Large photos for the site: choose the right one

As soon as we see a large photo on the site, it immediately captures our attention and causes an almost instantaneous reaction. Internet resources, whether it's a website or a blog, are more of a visual format. If you write great content, but don’t pick up a quality photo, you lose readers. And vice versa, choosing a good photo, you “cling” even those who were not going to read the post. Speaking of bad photos, I don’t mean quality (blur, scary gifs), but strategy.

The photo carries the message that you want to convey to the user. Therefore, the choice of photos plays an important role in the future fate of the site.

How to choose a photo? Let's consider.

When viewing a screen, people rely on their past experiences and expectations. Using a large photo, you can immediately grab attention and distract from the existing visual stereotype when browsing sites.

The top left corner is the most common starting point for viewing.

Photo = Content

The fact that the photo is also content, I think, does not need to be explained. Accordingly, the requirements for it should be the same:

• This is good content that carries a certain message, not a nice addition to the site.
• It is necessary to consider all aspects of photography as a unit of content.
• The photo quality must be high.
• When choosing a picture, you need to consider what impact it will have on the user.

And this is not all the requirements. The main thing here is to understand that photos on the site have the same impact on the user as text content.

There are many sites where it is clearly seen that the designer did not bother with the choice of photos, but simply followed the current trend, for example:

Next, let's look at how to evaluate the correctness of a photo before posting it on the site.

What is the perfect photo?

Just in case, we recall that the main parameters of a photo include: size and quality, composition and exposure.

In addition, you need to check:

• Image quality relative to the required size.
• Photo size and best orientation for intended use.
• effective composition.
• Cropping photos to grab attention.
• Objects in the photo must be positioned properly.

Only after checking the necessary parameters, you can proceed to further search for photos.

The usefulness of the photo

By and large, all photos should be useful. Even if it is placed to fill the void on the page or just for decoration. At the same time, do not forget that it should carry the idea, suggest thoughts.

A photo is useful if:

• Helps the user understand something.
• Shows the product and teaches how to use it.
• Shows the device of something.

Useful signs:

• Photography is both effective and emotional at the same time.
• You don't need to look at a useful photo to understand the purpose of the product.
• It completely conveys the idea of the message.

Photo efficiency

A photo that conveys the main idea, encourages action and changes our behavior can be safely called effective. Particularly successful photographs are able to induce a targeted action, i.e. to purchase, order, subscription.

It is also effective to use the direction of view on important content on the page (button "Download", "Order", etc.).

Emotional response

The photo should evoke the user's emotions, appeal to his feelings. It can amuse, entertain, be attractive or, conversely, annoying, while still prompting action. It should affect emotions more than the previous one, like it.

The main photo in combination with a spectacular title will definitely give a good result.

It can also perfectly convey the story of the main character, displaying all the emotions, thereby tying the viewer to itself and causing a sense of ownership.

The magical influence of faces

If people are involved in the photo, it is necessary to carefully consider the emotions through which the main message will be transmitted. Here they are:

• Joy.
• Anger.
• Sadness.
• Astonishment.
• Contempt.
• Disgust.
• Fear.

These basic emotions can be conveyed through gestures and facial expressions. But if you decide to use a portrait photo, be careful. The smallest inaccuracy in the emotions on the face can distort the idea of the message.

Large portrait photos immediately attract attention and, with the right approach, evoke the right emotions.

What photos should not be

Here are some theses:

• Unrelated photos. That is, those that carry an incomprehensible meaning or metaphor.
• If the company offers any services, then there should not be worried faces in the photo. It may give the erroneous impression that the person is particularly concerned about the service being offered.
• No blurry photos unless it's a decorative patch. Such content does not carry information, so the effect is zero.

You just need to choose photos more carefully, compare them in all respects, test them, even on friends and acquaintances. Only in this case you will receive quality content that will work for you.