livebooks blog

Things are extremely busy these days here at liveBooks. The other week we announced the launch of our new liveBooks8 HTML5 platform and we are hard at work migrating our clients over. Last week, we completely re-branded and re-launched liveBooks.com – and we hope you’ve taken a look and love what you see!

The new homepage features some amazing video content from our fantastic clients, as well as a cleaner, easy-to-navigate menu.

You also now have the opportunity to see all the new features of liveBooks8 and get a sneak peek of how the website editor functions.

Plus, you can preview all the new templates that are available with the platform via the website templates page so you get a feel for some of the beautiful new designs.

Let us know in the comments what you think of our new website – and feel free to email us at social@livebooks.com!

Designing the perfect website to show off your work and style can be overwhelming, daunting, and extremely time consuming. Here at liveBooks we strive to make it as easy (and fun!) as possible to create your website. While there are many things you can do within your editSuite, in this blog post we have narrowed down the top five things to do to get your website ready to go-live in one hour.

Portfolios and Libraries

As photographers and creative professionals, one of the most important aspects of your website will be showing off your beautiful work. The first thing you will want to do within your editSuite is name your portfolios and libraries so you know where to put your content once it is uploaded. One thing to note: libraries are for organizing and storing your images within your editSuite and do not appear on the user-facing side of your website. There is no limit to the number of libraries you can have on your site, and you can always add more than the default amount given. Portfolios, once you have added at least one image to them, will show on your website.

Check out these Support articles to learn more:

What Is The Difference Between Libraries and Portfolios?

How Do I Use The Name Portfolios and Libraries Module?

Upload Content

Once you have your portfolios and libraries named, you will want to upload your photos. Your first step will be to prepare your images according to the Image Prep Instructions. Once you have uploaded the images to your site, they will appear in the acquire area of your “Upload Image” page and you will see thumbnails as the images appear. Note that these images will remain in the acquire area until they are moved into a library for permanent storage (which is why naming your libraries ahead of time is a good idea.) Once images are moved to a library, you will then have the ability to place them into a portfolio for viewing on the front end of your site.

Some additional helpful articles:

How Do I Use The Upload Images Module?

How Do I Use The Upload Images Module For Scaler?

Name Your Pages

After your photos are uploaded, you will want to make sure that the rest of the pages on your website are correctly named and filled with some content. Typical names include: Home, About, Contact, Video, Blog, etc. Once you have renamed your pages accordingly, add some basic content and links so that they are not blank when you go-live.

Additional Resources:

How Do I Rename One Of My Pages?

How Do I Use The Pages Module?

Choose Homepage Photo(s)

One of the final steps to get your website go-live ready will be choosing your homepage photo (or photos, depending on the type of template you choose.) These will be displayed when a user first lands on your page and is really the first impression that people will have of your work and style.

How Do I Change The Images In My Homepage Slideshow?

How Do I Create And Control My Homepage Gallery?

Go-Live!

Once the above steps are done, you have previewed your website, added some brief content, and activated your account, you will want to submit a Go-Live request so that your beautiful website can be seen by the world!

Have any other to-do’s before going live with your website? Sound off in the comments or shoot us an email at social@livebooks.com!

Things are continually changing in the digital age that we’re living in, and now that we’re mid-way through 2015, it’s time to do a round-up of photography website trends for the rest of the year – and beyond.

Mobile-Friendly Design

With an increasing number of people browsing the web on mobile devices such as phones and tablets, designing a website with mobile in mind is going to be even more important in the coming months. Think of a mobile-friendly site as a much simpler version of your full website; the amount of text is limited to be as concise as possible, the site menu has shorter titles, and the focus really falls on your beautiful images. It will also be extremely important to ensure that your site loads quickly on mobile devices, as user experience is even more apparent on mobile.

Interactive Storytelling

Your website and images should essentially tell the user a story: what your brand is about, your journey as a photographer, the past work you’ve done, and ultimately the type of work you hope to do in the future. Ideally, your images will also evoke a strong emotional response from the viewer – and interactive storytelling can help achieve this. Techniques such as scrolling images, unique page transition effects, and interesting layouts allows you to create a truly original and engaging experience for your viewers – hopefully triggering an emotional response that will make them remember you long after they’ve left your site.

Image-Centered Design

A couple of years ago, the theme of prominently displayed images across the full screen became very popular in web design. This is incredibly fortunate for photographers, and it’s a trend that’s not going anywhere any time soon. In fact, it is only going to get more sophisticated as techniques emerge to optimize images for better responsiveness and faster load time. Plus, the ability to add information on top of photos without compromising the resolution or user-experience will prove extremely valuable.

Customized Image Portfolios

The way you display your images on your website is highly personal; only you know the story you have to tell and the way you want your audience to hear it. The trend of creating unique ways for users to view your portfolios is gaining a lot of traction. From displaying your images in a grid layout, photo strips, slideshows, and automatic scrolling, you now have more control over the experience your user has.

Focus on Video

Video has become increasingly popular over the past couple of years, and that trend will only continue. Many websites are now utilizing full-screen videos in the background to create a more engaging experience for the user, and because many sites have become more advanced to facilitate faster media streaming, Internet users tend to read less and watch more. Even if you do not typically offer video services, creating a reel of “behind-the-scenes” shots would be a great way to present your brand so that it leaves a lasting impact on your audience and allows you to have interactive media.

Minimalist Design

The minimalist design has been trendy for a few years now and it basically follows the “less is more” philosophy. Large, full-screen imagery, bold typography, simpler navigation bars, and linear shapes are all going to continue to be design elements in the future. The good news is that this type of design will be a great way to practice honing your marketing message in fewer words and/or photos.

What trends do you hope to see (or not see!) the rest of this year and next?

Resources:

8 Photography Website Trends

Top 7 Website Trends for Photographers

Photographer Christina Kiffney brings creativity and a fresh, artistic approach to each and every assignment. Her work is highly compelling and authentic – and we think her website absolutely exudes all of these same qualities.

Check out her full site here: www.christinakiffney.com and read on to see just why we chose her as our featured website this week!

Q: How would you describe the aesthetic of your website in three words?

CK: Narrative, Genuine, Creative.

Q: How do you choose the photos that you display on your homepage?

CK: I work with a consultant at Agency Access to choose a portfolio that reflects my core style, while still displaying the breadth of my work.

Q: How often do you update your website?

CK: I update my website annually.

Q: What is your favorite feature that liveBooks offers?

CK: The ability to upload private, customize-able Lightroom galleries for client viewing and selection.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d offer to someone designing their website?

CK: Work with a consultant to make sure your website appeals to the clients you want to book, rather than just being a representation of the jobs you do.

Have a website you’d like us to feature? Email us at social@livebooks.com.