had some with props to showcase what else a customer might see at a show. I would also love to see some close-ups, like three quarters and head shots.
altogether, pretty nitpicky stuff. good luck.

**_Tanya_** · 07-16-2009 04:02 PM

Slightly OT but Andalee you have a beautiful and genuine smile.

**andalee-oriental** · 07-16-2009 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by _Tanya_

Slightly OT but Andalee you have a beautiful and genuine smile.

Thanks!

**Michelle75** · 07-16-2009 04:09 PM

All of the photos are inviting except for the first one. It's cropped wrong. It would probably be great if you could get the full body or a better crop.

The actual photo page is somewhat bland. There isn't any *umph* to it. It looks like you're saying, here are my pictures, now leave. Maybe change the layout and color scheme. Just my two cents.

**Bellydancingcaroline** · 07-16-2009 04:32 PM

Thanks this is all really useful.

**_Tanya_** · 07-16-2009 04:40 PM

Firstly you are stunning.
Now my minor critiques on photos. I would like to see at least one posed photo taken in a studio. I love your live shots, but there is a clarity of image that comes from a professional studio shot.
You have a lot of veil photos, if you work with other props you may want to include photos with those. I also think including a headshot is a good thing.

**mekyria** · 07-17-2009 07:10 AM

I like the pictures in your gallery because they are taken during life performances. In addition to the other advice, I also like to add that as a potential customer, in these pictures I see you in two situations:

-A party, interacting with and entertaining people
-on stage

If you market yourself for hensparties, workshops and classes, I'd add a couple of pictures to give a general idea what those would look like. You could also add these to the booking page instead of the gallery.

**Devora** · 07-17-2009 11:23 AM

Hi, I just want to say I concur, you are STUNNING! - I have noticed your pics before on the Bhuz website when trolling for the same costumes (a red and gold 2-tone comes to mind . . .).

I second Tanya and Zobeida's suggestions to incorporate a pro-looking shot - if I were to use it to replace one of the existing shots, I would vote for removing the 2nd photo down on the left, where you are making nice eye contact with the viewer, but to me there is a slight "tentative" quality in your expression (as opposed to the pic at the upper right) in that one pic, and the pose is a bit less figure-flattering than most of the others. I also agree that the layout or background (maybe a different color w/texture or subtle design as opposed to solid) could be improved, or you could do something more similar to Andalee's page - I'm currently having a similar challenge, trying to hang an assortment of different-sized pictures on a wall, it takes awhile to get the right balance. I look forward to seeing the final.

-Devora

**SatinWorship19** · 07-17-2009 11:59 AM

I don't think I mentioned this already, and forgive me if I did - but now that you've gotten some great feedback from Bhuz, I'd wholeheartedly encourage you to run your gallery by your most brutally honest, opinionated, marketing savvy non-dancer friends.

Don't get me wrong. Marketing feedback from dancers can be tremendously helpful. But I'd wager to say that a good chunk of your target market is the general public. Sometimes, we undervalue the feedback of the people who matter most...our potential clients.

So ask your non-dancing friends and family what they think works (and what doesn't), and what kinds of images they respond to best. Take some of it with a grain of salt, of course. But listen with an open mind. I think we tend to view things with BD-colored glasses. Since your imagery is an important selling tool, it's just as important to collect feedback without pre-existing biases, or common pre-formed ideas of what dancer galleries should and shouldn't look like.

Even if you don't get any useful feedback, it's a great exercise to get you into a marketer's mindset. I know I'm always keeping my eyes and ears open for those valuable little "nuggets" of feedback from customers and prospects...in fact, I just started tracking it in a notebook.

**Bellydancingcaroline** · 07-17-2009 12:11 PM

Yes, I agree with all of these comments, and I now realise that I can't smarten up my old page enough and I will have to scrap it and start again.

1. With a better gallery style layout, sometime with more 'umph' to it that is inviting for folk to stay a while

2. pics that are the same size,

3. A feel / colours that fits more in with the rest of the website

4. More variety of shots (hen parties / studio shots / with different props, in a covered up costume, etc.)

5. Loose the Baladi Pic & replace the 'tentative' looking one -2nd photo down on the left- with a more confident one.

6. Follow Andalees technical suggestions (font, page name etc.)

7. Double check I am hitting the mark with non dance friends. Though honestly, they are so impressed they can't give me a critique!!! (imagine if you'd only ever seen your friend in jeans and no makeup, hair tied back, then all these pics!)

**Amaryllis** · 07-17-2009 12:19 PM

Chin up and shoulders back...I've heard it a million times, but it works great for pics. Action shots are great but can get really blurry or get you making a face (none of yours do), having candid action shots taken - have your photog snap away and take as many as possible - it gives you a bigger pool to draw from and I guarantee you will find several you love. Don't be afraid to use photoshop or any other photo software to clean up your pics..crop, un-blurry, remove red-eye, give your costume richer pigment. Don't be intimidated to get some pro pics done that are both very bd oriented and non-bd oriented.

**SatinWorship19** · 07-17-2009 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by Bellydancingcaroline

7. Double check I am hitting the mark with non dance friends. Though honestly, they are so impressed they can't give me a critique!!! (imagine if you'd only ever seen your friend in jeans and no makeup, hair tied back, then all these pics!)

Yeah, like I said, you don't always get helpful feedback

But it's always amused me how we dancers can be so critical of our own (and other people's) promotional imagery, when most average people just gasp and go "Oh my goodness, is that YOU?"

That being said, I tend to reject many of the absolute do's and don'ts on promotional imagery because there's no such thing as a One-Size-Fits-All approach to branding yourself through pictures. My only real rule of thumb, when selecting gallery shots, is to make sure they're good quality (no fuzziness or red-eye) and to use a mix of professional and performance shots. The rest all hinges upon your personal style and who you want to act on your pictures.

Have I rambled enough today? Am I being confusing enough for you? ..l;,

**SatinWorship19** · 07-17-2009 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by Amaryllis

Chin up and shoulders back...I've heard it a million times, but it works great for pics. Action shots are great but can get really blurry or get you making a face (none of yours do), having candid action shots taken - have your photog snap away and take as many as possible - it gives you a bigger pool to draw from and I guarantee you will find several you love. Don't be afraid to use photoshop or any other photo software to clean up your pics..crop, un-blurry, remove red-eye, give your costume richer pigment. Don't be intimidated to get some pro pics done that are both very bd oriented and non-bd oriented.

Awesome advice. When it comes to action shots, I actually select quality over quantity. Some dancers love to post every live picture in their collection, whether or not it's flattering. My philosophy is that the negative effect of 25 mediocre (or bad) performance shots can undo the powerful impact of 4-5 KILLER live shots.

And yes, big thumbs-up to trying a number of different styles. I'm quite the fan of shooting on-location in creative spots. While it may not always shout "belly dance" loud and clear, I find that my audiences respond powerfully to the escapism, the fantasy and the glamour that I try to capture in my more over-the-top shots. More so than any of my more subdued work

But other dancers have more success with sleek, sophisticated studio shots.

What works for me doesn't work for Jillina, or Rachel Brice, or the dancer down the street, though. Have fun expressing yourself and the rest falls into place from there!

And PhotoShop is not just for grafting your head onto Pam Anderson's body anymore. Tons of practical applications, and if it's done right, nobody will even notice.

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