I know there are those of you out there that think those of us ‘mourning’ the passing of Steve Jobs are overreacting – we didn’t know him, how could we possibly be this affected by his passing.

There have been beloved figures that have died that I have felt saddened by, but only a few where I actually wanted to ‘mourn’ and pay my respects. These are people that have had a profound affect on me/my life in one way or another. Jim Henson, Theodore Geisel, Rod Serling (years later) – immensely creative minds that brought a unique passion & vision to their work. Imagination…it’s probably my favorite word, and these men all had it in spades, and their passing felt like a personal loss. I now have to add one more to that list – Steve Jobs.

While working in film & television production (about 19 years ago), the company I worked for decided to buy a NeXt computer & an MacIntosh Quadra to do our own graphics. The machines were obscenely expensive then, but oh the possibilities. I’ve watch Apple progress since that time..going from huge hard drives that held little to pushing the limits of what we can store at our fingertips. My first ‘design’ Mac that I had at home had a 4GB hard drive, that was about 1996. Amazing to think how much the Mac has progressed in 15 years. You can now do almost anything on an iMac – things that just a short time ago seemed impossible.

That is why I mourn Steve Jobs. His leadership, his vision..is what made that possible. My computer is my toolbox, my pen & paper, my way of expressing who I am. Steve Jobs gave me that.

This was an amazing cartoon that was done when Mel Blanc died..that’s kind of how I feel today, just substitute a computer for the microphone.

A big question small businesses face is whether or not to spend the money to get professional photos of their products taken for their website. I know many of my client struggle with budget & time concerns when it comes to their photos. But, I want to stress what an important (if not the most important) factor photos are.

I always ask clients to send links to sites they like & why they like them. I usually get big name sites with one thing in common..gorgeous photographs. Let’s look at a couple of examples.

Free People

Most of the page is taken  up with a slider containing beautiful photographs. In this case, it is not just of the product, but in a location that sets the mood.

Kiki & Bree

A large photograph accompanied by 4 smaller ones – all clothing is shown on models.

NestLiving

Colorful chairs against a white background compliment the overall aesthetic of the site.

What's the first thing you noticed on these pages? The photos..that’s what draws you in and what will compel you to explore, it might even get you to read some of the text!

Let’s look at one of these examples without their 'beauty shots' but with some flat product photos.

Not terrible, but it lacks the emotional connection & visual impact of the original. These photos can't direct you around the page like the original can. Take a look at the original Kiki & Bree one again – the child's gaze is leading you to look to the right at what is written there, and the light is taking you up to the navigation. It's hard to get that with a flat image.

Now, I know what your thinking – “I don't have the time or the resources to do this”. To that I would respond that you don’t have to take all of your product photos this way, but you should budget for one photo shoot a season and get a few 'beauty shots' taken of your products. You don't have to spend a fortune, recruit friends, or kids of friends & give them a small gift for their troubles – maybe one of the outfits they model, or a nice dinner. Find a local photographer, a student even that can give you a half day at a reasonable price.

A designer can create a gorgeous, functional site for you, but if your products aren't enticing, none of that will get you sales. I'm not a big fan of cliche expressions, but it is true, you only get one chance to make a first impression.