Website up!

Hi Erica,

I think it looks really nice, professional and friendly enough. No fussy flash animation. And of course, your photographs are good to see.
Regarding captions, I personally don’t like too see much of them, so it’s ok for me to have only one at the beginning of the series, so then I can go and feel for myself.
Maybe I would put some kind of more separate distinction between professional and personal work: it’s a nice feeling that one has that you do professional stuff in a personal way, but of course it depends on what kind of target you’re aiming at.

Anyway, thanks for sharing (I really like the St.Kitts job ;)).

All best,
Tom

Nice :) I really like the pilgrimage to Czestochowa.

Yay! It’s about bloody time!

I notice that lots people have this same website format (which I really like). Is it a service or set of templates or something? How does it work?

Fast, intuitive, elegant: well done.
Gianluca

thanks all..Preston, it’s through http://www.neonsky.com

Very good. Well done. About time. Me like.

Finaly! The photographs are great. I don’t read captions, I don’t need them…

Erica,

very nice, as always love your work. 2 cents; take out events photo section, or have it in a separate site, it might hurt you. And only leave the album cover of the Fernando guy, not the other picks. Will look at the rest of the site con calma later and send you more feedback.

Felicidades!!

Maybe I’ll make social (events) a private gallery that I can send people to?

I love it erica, so nice to see more of your work! The St. Kitts work is beautiful, well told. I agree with Adam about the Fernando Otero photos….
and I just discovered the surf manor series…wow.

I agree with Adam…...shooting weddings is sort of like picking your nose. Its forgivable, but you really don’t want anyone else to see you doing it.

I agree with Adam and just loved Andy’s analogy. It couldn’t have been said any better!

Is it a question of people KNOWING you shoot weddings or the images themselves? I love that first shot, of the elders dancing..I could leave that up with a note, unless it about the KNOWING..

Good work!

Thanks Charlie. Erica, the word “events” is a red-flag…..the pictures are a bit of a red flag too. But I love the Surf Manor stuff.

well it could say social and not events :) in fact will do that now, and pull the more regular ones, and then ya’ll decide..after all larry fink and others have made it ok if the pics are goo enough, but let me make a cut and then re evaluate

also, Adam..looking forward, as I am sure you are to la calma!

I have taken some of my best photos at weddings and their attendant ceremonies but, you’re right, event photos are best managed elsewhere.

very nice website and so many great pics. love the girl with the doll in the dappled light.

personally, i would lose no.6 from the slideshow – not sharp (but not ‘interestingly’ unsharp, at least not to me). otherwise some wonderful portraits. who on earth painted surf manor that mad yellowy green – enough to drive anyone round the bend…

ERica :)))...happy u r sharing with the world now :)))...as promised with send u a note on Wednesday….

more later…

running
b

ps. AGAIN, GET THAT ST. KITTS STORY SOLD!!!! :))

social is pared down, any better?

david, that is my absolute most favorite image! so can’t do it..in fact I want all my work to look this way, perhaps I am the one who has been driven round the bend..alas it stays but thank you..

bob, I await :)

maybe I could pull it from the intro tho, as it is different, and just leave it in 40 days, yes

well, we know that sharpness is a bourgeois concept. so come the revolution i expect i’ll be up against the wall…

“La Calma” Erica? Social, events it has the same effect to a photo editor: this person makes the majority of his/her income from weddings and I am taking a risk hiring them as they do not have enough editorial experience. This of course is ridiculous, I for one have never been as challenged on assignment as I was when shooting weddings and other events, the pressure is insane and the experience is the best training you could have for editorial and comercial work in my opinion.

Just that that section out completely and incorporate the absolute keepers which move you personally into other portfolios, ( I have a couple of wedding pics in my “people” portfolio) . Your events client will probably be more impressed when you show this site to them without event photography, and then send them a slideshow or show them a book which shows the work you have done.

Once this site is properly promoted you will be so busy shooting editorial you wont have time to shoot events… don’t shoot yourself in the foot… better…. shoot your foot and put the 6×6 self portrait on your site. I know events pay well, its like being a waiter hard to break away from that fast (not so easy) cash, but where do you want to go with this and look how far you have gone and what sacrifices you have made. Sorry for rambling, its the coffee.

ciao

Adam

Fabulous images!!!

I only have 7 stupid quibbles with the site.

And a miniscule incongruity: “Singles in black and white” contains a picture of a couple. Doesn’t bother me but might bother some. I’d post the link to it but your flash site does not have that ability. I already quibbled with that, above.

Hi Erica,

It’s beautiful, elegant and I love it’s simplicity – and so very easy to navigate. And its wonderful to learn more about you and see more of your work. We seem to think in parallel.

I’ve chosen a similar background colour for mine – almost black with a touch of warmth and earthiness! A dark melt-in-the-mouth chocolate… delicious isn’t it?!

And so much love in your photographs….

Peace,

Jenny

BTW I do love the photographs you have in “social” just put them under another name and take out the “available to photograph social events” or whatever it says, it goes without saying… this must be a lot more than 2 cents now, OK Ill shut up

i don’t see the problem with doing weddings,the money,especially in new york,is great,and it’s easy work.you photograph people,so why exclude weddings?i reckon this anti-wedding/event thing is little more than snobbery.

i like your colour work,that was a surprise to me.

if i was going to drop anything,i would drop the ‘awards and exhibitions’ part,it comes across as a little desperate.

i may be wrong, or just not stupid enough, but i think “Singles in black and white” means ‘single images’ rather than ‘single people’.

Erica, I am so happy to finally see your website online! It really was about time. Your photographs are wonderful, I really do like the brown background color, and in fact I really like the site design you used even though I usually have my issues with ready made templates. This one really works well.

I don’t quite see a reason for changing the word “Social”. It’s a lot better then Events and “Social” is not a bad word for this kind of photography. I wouldn’t be ashamed to show these photographs, no reason for this. And after all you also have to make a living and this photography might make good money. I know how this sounds but I am just thinking pragmatically.

I do however agree about the text as Adam just mentioned. It’s quite clear that you can be assigned to shoot social events by showing these photographs. The one thing that bothers me is that it seems very unlogical to me that you just display a slideshow of photographs without the thumbnails and navigation option underneith. From a usability point of view this is not great.

Did you get my e-mail today by the way?

Martin

Oh, one more thing that really, really bothers me a lot: I hate websites that use javascript to resize my browser window. VII does that for example and therefore I hate visiting their site.
There is absolutely no need for this, whenever my browser window is resized by a script I feel pix#*ed off because somebody is changing the way i want to use MY computer. I even see this is sort of a infiltration of my privacy. I really don’t want this to come along in a bad way, I am mentioning this as a criticism that should be taken as a suggestion to make your site better. I am pretty sure that I am not the only person who hates browser resizing by scripts and there are many studies out there that proof this.

Erica :))))...

just a quick thought:

LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN TO MARTIN!!!@....I feel the same and get royaly PO’d when this happens at VII or any other website…as photographers we already “re-arrange” seeing, we should allow the viewer to size view in the way they wish…we feed them enough already ;)))..

drafting a letter…will send as promised on Wednesday….

very proud of the work: it’s beautiful, often sublime, inspiring and above all humane: in the most catholic (and i dont mean the faith) way possible! ;))...rich rich rich….

...and very happy that others get to see your color work too :)))))))

running
b

Erica,

Just glancing through. There are so many things I like about this site, not too sure where to begin. The subtle brown is a refreshing change from the black/grey sites, navigation is easy, love the two kids (number 8) in the Park Slope Brooklyn portraits.

I agree with some of the criticisms above. Not a big fan of forcing the window to resize. Your photos already rescale according to window size, why force the window wide open? Stupid’s 7 quibbles are right about Flash, but some of them may not even be relevant. I would at least place text-based navigation on the very bottom of your page (Like on LS), which helps the search engines, and makes it so people can at least reach you through your site if they can’t get the fash to work.

Overall, I really have to give you a high-five. great looking, great shots, nicely done.

don’t mind the re-size. not that sensitive of a person when it comes to browsing the internet.

great to see such a varied selection of your work. the setup is simple and intuitive, and the focus is on the images as they come up.

only criticism i’d see right now is the labeling area and a possible selection of your finest in a “portfolio” so that people can instantly see what you’re about.

as i type that, i reckon i need to do that….

i’m going to send you a msg about friday (tonight).

Hi Martin,

I don’t understand what you mean by your comment above, about the resizing. It didn’t appear to happen on my computer – it just appeared on the screen and filled it up nicely.

I like the slideshow without thumbnails and navigation options. Why do you find it illogical? I’m doing the same on mine. The only thing I don’t enjoy is having to watch the percentage clock as images load but I guess there’s no getting around this?

Peace,

Jenny

Hi Jenny,

I don’t use my browser window in the same size each time I am on the internet. When I open Erica’s website a JavaScript automatically resizes my browser window to a 1291×924pixels. That is what I don’t like. Leave my browser window up to me.
If you have JavaScript disabled in your browser this will not happen, but at the same time a lot of very usefull JavaScript functionalities on most websites won’t work as well.

Regarding the slideshow: I find it illogical to just display the slideshow without navigational control under the “Social” menu because all other categories on Erica’s website use the thumbnails underneith and a previous and next link. This is about usability on one hand side and about consistency on the other.

As I said, I really do like Erica’s website, the sitelooks very, very nice! The browser resizing is the only thing that really annoys me. This was just a suggestion, I am sure Erica wouldn’t want to welcome potential clients on her website by taking away the control about their browser so to speak. And the other thing I mentioned about the slideshow is also only meant to further improve the site and make it consitent.

Martin

You are all so wonderful and helpful..

I will change the auto resize thing..I personally like it because it makes me feel like I am the movies, but out it goes..and also will incorporate a few Social images in the rest and then lose the category.

So, do I need a PORTFOLIO section with the top 15 – 20 images, which would also be represented in their proper homes? Or is it not needed? And if yes, portfolio, what are the greatest hits?

lots of sincere, warm thanks..

Stupid, if you don’t mind emailing with me, I have some tech questions about Flash..I am not sure I have much power to address some of your 7 issues, as I am with neonsky and I think some of it is what it is..but if you have the knowledge, I’d like to hear what my options are while staying with flash but making some capabilities to non flash folks.

This really was a labor of love (scanning from film, retouching etc..so I am relieved it has been a pleasant experience for the lookers..you, good folks of LS)

Unfortunately, as much as I’d love to, I’m too stupid to be of help in this matter. Why not ask Martin?

Personally I think that a Portfolio category on top wouldn’t hurt. I have one on my website, which of course doesn’t mean that this is the way to go but I think for people who don’t know your work this might be a good entry point.

Regarding Flash: I think the two main disadvantages of Flash that you might bother about here is search engine optimization and the possibility to observe user stats in order to know how many people look at your site for which amount of time and where they spend most of it. I wouldn’t worry about the other 5 disadvantages listed on the site that our much loved stupid photographer linked to. In my opinion most of the others are irrelevant. (Come on guys, help me with my english, is this proper english?)
If you can do anything about this will depend much on Neonsky and how you are able to customize your site structure wise. How do the Neonsky tempaltes work, what are you able to do with them or do they do changes?

ok, have made Social vanish and have added a few of them to singles (I think stupid was only playing here..and knew what I meant, eh?) they need to be resized, manana (oh, Adam, you said you’d look later con calma, so I said, you were probably looking forward to la calma..)

Martin, no didn’t get your email..

Michael B..about awards and exhibitions..that’s pretty standard, what do you suggest? Someone else, in a private email, suggested I play them up more..but you are saying what, the opposite?

I sent an e-mail to your gmail address today. Could you please check if it went to the Junk Mail folder? I am not yet sure but have the feeling that there is something wrong with my mail account since switching hosting providers…

yep, into junk, rescued now!..will email back..

damn, my e-mails seem to get sent into junk more and more… maybe i should stop forwarding all the nice offers i receive each day in my inbox.

Martin,

Your knowledge on this is frightening! Don’t worry about your English, it is perfect, or near as perfect. I understand totally what you say about consistency – it has inspired me to think about balancing this with optimial simplicity. And the way I’m headed now, I’ll probably end up with the world’s smallest website! But no matter, perhaps that would be the ‘best fit’ for my beliefs.

Thank you so much for your insights and to Erica for this thread!

Peace,

Jenny

Just spotted the image on the contact page… it’s got me laughing!

Nite, Jenny

dear erica
I liked very much to share all the way to this website.
Your website is beautiful, Your photos are full of humanity.
peace to you too
Tommaso

Looks like I’m a little late to the party, but suffice to say…great site, with awesome photography. Your work shines in it’s power of communication.

Erica,

The site looks ok but I’m afraid I close it when it decides to re-arrange my browser. The biggest beef I have with this is that I don’t come into your lounge and move your couch around and then throw the pillows on the floor, so why is your site doing that on my dual 30” setup?

I understand the need to show the images, but basic design etiquette has to also come into play, let the user decide how large they would like their browser and not you.

Erica
very good site. Clear and esthetic.
Congratulation, I know haw nice is to make Your own website, I run my few weeks ago
Take Care
Rafal

I’ve taken out the extra Otero shots..

Can someone confirm that the auto resize is gone?

If anyone has any votes for the portfolio section, I’m listening..

and BIG grateful thanks..

Jenny..it’s funny, I found those women so lovely (on the contact page), but it didn’t register till after that they were talking to each other!

Image scaling works great for me in Safari

great site, erica!

Your new wesbite is much much much better than this a’la “blog” before… now, i see how good are your portraits! I really like them…
SINGLES IN BLACK AND WHITE ARE THE BEST!!!!

i like less reportages.. but again i really like your portraits of musicians

I don’t agree about the need for a portfolio section….I don’t think that is necessary, the entire site is your portfolio. Yor website is about creating a photographic persona and you want to make that persona as identifiable as you can….and it should also give editors confidence that you have the experience to carry off a big assignment that might involve a large investment in expenses and that a large circulation magazine can count on you to deliver the goods. Or perhaps a gallery might be interested in representing you, but this is all part of creating an online persona that works for you.

Okay then , a la Adam and Andy et al, I’ll have NO portfolio section..am only too happy to comply, and wrap it up for a spell as soon as I hear from the wisened Bob.

Did a few tweeks/resizes, etc..

and added and image for David Sutherland, to approve or strike..lord knows I’ve picked enough of what stays from the time I raised the camera and maybe I’ll make up for the one you aren’t fond of :). Anyway, David, if you are out there, it’s the sister image to the one you like, in New York portraits, a 2nd image, literally, the sister of the first. Keep or strike?

Erica,

Maybe they were talking but have you ever tried one of those crazy hair dryers?! You’ve got curlers tearing your hair out of your scalp and the temperature burning into your scull. Then there’s the noise of the air blowers which make talking virtually impossible. I tried it once, and once was definately enough! They love them here in Tanzania too – who on Earth invented those crazy machines? They make me laugh. They’re hysterical! And when we laugh we are very open, so I think it’s a great image to encourage people to make contact with you. A great pic/pick!

Jenny

PS They are lovely women aren’t they?! I was distracted by the memory of those machines! So it’s an even greater pic for the contact page – combining both humour and loveliness in one. There’s probably more in there but I really must stop obsessing over your site and go and get some food…. if only there was some chocolate the colour of the background in the fridge!!!

Nite, Jenny

Well jenny I could send you about 5,000 more images to obsess over…isn’t it INSANE how many images we make over time, just to get the ones that stay? I’ve started taking 1 frame per person..thanks very much, I’d love to take more, but I can’t afford it. Now with 4×5 on my plate, I swear I’ll cry if I can’t figure out how to get the ‘right’ image the first time around.. oh, and by talking to each other, I meant texting each other, at first i just assumed they were talking/texting with other people..

Erica, thats what you give up by working with 4×5—its the rare large format photog that can really nail portraits without being static….....for portraits 2 1/4 has always been the tool of choice, for good reason, its the best compromise between negative size and the ability to make multiple exposures resaonably quickly. And for portraits you need a little less detail than an Ansel Adams landscape. Right?

OK, my apartment has been attacked by voracious Formosan Termites, I have got to get back to cleaning up after the swarm.

Hi again Erica!

Hmmmm… to be completely honest, I want ‘all of them’ to stay – because I’m ‘in love’ with the moment, with the magic and mystery of it and with how it transforms – with ‘ephemerality in motion’. Its why I’ve always loved Paul’s falling leaf and the beauty and simplicity of it. Everything is transforming and at it’s core, vibrating at ‘the place’ you hit in your portraits. Well that’s now I see it. But nothing about that place, vibration level, dimension or plane is static and I think there are some very real advantages in using digital to capture it – although the result may, to those who don’t believe in this, appear ‘unreal’. I also have personal reasons for wanting ‘them all’ to stay but this is already a long answer to a very short comment. Sorry about that.

Andy: Thanks for your comment 5 comments up and watch out for those termites!

Jenny

Good job Erica.

Nice site but you should take a look at the about part. I am no expert but from what I have read lately it is every thing it should not be .

Im not much fan of flash any more but this one is fast and simple and works well.

I cant agree with the others on the social part. If you do wedings why not advertize it. Any thing else is stupid. There is nothing wrong with doing wedding (and in fact bloy hard job to do it right) along with other work more “serious”

ciao erica
did you buy the 4×5?
ciao tommaso

WEll done Erica! I like your portraits. I wouldn`t more captions. Your pictures say enough by themselves. Rüdiger

I have only time to scan through it right now but I like it a lot and can’t wait to find some quality time to digest it all.
J-F

Erica :))

as promised, sent you an email :))

running
b

Hi Erica
Love the site, very clean and professional and it lets your work speak for itself, which it is more then capable of doing, love the photos, well done

Hi Erica

Sorry if somebody has already suggested this as I haven’t had time to read everbodys posts but you should have your contact details on every page, only a minor thing but if makes it easier for people trying to contact you. I know I hate having to navigate away from a page I am on to try and find contact details even if there clearly is a contact page.

Ditto all of the above, have been an admirer of your work for some time and good to see it all in a good looking website. Will be looking at neonsky when my present website hosting company contract runs out.
Two things, in the Singles B+W there is maybe a dog culture story their so you could free up space for real single images (too many dogs).
And on your about page the bio in third person is great but the “she says” plus the quotes just don’t feel right, sounds like an interview but it’s not, is it?
If you were to make it first person and say all that great stuff directly or simple third person without the she saids it would sound better. Or get someone publishable to interview you for real and post that on.
Just my 1 pences worth.
Damon

hi Damon, thanks..it actually was an interview..but maybe still that seems odd?

Stephen, I looked at how i could put contact all over the place, but as the contact link never vanishes, no matter what page you are on, it seems unnecessary, I thought, but maybe I am wrong..

No an interview is good, if it’s an interview it makes perfect sense but it would perhaps be better to know that to get your points across firstly while at the same time being impressed that someone wanted to interview you; otherwise you look like you interviewed yourself which is a little sad and also scary. :)
Damon

Party! Party! Par… Ooops… wrong post!

Gorgeous stuff Erica!!!!!!!!!!

I love the Surf Manor House stuff, as I said it is the whole American photojournalism tradition MEM Arbus etc that it reminds me of!

I didn’t see any “social” stuff though have you taken it out?

I love your work, it just amazes me where you find those faces!

Its really great work, congrats!

(Now my relaunch should happen in the next few days, just there are something’s I can’t change at the moment so I am going with it) I hope you will like it as much as I like yours!

Damon, that would be scary..I’ll try to remedy that perception! I do talk to myself and to dogs and cats and well, birds and fish..ok I’ll stop now..

JF..where were you 2 anyway?

Lisa, so kind, yep, ditched/integrated social under peer advisement and a couple of other things too..I sent you a detailed email about your site as it stood a week or so ago, hope you got it..

It’s finally Tuesday..am following the rule not send out launch notices on Monday..will staty this afternoon..

a big thank you for all the help polishing it up

Erica :))))

finally got a re-look today after our chats last week :)))))))))))))))))...

looks brilliant and beautiful and, well, all we talked about :)))

im so happy for you! :))

cheers
hugs
bob

Very good Erica…. I love your website… and pics..

See ya

Erik

Hi Erica,

Who interviewed you and what was the interview for?

Peace,

Jenny