So you are done with the website design and construction. Do not heave a sigh of relief yet. You still have to pick and organize photos you want displayed on your website. The Internet has tons of images and pictures to choose from. Add to that your own collection of Web-friendly photos and you are in for a long selection process.
There is a right and a wrong way of going through various photos. This is how it SHOULD be done.
If you can afford it, get a professional photographer. However, if money is tight, snap photos yourself. Out of the hundreds you take, one or two are likely to be good. The other pieces you can cut out and use for webpage accents.
Reject photos given by people if they are unwilling to assign clear filenames for them.
In the absence of amateur or professional photographers, have someone attend digital photography classes at a nearby community center or school.
When taking photos yourself, pay attention to the backdrop. Backgrounds with so many things going on just add to viewer confusion online.
Go for high-resolution pictures. Manipulating higher-resolution shots for the Internet produce better results.
List down the photos you want shown on each webpage.
Sort photos into folders that clearly indicate their dates or events so you don't waste time opening each one every time you want to check something.
Give descriptive and specific filenames to all photo files.
Photo manipulation software allows you to lock captions within photo properties. Photoshop will work for this type of activity so use it if you have it.
Attach alt tags and captions to all photos. These will improve search engine position, give viewers a better idea of your message and help visually handicapped individuals use the site.
Your website acts as a tool for marketing the businesses of those you know so snap their pictures when you can.
Know what message you are conveying for all the pages. Plan out photo collections so they are tied to your webpage message.
Create one spreadsheet containing the pages of the site, indicating which pictures you intend to use for which page. Add a column for putting the date the images were placed on the pages.
Snap a fresh batch of photos even if you're done organizing the ones for the site. Seven-year old photos are perfect for showing a bit of history.
Rather than dump boxes of hodgepodge photos on your web developer's lap, leave him with CDs containing the renamed files of photos - complete with a spreadsheet bearing alt tags, filenames and captions.
In terms of ambience, stock photography works, but for specifics - not so much. Show your kind of people along with your kind of products. These are what viewers are looking for.
Post pictures on the website without first informing those in them. This is never a surprise friends and family consider pleasant.
Assume the website developer knows automatically the meaning behind every single picture, the identities of people in them and the special occasions they were taken.
Email batches of photos to the web developer for weeks. An even worse scenario would be to send the photos individually to your developer so they are forced to go through a ton of emails to retrieve them.
Expect website designers you hire to snap the pictures for you.
Think that just any faded, fuzzy or old snapshot is going to be fine.
Toss a bunch of photo CDs you found in the office the way of your developer. This is a big no-no especially if nobody has any idea what are inside the discs.
Gather up every snapshot in a cardboard box and leave it with your web developer.
When looking at your personal photo collection, understand that your web designer will likely be clueless about the significance of each. It is best to label everything clearly so there won't be any mix-ups. Web site design is easier when the concept is clear and orderly files accompany the project. The less mess to deal with the sooner the website is completed.