"What advice can you offer on website photography?"
Whenever possible we like to do the photography ourselves. Of course this is not necessary if our client already has a collection of really good photos previously taken for use in a brochure serving a similar purpose to the proposed website.

Often distance makes it impractical for us to travel to our client for photographic purposes and the client may decide to take the photos himself (herself). Good photos make a world of difference to any website. Don't shortcut this part of the project and don't delude yourself if you are not cut out to be a good photographer. Get in a gifted amateur photographer or a professional instead. It's a one time expense and quality really does pay off.

"Should I turn off the date stamp option on my camera?"
Yes, PLEASE turn off the date stamping feature of your camera. We don't want photos showing dates. A date stamp does not look pretty, it does not look professional and it may obscure an important part of your photo. Furthermore, as the date gets older and older it tells everyone that they are looking at a stale photo.

"My friend has a really expensive camera"
Well a good camera is always better than a poor one. However the quality of the photographer is infinitely more important than quality of camera when it comes to webpage photography. We'd choose a good photographer with a dud camera every time in preference to vice versa.

"Have I got to take the photos with a digital camera?"
No, we can work from photographic prints if necessary. However we prefer good quality digital images when we have the choice. It makes for a better result.

"Should I set my digital camera at high or low resolution"
High is always best even though it results in larger file sizes. We can always lower the resolution to suit our needs but we cannot put more detail back into a photo which was originally taken at low resolution. Furthermore, if you want to turn any of your best digital photos into prints or use them in brochures or magazine advertisements at a later date, having high resolution shots is even more important.

"Shall I scan my photo prints and send you the files?"
Preferably not! We'd rather do the scanning work ourselves because we have a much better than average scanner and probably have more experience with this sort of work also.

"I'll crop my shots and enhance them before sending them to you"
Please DON'T. Kindly send them to us "au naturel" and allow us to do any modification work. We need full flexibility to work the photo exactly in accordance with our needs. If you've already played around with the shots in advance then you've taken away this flexibility.

"Can you provide an amateur with some photographic pointers"
Sure, but remember that we are neither qualified nor inclined to attempt in-depth tuition in this forum. However, based on years of website development, the following few pointers will make a world of difference to the suitability of the amateur photos you take for your website.

Pointers for "inside" photos
For shots taken inside rooms turn on overhead lights and all table lamps. Carefully run your eye over each room and straighten anything which looks crooked, cluttered or messy. Be very aware of electrical flex attached to lamps or appliances. Straighten and hide this flex as much as possible as it tends to look really bad. Do NOT place towels and soap on beds. Remove any stuff attached to a refrigerator door and tidy up any cork notice boards, loose papers etc.

You need to really look hard for untidy stuff such as crooked towels, cushions or bedspreads etc then either fix them or remove them from the shot.

If possible place a bowl of fruit and/or a bowl of flowers at some suitable position(s) within the room. A large sized and suitably placed pot plant on the floor can also be helpful in the right conditions.

Nice cushions on settees or chairs add useful warmth and ambience. Use people in photos whenever possible and appropriate. Someone seated reading a magazine can help add warmth and interest to a scene. Likewise, a couple seated with wine bottle and glasses often looks good. Avoid formal poses. Your "actors" should appear to be totally unaware of the camera.

For close-up shots of people or furniture settings, position camera roughly level with the subject(s) face. Photos taken from significantly above or below a subject's face usually look very bad. A lady standing at the sink can improve kitchen shots even if she has her back to the camera. Children, domestic or farm animals add interest to otherwise mediocre photos.

Don't point your camera directly at an illuminated light or directly a window which is much brighter than the rest of the room. This results in a dark photo which will probably be useless.

It is very difficult to photograph the inside of a room and also show the view out of a window. Take multiple photos, some with drapes or blinds closed and some with them open.

Don't just point and shoot. Keep thinking all the time and carefully examine every view before you press the shutter. We can't over-emphasise how important it is to think about every shot and think about what you are attempting to achieve with your whole set of shots.

Take far more shots than you think you need. You need to cover all the bases because, unless you are incredibly talented, a good deal of what you take will turn out to be downright boring or just plain rubbish. Sad but true.

Pointers for "outside" photos
Try to include a focal point of interest. If possible try to include people in a completely natural and candid way. If the people are the main subject in a photo then move in close and make sure they represent the lion's share of the shot you have framed in your viewer. Don't stand 5 or more metres away from the people if they are the only subject of the photo.

Try very hard to avoid white sky. This has a deadly effect on an otherwise lovely photograph. A few clouds are great but at least 25% of the sky in your photo needs to be blue.

When looking through your camera's viewer, keep asking yourself, "does this look balanced and does this look interesting?" If you can't answer "yes" then skip the shot and think of a better way to do it.

Check for shadows and eliminate them wherever possible before you press the shutter. Photos of people with half a face in shadow are rarely useful.

Don't just point and shoot. Keep thinking all the time and carefully examine every view before you press the shutter. We can't over-emphasise how important it is to think about every shot and think about what you are attempting to achieve with your whole set of shots.

Take far more shots than you think you need. You need to cover all the bases because, unless you are incredibly talented, a good deal of what you take will turn out to be downright boring or just plain rubbish. Sad but true.