Joe Schiavo said:
Thank you Asher.
you can see a lot of our work at
www.seeyourreflections.com
this is our business' web site. if you go to our "client login" you will be able to see some of the motorsport events we have shot and some "other" stuff... our Portfolio is bare right now... been VERY busy.
in the past 2 months, we have shot about 12000 images in total, had a high success rate and have also been experiencing an increase in business due to the AZ heat remitting.
i will read the other postings you listed. i think i may have to get a faster/better laptop and a couple of monitors to display photos and take orders. i suppose Printing can wait for a bit
Joe,
Since it was mentioned that your website might be optimized, here's my own, non-expert take.
Initial Impression: Great color scheme, good basic design and impresive slide show presents enough of your skills to show you can do a job.
Prices:
Price list: I'm not sure I'd present your price list openly the way you do. In some case it might be best to frontload your fees as people today can simply copy your prints in Walgreens or Costco. However, the pricing layout looks good and you will work this out yourself.
Packages: I don't see wedding albums. You can include different ones in different packages.
Upfront fees: front-loading of charges and packages will define a minimal profit for you and the after sales should be generated ASAP after the weddding with a slide show and book of proofs with a few blow ups.
Cheap Extras: Except for sports, the tea shirts and mousepads are degrading to a magic photographer of weddings, IMHO and should go!
Front page:
Best Buddies: "Best buddies link does not belong on front page but maybe on the "Contact" page.
As kind as it might be, mental illness is totally out of sync with a bride to be looking to have normal children with great success that they never had.
The home page should be simple with no details, just a message. The pictures themselves are O.K. However, "O.K." is
not superb, stunning and magic. You need one picture, that's all and it should be wonderful. Get a beatiful model, work all day at a bridal dress store with a makeup artist and hair stylist and do a fantastic job. if they have a background use it. Or else, buy flowers bring your own b.g. Of coorse, if you already have that picture, then just use it! However, it must be your own work! BTW, doing 2-3 jobs with an experienced top wedding photographer is always a great investment.
You must have several websites: "Weddings and portraits" and "lifestyle", "Motor sports and cars." Certainly, wedding planners want to see a site focussed on the magic of the bride. Bikes and sports don't belong! Ugh!!
Look at wedding websites: they use uncluttered backgrounds. The bride and groom are always handsome. Shots of bride looking at her shoes, in the mirror, him fixing her bow etc are all standard and maybe "kitsch", but that's what you are sellling, "magic" invented and constructed memories for the bride and her mother!
Your Heading Reflections Photography is to whispy. Perhaps, get a graphic artist to design one. It is a good investment. BTW, Marine claris of M&N Clairs Organization in Bordeaux is very talented, but there are many artists available and it is not a big job.
Your Opening Message is not the best you can have and sounds amateur.
"We perform all our duties with integrity, passion, and professionalism. It's all part of how you'll see your memories in a whole new light... "
One short phrase, for example:
"Memories captured for a lifetime"
Don't write you are professional or you have integrity.
It sounds like a restaurant saying they don't use cat's meat or recycle the bread!
We assume you are professional. you site must reflect that.
Structure and composition of each page: Clean, sparse, one message at a time.
The page must scan from left to right in 10 seconds or less to get the idea of what you specialize in.
Cheapening factors: They pictures on the right and the cars say to me, low priced weddings done on the side. Mention of sports or bikes and cars! The cat, Never that!
All a bride and her mother are looking for is someone who will make them look wonderful and their day was perfect!
This must be "captured" no matter what! Yes, even if she is overweight, breaks out in a rash, it rains or Aunt Millie fights the brides father again.
It can't look like you were on the track in the morning! You are only a capturer of magic and a story teller on the wedding day. Don't break that spell by letting them see cats, cars, bikes or football. They all distract and IMHO, show you might not be really serious about weddings.
Motor Sports: Others can tell you about that. But I do like the pictures.
Sports: Again others can comment.
Portraits: Some are nice non-formal shots with great interestand attitude. Others could be removed. So you might go through these very strictly.
Only show your very best. Four less-than-O.K. pictures can damage you and negate the great ones.
Anyway, portraits are big investments in time. I
f you show one perfect portrait or even 4, you'll impress more.
Anyway, these are my tough comments, but I believe most are valid.
You have made a great start, but thank goodness, there's a lot you can do that's easy to make things so much better!
Good luck,
Asher