• wayne
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Topic: Photographic Site Rebuild

I'm not in the site building business, I'm in photography; but built a site a year ago with the help of this forum, especailly Thelma.
About 10 days ago I decided to rebuild it so I could do away with the Jalbum album I had set into an Iframe. Problem with Jalbum was, to replace or add a photo meant rebuilding the entire album and I found that rather tedious.

So here's the rebuild sporting a new-to-me, look     www.imaginetheeverglades.com

I've tried to make this one more accessible, although to do even better that will require I write even more copy and or "alt" info. But at this point the site is up and running, and I'd like to hear what some of you pros have to say, whether good or bad.

  • Gender: Female
  • From: San Antonio, TX
  • Registered: 2008-12-19
  • Posts: 3,640

Re: Photographic Site Rebuild

Some are subjective, some objective observations / suggestions:

Remove the space between 'indefinite' and the closing quote

The black text is REALLY hard to read on the dark background - pick a lighter font color

The swan thumbnail is a link, but has no explanation - nor would one know it's a link unless on accidentally hovered over it.  Plus, it's location seems somewhat out of place.  (I just realized the paragraph just before 'explains' it - good example of my point.)

Change the footer to add the current year (as in:  copyright 2008 - 2009)

About Page:

Left-aligned text is easier to read than centered text - and you're still missing the last word there.

Did you read my last post? http://www.killersites.com/forums/post/10528/#p10528

  • Gender: Female
  • From: Tenerife, Spain
  • Registered: 2008-12-29
  • Posts: 358

Re: Photographic Site Rebuild

I agree with what Thelma said

The black text is REALLY hard to read on the dark background - pick a lighter font color

The footer could do with more space underneath it, it is really jammed on the bottom.

The different links (not the main navigation) for example on the factandfiction2. html would look better in a different colour and with a change of colour on rollover to make it clear they are links. The "Purchase Info" link could do with the same. Make all these links one colour and the rollover state another.

That said your photos are amazing, congratulations.

  • wayne
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Re: Photographic Site Rebuild

Thanks for your feedback, and Virtual, for your kind words about my photography.

Thelma, on the About page, I made the text align left on my computer, and then when published it did not move. Really, I don't know why it moved from left align in the first place. Why do you think it won't move left now?
And I fixed the last word because it bothered you. It was written that way as a bit of local speech color.

  • wayne
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Re: Photographic Site Rebuild

I got left-align to work.

  • Gender: Female
  • From: San Antonio, TX
  • Registered: 2008-12-19
  • Posts: 3,640

Re: Photographic Site Rebuild

wayne wrote:

And I fixed the last word because it bothered you. It was written that way as a bit of local speech color.

I didn't realize that - it just looked like an incomplete sentence to me.

Maybe your monitor displays lighter than mine, but the still black footer text is impossible to read, and it would look better with a little bit of padding under it, not so squashed to the edge.

On the Gallery page, the "Purchase Info" color is also almost impossible to make out on the dark background. 

I looked through the photos in the landscape album and made it to 'draped' just fine - but after that, I got a page-not-found."forbidden" page.

In the alligator album, 'posing' seems to be missing.  Didn't check the rest of them.

Those photos are absolutely GREAT - and the swamp is just beautiful!!

  • wayne
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Re: Photographic Site Rebuild

Thanks Thelma.
I fixed the footer with padding and the color. Actually I didn't see your recent post until this afternoon. Didn't get an email alert message.
But...I have a new problem. Went to Browsershots.com to check my site in Firefox because someone told me the image purchase page arrows were sitting on top of the text, "Everglades". While I was on the Browsershots site I checked Safari and Opera as well. The Browser site didn't work too well, but what happened after that was, my whole site went haywire. I had to republish almost everything. I still have one image missing on the alligator pages, "Posing", which I had fixed earlier today.
How did using Browsershots upset so much in my site, any ideas? And what is the best way to check cross browser?

  • Gender: Female
  • From: Tenerife, Spain
  • Registered: 2008-12-29
  • Posts: 358

Re: Photographic Site Rebuild

On the Mac the arrows are still sitting on top of the Everglades text in Firefox 3.5 and Opera 9.6, they are fine in Safari 4.

On the PC the arrows are fine in Firefox 2, Chrome, Safari, IE6, 7, 8.
However in IE6 and IE7 the bottom of the site has the same grey border as the sides and top which actually makes the whole thing look more finished. The bottom border does not show in any of the other browsers.

Also please change the colour of your "Purchase Info" link, it is very hard to see and easily missed.

The best way to test your site is to download all the main browsers to your computer, and also just ask here.

  • wayne
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Re: Photographic Site Rebuild

Virtual, I thought that when a page is validated it was for the purpose of making it cross browser compatible. I guess not. So can you give me some ideas on how to fix the arrow problem and especially the wrapper that doesn't make it to the bottom?

I'm working on your other suggestion, the Purchase Info color.

  • Gender: Female
  • From: Tenerife, Spain
  • Registered: 2008-12-29
  • Posts: 358

Re: Photographic Site Rebuild

Validation does not make the page cross browser compatible, for that you have to just test in different browsers and on different machines if possible. Get your friends to help out there as well.

Funnily enough, on my desktop Mac the arrows are positioned properly in both Firefox and Opera. I will have to check again on the laptop Mac.

Re the wrapper that doesn't extend, change the padding-top: 1em;
to padding: 1em; for an equal border all round
or padding: 1em 0; for a larger border top and bottom and smaller on sides.

  • Gender: Female
  • From: Tenerife, Spain
  • Registered: 2008-12-29
  • Posts: 358

Re: Photographic Site Rebuild

Just checked on the laptop and the arrows are still over the Everglades. Try placing them in the #post on each side of the photo title.

One other thing I did notice on some of your gallery pages is that you are missing a closing </div> for the #wrapper.

  • wayne
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Re: Photographic Site Rebuild

Virtual, your idea of using padding:1em worked well. Thanks.
For the arrows, what do you mean by "placing them in the #post?
Also, if I download say Firefox 3.5 or any other browser, where do I keep it, on the desktop? I've never used another browser before so know nothing about the process.

  • Gender: Female
  • From: Tenerife, Spain
  • Registered: 2008-12-29
  • Posts: 358

Re: Photographic Site Rebuild

#post is the div tag in which your image appears in the gallery. If you wrote this code that should be obvious to you. I think the arrows would look better if they were just above the image rather than at the top right by the header.

If you download browsers they will be installed on your hard drive. You can always put a shortcut link to them on your desktop, if you are using a PC this option is usually included in the installation process.

  • wayne
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Re: Photographic Site Rebuild

I wrote the code yet it wasn't obvious to me. There are #posts and #images and #navists and p.left, etc, etc. But I see what you mean now that you've mentioned positioning them on either side of the title, although that wouldn't work because some images are titled at top and some at bottom.

As to using a different browser I just thought there might be some magic in it I wasn't aware of.

Thanks.

  • Gender: Female
  • From: Tenerife, Spain
  • Registered: 2008-12-29
  • Posts: 358

Re: Photographic Site Rebuild

For logical reasons your Titles should always be in the same place, and logically it would be more user friendly to have the navigation arrows always in the same place and easily accessible, people will always look for them in the same place.