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I've been talking about this with a few fellow photographers lately so I thought I'd throw it out there for you bees to weigh in. Does music on a photo website influence your perception of them? Do you like the intro music or would you rather they not? I feel like music is SUCH a matter of personal taste that it can make or break a vendor-client relationship right away in some ways. When you go to a site playing a song you absolutely hate, do you find yourself spending less time there or making judgments (good or bad) about the photographer regardless of their work?
I dislike anything that changes my current browsing pattern.
Including automatic music! It's fine if you have an option to play music. But it will definitely influence me in the negative if you have auto-start music.
What's worse though is when a site resizes your browser! Please, please don't do that. It's so irritating.
Anything that makes your site load slowly is not worth it. I have a very fast connection, and yet I've been on photographer's sites where it took 30 sec for each image to load! That's just crazy. Can the intro, Nix the music. Have easy menus. Make sure things are sleek and load quickly and I'll think well of you (or at least of your website designer!)
I find it distracting. When I was searching for a photographer, if there was auto-start music on their website I immediately turned it off. It's hard to read (and actually comprehend what you are reading) when Colby Caillat is singing in the background. And while looking at the actual pictures, it doesn't influence me at all. I wouldn't say having music on the website changes my perception of the photographer, rather I just find it annoying and unnecessary.
I also second what kala_way said. I actually skipped over photographers' sites when the pictures took too long to load. I don't have 30 minutes to waste. And sometimes when they are set to music they seem to transition so slowly. I don't need to spend 30 seconds or more on one photo...I just want to get a feel for your work.
Annoying music and an overloaded flash website are huge turnoffs for me. Simplify, and let your photography speak for itself! If you have to dress it up with layers of tricks, i'll be moving on.
I don't really like music on sites because if i'm browsing online at work, it blares out thru my cubicle and everyone knows i'm not doing work stuff.
I don't like it either...
Alot of wedding planning happens at work (sssh!) and when a website automatically plays music, it sucks.
I keep my sound settings OFF and only turn it ON when there is something I want to hear. I find background noises and music unnecessary and annoying on websites in general.
I will close the site if it opens and music starts playing that is so 1995. It pisses me off, you want to browse and not listen to their music. The only exception I make is for music performers but even then I'd appreciate it if I had to start the music myself instead of it starting by itself.
I do that too, one photog I looked at only had a slideshow which I couldn't control the speed of and it was painfully slow so I was like NEVER!
it makes the site load slower and I findit annoying. I am there to see pictures not hear music.
It won't change my perception of the photographer, but I automatically turn it off because I find it annoying.
I hate when sites have auto music. I don't want to listen to the crap you put on your site and will leave that site immeditately
I wouldn't say it effects my overall opinion of the photographer (Their portfolio effects that much more), however (as a professional website designer) I HATE HATE HATE websites with music on them.
The automatic music actually drives me crazy, that's just my personal preference.
@Atalanta: Yes, so annoying! I don't know about you, but I must have looked at (or attempted to look at) over 50 photographer's websites. Those slow slideshow websites were quickly closed on my browser!
It depends on the music. If its really cheesy then yes it does make me change my opinion. If its a really good song though then I dont mind
I don't mind music but what I don't really care for is when the option to turn the music off is alllllllll the way at the bottom and if it's a blog, that can be a long way to scroll.
I also dislike auto music upon going to a website. But if you had a slideshow link for people to click on, it wouldn't be bad to have music there as that could add to the experience.
No. I find it very annoying actually. I hate having to rush to find the off button of the little music player on the website. I also hate the slideshows and overly complicated websites too. Just let me look at the damn pictures! I don't need all these contraptions!
Oh, and do us all a favor and list the prices on the website. That way, I don't waste my time or yours.
I hate music on photographer’s websites! I just want to see the pictures not be blown away by your loud music. If music starts up I immediately look to turn it off.
Hate it!
Double hate it if it sounds like it a synthesizer, is hard to find the OFF button or has a loop that cuts the song off before it ends in order to start over.
That last one was a deal breaker on one photog whose work I actually really liked. (If you're going to half-ass your own best marketing tool, how can I trust you to do a good job on my photos?!)
I don't mind, it but I'm not a fan of it. I don't think I would close a site because of the music ( I would just turn my speakers off), unless they were playing something like GWAR then I would take that photographer off my list.
I always turn it off. Before even deciding if I like the song. It doesn't really change my opinion of the photog though (probably because I'm not listening!).
I always mute my computer when I'm going to photography websites--I find the music kind of annoying. I like to compare things side by side and open multiple sites in multiple tabs, so it's hard to look at several photography websites when they're all blaring different music.
If I were a photog, I would probably do without it. Everyone has different tastes, and I wouldn't want someone not to hire me because they hated a certain song,couldn't figure out how to turn it off, and left the website without looking at the portfolio!
Music on the website DOES influence my opinion: negatively, no matter what it is. I want to pick my own music. If you want to add music to a video slideshow, that's fine (as long as I can turn it off) but I hate hate HATE music that automatically plays when I open a site. HATE!
Wow thanks for all your responses! This is EXACTLY what I thought too. In my mind, it's unnecessary, and more often than not if someone is scrolling through my site to find the OFF button instead of more of my work, that's a bad thing!
Also, I highly doubt any of these photographers have permission to use the songs they use, which really bothers me. We as photographers expect others to respect our work and not use it for their own purposes without permission, so why wouldn't we do the same for musicians?
I hate it when photographers put music on their website. I find it really annoying. :-/
Oh, I hate automatic music on websites so much. Photographers and wedding websites are the worst for this. And it's all the same twee indie accoustic guitar love songs. Hate hate hate hate so much hate oh god.
I don't think it influenced my opinion, but I really don't like it. I find it annoying. I agree with having prices listed though - I really did not like having to play the 'what's your price game' with the photographers. I mean, you (photog) have a price you are willing to work for, just be up front and tell me what it is. I'll decided if it is worth it to me to pay the price.
It annoys me because usually I have iTunes up or I'm watching tv shows. I did pass on a photographer because they were playing an awful song (imo), but if the two seconds I saw of their work would have been impressive enough, I probably would have searched for the mute button.
I find background music VERY irriating.
it definitely doesnt influence my opinion of them - in a good or bad way - because as soon as i hear it, i mute my computer. i just find it annoying
@rachaelrobin: I really did not like having to play the 'what's your price game' with the photographers. I mean, you (photog) have a price you are willing to work for, just be up front and tell me what it is. I'll decided if it is worth it to me to pay the price.
THIS.
I actually didn't contact any photographers who didn't list prices on their websites. I didn't want to encourage anyone who would waste my time.
@rachaelrobin: I can understand the pricing thing, but I also understand why photographers don't put it up there. Wedding pricing can be subjective in a way, depending on a number of factors. If a photographer puts packages up with a minimum of say, $2,000, but would charge less for a random off-season Thursday wedding in December, they're going to lose those customers with the random off season or mid-week weddings who are looking for someone in the $1,500 range. I think listing specific pricing on a site can scare off potential clients just as easily as bad music, and the client will never know there is wiggle room.
I personally don't work with set packages because I hate them will all my being, haha. I've struggled with whether I should post numbers at all - I want people to connect to my work before a number, and I want to know they're contacting me because they're interested in my coverage after seeing my portfolio, not just because my price meets or is less than their budget.
@Beluga: Yup, me neither.
I hate ambient music everywhere except for parties/clubs/restaurants (ESPECIALLY hate it outdoors, at gas stations, outside of shops, etc.). I hate being forced to listen to something, even if it's music I typically like. So photog website music always changes my opinion of them, for the worse.
It could be my favorite song of all time, and I still find it super annoying and very cheesy.
Now, would the music make or break my decision: no. But it is annoying.
I wasn't sure how to answer the poll.
No to music on photographer's websites (or any websites for that matter)
Yes to would it influence me, cause I would find it annoying the leave the site immediately.
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