Up and running (portfolio) C&C requested

[kalyt]

Hi Guys

Finally I got my portfolio up and running. I would be glad if you could check it out, and give some feedback on it, both the layout and and the images I have chosen

Here it is.:
http://www.kaarelytsen.dk

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Kaare,

Congrats on making a start.

I have just had a quick look so far and not really studied the images, but I have a few thoughts on the web presentation.

I get a really nasty flicker when advancing through images one by one using the on screen (or keyboard) arrow keys - not sure of the cause, but it needs to be fixed.

The other initial observation is that the thumbnails are all nice and uniform in size and aspect ratio - regardless of the aspect ratio of the shot itself, so a vertical oriented shot of trees becomes a horizontally oriented crop, which does little to encourage opening the image because we're not seeing the composition from the thumbnail pages.

It also needs some additional titling, text, guidance, etc. so people know where they are in the site and can work out where to go next.

Hope those thoughts are helpful, Dave

I'm sure others will have ideas to contribute, I'll look at the images when I have more time.
Sorry it is a list of negatives, there are things I like about it too, but I need to get shopping before the rain comes (and I walk)

[IzzieK]

Kaare -- When I saw your portfolio I thought it was too neat...almost clinical, well, IT IS clinical. Maybe because I am more into the "I'd like to know what I am seeing" category of person, perhaps you can construct a blog too to explain your feelings on the what and the why of your images. The "About" area, I am not keen on using a "third person" write up of the owner and user of the site kind of thing. This a page where you should shine, tell people who you are, what your hobby means to you.

These are just my opinion...but then I guess in the portfolio category the images should be neat and clinical, I do not know ...

[Dave Humphries]

Hi again Kaare,

but I need to get shopping before the rain comes

Well, I'm rather damp now
I should have gone shopping first then done a more complete reply for you later
Live and learn, eh?

If I look at your site in more detail, I can see a plethora of other issues that need attention, please don't feel discouraged, these are things we all do when setting up a first website ourselves - unless we've been trained to avoid them.

As I said above, there are many aspects I like;

the neutral colour scheme
the simplicity (if perhaps a little over done as Izzie has mentioned)
the image titles top of screen in LyteBox view
that the navigation arrows stay in one place on screen regardless of image size and orientation

On your home page, I recommend making the album/gallery captions in to hyperlinks (undecorated if you wish) so that they also take people to same the destination album.

Once we enter a specific album:

There is no gallery title on the page, this matters because once you're in one of the three albums, there's nothing on screen that allows us to know where we are (in relation to home page). In addition to the album page title, you might want to consider a feature known as a "crumbtrail", especially if albums might become multi-level in depth from the home page. Or implement a menu bar system for navigation of your site, you need to plan ahead to when it may be much bigger.

In two of the albums; the individual images have not had their html titles defined, this matters because the web building application you have used has put "undefined" in to each and this displays when we hover over each image and so looks unfinished. I would also suggest the name of each image appears beneath it as a caption - and again, this could be a link that takes us in to the LyteBox style viewer. I note that all but the last idea has been done in the "Man Made" album, so I guess you have spotted this now.

Cheers, Dave

PS
If you'd like to get in to more detailed technical discussions, drop me a PM - while I don't know the platform you have used to create the site, I do know the fundamentals of html and have some experience of web usability issues - mind you, so have several other members here.

[John 2]

Kaare, very much like the clinical simplicity of the layout and there is no sign of the flicker that Dave describes when I move through the images using the arrow keys. However, two out of the three sections loaded so far contain "undefined" images but I guess that's work in progress and I agree that in many cases, your thumbnails just don't do the full image the justice it deserves. e.g. Fort William. BTW, a batch of very nice images overall but Fort William and Round and Round struck me in particular.

[kalyt]

Hi Guys

Wow, thanks a lot for the comments, it' really overwheliming that you took the time to take a look at the site. I'll try to see if I can incorparate some of all the things you pointed out. Once again thanks!

Live and learn, eh?

Exactly Dave, you live and learn

[kalyt]

Hi you guys

Just a short follow up to those of you who gave feedback.
I went with the Lytebox design for the pictures. Tried to rearrange the thumbnails, so they looks more inviting. Besides that I gave all the pictures a title(oh god that took some time ). I kept the clinical design, because I think it's works well when representing my pictures. But thanks for drawing attention to it. It made me think an extra time about why I choose that design

If you find any bugs, please let me know, thanks
The web address is www.kaarelytsen.dk

P.S
Too those of you who wonder how to made the website, when you can't code, I can recommend Adobe Muse :roll eyes:

[pnodrog]

Nice simple/elegant layout in keeping with the style of photographs you are showing.

[RBSinTo]

Kaare,
you are an excellent photographer with a keen eye.
With respect to the images chosen, while I think the ones you have displayed are very good, but unless we can see the group they were ultimately chosen from it is impossible to comment on the choices you made.
I too like the simple, clean, layout of your site, but I dislike the use of the third person in the "About" section.
I've always felt it is pretentious to use it when one is writing about themselves. If the description had been written and signed by someone else, then of course it would be fine.
There is one minor, easily fixed error that I did see while viewing the photos: in the Black and White Landscape category, the title of the fifth image is misspelled. It should be "Mighty"
Robert

[kalyt]

Nice simple/elegant layout in keeping with the style of photographs you are showing.

- Thanks a lot

[kalyt]

Kaare,
you are an excellent photographer with a keen eye.
With respect to the images chosen, while I think the ones you have displayed are very good, but unless we can see the group they were ultimately chosen from it is impossible to comment on the choices you made.
I too like the simple, clean, layout of your site, but I dislike the use of the third person in the "About" section.
I've always felt it is pretentious to use it when one is writing about themselves. If the description had been written and signed by someone else, then of course it would be fine.
There is one minor, easily fixed error that I did see while viewing the photos: in the Black and White Landscape category, the title of the fifth image is misspelled. It should be "Mighty"
Robert

Thanks a lot for the kind words, and for liking the way im presenting them.
I'll just have a look at the about section, and fix that misspelling

[Rebel]

Great work Kaare!

The portfolio is nice and basic as it should be, the focus should be on your work

[ccphoto]

On another note but as important, "About" needs further clarification:


Kaare Lytsen was born and raised in southern part of Denmark. Kaare entered photography as a hobbyist a decade ago but is now a seasoned photo artist (or something like this). After all these years it’s still a hobby! (By saying you started as a hobbyist, you are telling the viewer you have moved up in your photographic endeavors. I would be more prone to buy from a more polished photographer than a hobbyist.)

Kaare’s educational background includes a bachelor in teaching. (I am assuming there are other educational aspects if it “includes,” as the plural assumes more.)
Kaare’s photos explore the dynamics both in nature and the works of man. He emphasizes the best in both nature and humanity. (This is the same thing as the previous sentence. I would omit.) Kaare’s works are being expressed both as realism and the abstract.
Kaare understands the importance of light, and in combination with his understanding of composition, this helps his pictures express the mood in an extraordinary way.

Kaare’s work has also been acknowledged in newspapers and contests (where?)

Look at the body of text as I have made other context changes for better readability and for correctness.

Using "He" or starting a sentence without reference to yourself leaves the reader to guess who is featured in the text.

[ccphoto]

I find the "muted" thumbnails unnecessary as I would rather see them all as "finished" images first.

[kalyt]

Great work Kaare!

The portfolio is nice and basic as it should be, the focus should be on your work

Thanks a lot Matt

On another note but as important, "About" needs further clarification:


Kaare Lytsen was born and raised in southern part of Denmark. Kaare entered photography as a hobbyist a decade ago but is now a seasoned photo artist (or something like this). After all these years it’s still a hobby! (By saying you started as a hobbyist, you are telling the viewer you have moved up in your photographic endeavors. I would be more prone to buy from a more polished photographer than a hobbyist.)

Kaare’s educational background includes a bachelor in teaching. (I am assuming there are other educational aspects if it “includes,” as the plural assumes more.)
Kaare’s photos explore the dynamics both in nature and the works of man. He emphasizes the best in both nature and humanity. (This is the same thing as the previous sentence. I would omit.) Kaare’s works are being expressed both as realism and the abstract.
Kaare understands the importance of light, and in combination with his understanding of composition, this helps his pictures express the mood in an extraordinary way.

Kaare’s work has also been acknowledged in newspapers and contests (where?)

Look at the body of text as I have made other context changes for better readability and for correctness.

Using "He" or starting a sentence without reference to yourself leaves the reader to guess who is featured in the text.

Hi Chris, thanks a lot for the feedback on the "about" section. I see your points, and i'll fix them. Especially the one with acknowledgements in contest and newspapers. I'll get some references :-)