Before going to a photo shoot for a client, our team will create a photo list of photos we want for the website.
Creating a photo list is a great way to organize and prepare for the shoot.
Step-by-Step: How to Create a Photo List for Your Website
Here’s how to create a photo list:
- If you take photos for a website, be sure to first review where the photos will end up once they’re edited. Review all of the pages of the website, so you’re fully aware of services and information that may need images to help users understand and visualize them.
2. Based on the content, identify the best images to fit into that space. It’s very important that your image placements make sense, so as not to confuse or frustrate the visitor. Eye-tracking studies by Nielsen Norman Group show that the right types of images increase engagement and conversions. (For more information on the value of photography, please visit Artonic’s website photography page.) One example, the best images to place on Doctor Flue’s website are photos of service tech doing their jobs.
3. Organize photos by topic or category. It’s easier if you group photos you can capture during the same photo shoot. For example, on Doctor Flue’s website, we categorized the images by page topic, like gas stove repair or fireplace installation. On Monday, when we were given the opportunity to shoot a gas fireplace repair, we already had a list of photos we needed.
4. Be descriptive. When you create your photo list, include as many details as possible, so that you know exactly what you need. In the case of Doctor Flue, the shot descriptions might look like this: “Tech handing gas valve to apprentice” or “Homeowner points to fireplace, indicating a problem.”
5. Go to a stock photography website (http://www.istockphoto.com/ or http://www.gettyimages.com/), and search for images that you’d like to see on your website. Simply copy and paste the preview into a text document, like Microsoft Word. Note what you like about the photo and the important elements you need to capture.
6. Remember images for your website page banners. If you have a large image in your banner, be sure to make banner images a focus of your photo shoot. These photos can be used for banners with text:
7. Include unlikely photos that you really want to get. You may not get them, but if they’re listed, you have a better chance than if you don’t acknowledge them at all. (I put on the list: “chimney during rainstorm” and “raccoon in chimney” even though I was pretty certain I wouldn’t get those shots.)
What Types of Photos Should I Take?
- Capture emotion. Potential customers like seeing people expressing emotions, so be sure to capture lots of faces.
- Capture action. Images of people doing things – performing tasks, interacting with each other – are what your potential clients want to see.
- Professional. According to the same study mentioned above, Subjects could tell the difference between professional photography and amateur 90% of the time. The professional images were twice as appealing to subjects; they were more likely to be shared online, to be viewed longer, and to be considered ‘memorable’.
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