livebooks blog

Gary Kordan – an extremely talented Art Director and Production Designer for television – has a website unlike any we’ve ever seen before. His utilization of graphics, video, and imagery keeps users supremely engaged and wanting to click to each new section.

We are honored for his site to be our featured website this week – so read on because you’re in for a treat!

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

GK: Dynamic, Bold, Edgy

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

GK: As a production designer for television, I try to choose my most recent recognizable project to display on my homepage. A big, bright set design featuring well-known talent like Key & Peele or the cast of Workaholics helps potential clients to get excited about my work. Finding the right image that showcases set design, set decoration, and overall aesthetic of the TV show I designed is important because my website audience is extremely busy and may only spend 30 seconds on a site. First impressions are important!

Q: How often do you update your website?

GK: I update the order of my galleries and blog often. Especially when I’m up for a show that is searching for a specific type of look. If the project is a single camera comedy I’ll feature these images first. If it’s a variety or sketch show, I’ll move those to the beginning of the gallery. Same with the most recent blog post. I am always assuming that people have only 15 seconds to look at my site and blog so I don’t want to bury the stuff I think they want to see. I’m pretty sure all television producers have ADD. One recent exception to this happened when I booked a show after a great meeting (in Hollywood interviews are “meetings”) and the star of the show said that my website was the best she had ever seen. She spent an hour on it reading and looking at everything!

Q: What is your favorite feature that liveBooks offers?

GK: My favorite feature is my video homepage that changes each time it’s refreshed. I have black and white video edited to look like silent movies. To me it serves as a premium and warm-up to the full color and bold images in the galleries. Black is my favorite color and very much a part of my brand. The look of my site and the homepage video preview has an edge that matches my daily wardrobe.

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

GK: My best advice to someone designing their website is to ask someone to objectively be their editor. Are there too many photos? Are the names of the galleries too confusing? Typos in the bio? Is their homepage too busy to navigate? I feel like less is more and no one really cares about a project from 20 years ago unless it’s in a specifically named gallery. Ask a friend or a family member to look at the website before it launches. Sit beside them and notice if they start to get bored or if the images seen redundant. A website should play like a great movie or rock concert. It should draw people in and leave them wanting more. The minute they are confused by the navigation or losing interest in the photographs it’s time for an edit!

Head on over to www.garykordan.com to see more (our post really doesn’t do his site justice!)

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

Photographer David Wilder dabbled in portrait, wedding, and commercial photography before he landed on his true calling – photographing the great outdoors. Now, David spends his time capturing the beautiful Alberta landscape and exploring around the world. His website is a true reflection of his love for nature – and reflects a clean and crisp look that we are so excited to feature this week.

Check out his full site – www.davidwilder.ca – and read on for what he had to say about his site’s creation!

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

DW: Clean, Simple, Sleek. For someone like myself who is always about presenting my work with less distractions, that’s what drew my attention to this design.

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

DW: I was always taught that your handshake says a lot about you. My homepage is my handshake, it is often the first thing people see and where they start to learn about me. I choose images for the homepage that speak to my character, what I value, and who I am as a person. It is with these images the visitor can become captivated and drive them to want to see more.

Q: How often do you update your website?

DW: The most challenging thing for any creative is to stay current and relevant. Before I found liveBooks, it was so hard to keep updating my site. But with liveBooks the system is now so easy to make changes on the fly. I tend to make updates to my website once a month. I feel it gives a balance between my visitors getting a chance to see what I have recently been working on but not rush their favorite images out the door too soon.

Q: What is your favorite feature that liveBooks offers?

DW: Hands down it is the Admin Portal. Time is so important to everyone. The less time I have to dedicate to making changes means the more time I can focus on my craft. My heart always wants to be behind the camera taking the next photograph and the way the Admin Portal makes updating my site so efficient it allows me to be out there finding my next shot.

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

DW: My advice would be design something that speaks to you, as this will achieve a number of things. A website speaks on your behalf, it represents you. You want visitors to get to know you by viewing it and feel like they have already met you. You also want to be happy with its aesthetics; it needs to be captivating and engaging to your audience, otherwise you will constantly be trying to change it and using up precious time that you could be using to create more of your art.

Follow more of David’s work and adventures on Instagram – @dw_photo_ca

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

Photographer Dorit Thies specializes in beauty, fashion, and lifestyle photography. She creates powerful imagery ranging from international magazine covers to compelling photos captured in exotic destinations all around the world. Her website reflects glamour and elicits intrigue from the moment you land on the homepage – we just had to feature her this week!

Read on to see what she has to say about her site, and check out the full thing at www.doritthies.com.

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

DT: Clean, Intriguing, and quick easy overview at first glance.

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

DT: Each portfolio has its own category. In my case I shoot beauty, fashion, celebrity, and lifestyle. I choose my best and most recent shot to be the first image in the individual portfolio. For example, I have multiple beauty portfolios, based on recent publications, so I place the most recent and most iconic image at the beginning of each portfolio. I play around with the order of the appearance in the editSuite as well to make sure it looks strong on the homepage. I always make sure my latest work shows up on the top rows.

Q: How often do you update your website?

DT: Whenever I get new work in, or I try twice a week.

Q: What is your favorite feature that liveBooks offers?

DT: To have multiple portfolios (21) in my case, visible on my homepage, presenting my body of work immediately and still loading within five seconds.

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

DT: To create a number of portfolios that present your body of work, naming them clearly so they explain the category of your photography, include the name of the story or name of the publication. Make it short and to the point. Promote it as much as you can once you have it published, and make sure you have your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in place.

Have a website you’d like us to feature? Let us know! social@livebooks.com

Jim LaSala is a multi-award winning fine art photographer and Moab Master who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He lived in Staten Island for several years and currently resides in Flemington, New Jersey. He opened “Strike a Pose Photography Studio” in 1990 specializing in Fine Art Photography, Portraiture, and Electronic Imaging. Jim is presently a managing partner for “Xact Studios” in Hillsborough, New Jersey. As well as still life and fine art images, Jim has been passionately involved in documenting the people and their lives in Haiti. We had the pleasure of chatting with Jim to hear more about his work, inspirations, and vast experiences across the globe.

Q: What’s your inspiration?

JL: My parents are my inspiration, and it started a long time ago. We were less fortunate than many and growing up with deaf parents forced me to mature somewhat faster than some other children my age. They truly moticated me to see past prejudices and being held back from the things that you truly want in life.

“Eyes on Haiti” – Jim LaSala

Q: What role does photography play in your life?

JL: Communication. My photography is an extension of my feelings and thoughts and it has been very special to me.

“Blind Faith” – Jim LaSala

Q: Who are some sources of artistic influence for you?

JL: The first person that comes to mind is the incredible works of George Hurrell, “photographer to the stars.” His control of hot lights and dynamic portraiture has helped me understand the importance of capturing full tones and controlling contrast. Also Ansel Adams, who was a master of pre-visualization. I’ve often been asked how I end up with some of the images that I have produced and I believe it has a lot to do with understanding the story you are trying to share. What made you stop to photograph a certain situation? Was it color, texture, or maybe lack of color? Try to bring out just what it was that caught your interest. Don’t just settle for mediocre but keep your thoughts and ideas flowing. And lastly, Sally Mann. I love her storytelling abilities as well as her black and white treatment.

“Profound Silence” – Jim LaSala

Q: Let’s talk about your work “Hope and Despair.” Can you tell us a little more about this project?

JL: I have been fortunate enough to make six journeys to Haiti along with a non-profit organization that has been documenting the people who are in such need. This image was captured on my last trip (February 2011) while we were staying in Port Au Prince. We stayed in a makeshift commune that houses volunteers from all over the world. Behind this building are many tents that are set up for hundreds of people that lost their homes after the devastating earthquake in 2010 that took over 300,000 lives. It is here that we find children laughing, crying, playing, and surviving. Warm and friendly people is what I experienced. The many faces and eyes that tell a story we could never imagine. I’m blessed to be a photographer so I can tell the story through my images, and many times we forget how important our job is. When we are documenting and relaying our feelings about people, it’s not just about pushing the shutter. It’s about caring and respecting life. The story behind “Hope and Despair” is as follows: while in tent city, I spent time walking among the people, trying to get to know them, and make them feel comfortable. I came upon these two young girls who had been in tent city for about a year. One seemed quite eager to have her photo taken, while the other one was very shy. With some coaxing I was finally able to grab three or four images before I continued on. There are many times when I don’t even realize what I have captured. We become voyeurs while hiding behind our cameras. At times, we even lose our sensitivity while trying to capture the emotions around us. Sometimes, it’s not until I actually get back home and start editing that I become very emotional and affected by what I have captured. It is at this time when reality hits and we can no longer hide behind a piece of equipment and separate ourselves from the world. I’m hoping to continue my story. I’m hoping that my images can in some way help a country so devastated and so in need, yet so proud and grateful, even for the little they possess. I’m so grateful that I can share my story with everyone through my eyes.

“Sweet Innocence” – Jim LaSala

Jim’s exhibit, “Cuba Revealed,” is currently showing at the Collection Privee Gallery in Wynwood, Miami.

Check out his website to learn more about his fantastic work!