I see a website as a shop front.
Your shop front, no matter what your business should be neat and tidy and well presented because they represent you and the quality of what you offer.
Why would you spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a pretty website but put terrible photos on it? It is exactly like having a beautifully architecturally designed shop but ugly rundown product displays inside! Examples of this are all over the Internet.
Recently Pat from Magic Kitchens got me to shoot 3 of his clients kitchens for use on his website.
Below are examples of shots I did for Pat compared to real examples that I found on some of his competitors websites.
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| Competitor 1. |
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| Magic Kitchens 1. |
This Competitors kitchen is underexposed (dark), crooked (especially on the left) and the composition is awkward (distracting objects in the foreground and the island bench neither square or angled and therefore blocking the eyes movement around the frame). Here, Magic Kitchens 1st photo has none of these problems.
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| Competitor 2. |
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| Magic Kitchens 2. |
On the other hand... Magic Kitchens 2nd photo is clear of any clutter. To be honest it could probably do with a nice fruit bowl, wooden chopping board with crusty bread, flowers in a good vase or bottle of wine with glasses. (There is an honest critique of my own work.) Still, better less than too much.
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| Magic Kitchens 3. |
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| Competitor 3. |
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| Magic Kitchens 4. |
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| Competitor 4. |
Controlling light is what photography is all about. Magic Kitchens 4th photo has a strong blast of sun coming in the window (you can just see it in the middle on the right). I have used a range of tricks to get the shot and make it look good anyway... as opposed to Competitor 4.
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| Magic Kitchens 5. |
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| Competitor 5. |
Using camera flashes is a whole extra skill which they usually don't teach you in Photographers School until you've mastered everything else. 'Onboard' flashes or speed lights attached to the camera do not work for interior photography like this. Like Competitors 5th photo you get nasty pools of brightness and dark bits that didn't get the flash light.
I could go on and on but you get the picture... pardon the pun. If you want good photos for your website getting your friend with a big camera to do it probably won't work and even professionals who don't specialize in this type of work will probably have problems. Save yourself some time a give me a call!
For more information check out my website... www.bradhillimaging.com.au .
Cheers,
Brad.
