# Website: Slideshow, or no?



## Destin (Jul 12, 2011)

Alright so I'm currently in the process of revamping everything about my website. It was almost completely oriented towards my sports shooting, but I'm trying to move more towards senior photos now, and need my site to reflect that. I loved having a slideshow on the front page when it was a black background on my site, and it was all sports photos in the slideshow. It looked good. 

now, I've changed to a brown/tan color scheme, and the photos are being changed over to my senior portrait portfolio (slowly, as I dig some old photos up)

Anyway, I need opinions here. My options:

1.) Leave a slideshow on my front page, like it is now - www.destindanser.com

2.) Make up some nice, cheesy paragraph about myself and my photography, and put it on the front page, along with one or two photos from my portfolio

3.) Just have a few static images from my portfolio on the front page. 

Let me know what you think, thanks.


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## Josh66 (Jul 12, 2011)

1. & 3.)  I think I like it the way you have it now.  I would add a "Portfolio" gallery though, with just the best 10-15 images in it.

2.)  Sounds like an "about page", which you have already.  Maybe just update it.


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## MSnowy (Jul 12, 2011)

I like the idea of the "Portfolio" gallery and would use that as your slide show. Really don't like the brown background, but that might just be me.


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## Destin (Jul 12, 2011)

Thanks guys, I like the ideas you've thrown out there. 

I think I'm going to keep the slideshow as my front page. 

As far as the portfolio gallery though, I know I need to add something like that. I'm bouncing a few ideas around. Basically, I want to have a portfolio for Sports, Portraits, and Weddings, all seperate. Should I have a Portfolio tab in the header, that takes you to a page with seperate galleries for each portolio category?

Or should I have each tab in the header (portraits, sports, weddings, etc) take you to it's respective portfolio, and then find a seperate way to display galleries (proofs) from specific shoots.


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## Destin (Jul 12, 2011)

Also, on the slideshow, should I round the corners of the photos? Or fade them out into the background somehow? The edges just look too harsh for my liking...


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## Josh66 (Jul 12, 2011)

Destin said:


> Thanks guys, I like the ideas you've thrown out there.
> 
> I think I'm going to keep the slideshow as my front page.
> 
> ...


One "Portfolio" tab with sub-categories (if necessary) sounds like the best plan to me.  That way, it will be clear from the front page that there is in fact a portfolio section.  With the portfolio hidden in the galleries, people might miss it.

edit
BTW - The Portfolio needs to be the best of the best.  Don't put too much in there, or it will just be another gallery...


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## HikinMike (Jul 12, 2011)

If you're using your website to try and get new clients via the net, you should have some text on your home page. A short "bio" about what you do and where your located. It helps both the viewers and SEO.

I like the brown background, but your logo background is a different shade of brown then your background.


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## Destin (Jul 12, 2011)

HikinMike said:


> If you're using your website to try and get new clients via the net, you should have some text on your home page. A short "bio" about what you do and where your located. It helps both the viewers and SEO.
> 
> I like the brown background, but your logo background is a different shade of brown then your background.



You mean my header? It shouldn't be, I used the same html color code for it... If it is, it sure isn't showing it on my monitor, or my iphone.. 

Anything is possible, but I don't see how it could be..


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## Josh66 (Jul 12, 2011)

I see it too (calibrated monitor).

Here's a screenshot...


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## Destin (Jul 12, 2011)

Hmm... That's really weird. I can see it here, on your screenshot, but not on my site. That's...strange. My monitor is probably due for calibration (I have to borrow my friends calibrator) but you would think that if I can't see it on the site, I shouldn't be able to see it on your screenshot, right?


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## Josh66 (Jul 12, 2011)

I'm on Firefox, if that matters...


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## Destin (Jul 12, 2011)

O|||||||O said:


> I'm on Firefox, if that matters...



It very well may, I'm using Chrome.


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## Josh66 (Jul 12, 2011)

I just tried on Chromium (where Google Chrome's source code came from - same thing, basically), and I don't see it on that.  It looks like one solid color.


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## Destin (Jul 12, 2011)

Hmm. I tried it on Firefox, and I only see one solid color there also. I don't know. I'm not too concerned, I'm working on a new header that is a different color than the background anyway, to solve the issue.


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## HikinMike (Jul 12, 2011)

Destin said:


> Hmm. I tried it on Firefox, and I only see one solid color there also. I don't know. I'm not too concerned, I'm working on a new header that is a different color than the background anyway, to solve the issue.



To solve the problem, use a transparent background on your logo/header.


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## Destin (Jul 12, 2011)

As far as I know, I can only upload .jpg files to the header spot on smugmug. And jpg's don't support transparency. 

Also, To those that reccomended a portfolio page, I've turned the portrait, and wedding tabs into portfolios, and I'll move client galleries to the proofs tab when they come along. Sports and Events were left the way I had them until I figure out what I want to do with them.


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