My New Website!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

So here it is(!!!!!): Imaginale Design -- look, read, discover... then come back :)

Where do I even start? I'm full of excitement and emotion to finally launch a website that reflects my style of work. Thankfully this time the steamy laptop was on a TABLE.

The first time I even began building my website I ran off adrenaline and anticipation. I knew I needed a more formal way of presenting my portfolio, but I set my mind on completing it that weekend -- and I did! Unfortunately, when I did that last year, I didn't have a style or brand in mind... no direction. I saw the opportunity on Showit Sites and went for it. Yeah, I would describe myself as impulsive.

Right around the beginning of 2010, wedding planning was in full gear. Though I had amazing photography opportunities with MohkaLife -- I had to put my photography on hold. Soon enough, I left Atlanta to prepare for the wedding and came back from our Spain honeymoon to a new life in Arizona. I had so many photos that were not included on my website! The thought of creating a new gallery when I wasn't even happy with my website was daunting. I thought "why add these fashion photos when my current website doesn't even reflect that part of me?"

I HAD to build this new website, but that meant on God's timing. I knew it would be ridiculous to try and build a new website months before the wedding, in the middle of moving and while I was tying everything up in Atlanta. Trust me, patience is not my virtue -- mainly because excitement takes over.

And then... I got to Arizona. This is what I had been waiting for, right? Except, it wasn't exactly a weekend's work this time. I knew that this re-launch HAD to portray my style -- what DEFINES my photography. But what exactly IS my style?! What kind of clients do I want to hire me? What do I want people to think or feel when they see my photos? Could people look at my photos and say "YES, that's an Alejandra photo." Am I consistent?

I can't really say I'm 100% consistent YET, but I can without a doubt say that I have a more defined objective now. And you know what? This would not have happened had I not impulsively built my first website. There's no way I would know what I absolutely LOVE without having taken photos that I HATED. There is no magical door you walk through and suddenly you understand your brand. Granted, the sooner you can answer the question "What words would you use to describe your photography?" -- the closer you are to defining your style.

Then of course, you must ask yourself "So do those words reflect my CURRENT photos? If I showed my photo to a stranger and asked them to describe it, would any of these words possibly pop out of their mouth?" Try it.

I asked myself this for EVERY page I built on my website. UGH, I wanted to rip my hair out. I wanted to say "blaaaah! I can't keep caring about every detail!" And yes, I definitely yelled in frustration out LOUD sometimes. I wished MANY times I just had money to hire someone to complete what I felt I was incompetent in doing. I felt VERY incompetent sometimes and I had to take breaks. Jose pulled me away from the computer and said "let it go for tonight."

So I did. And those breaks were amazing. Even though I would read blogs and would feel a roar (yes a roar! :) inside of me because I wanted so badly to start MOOOVING -- I needed to learn to wait. Heck, I am still learning because I'm barely at the beginning of this journey right now. And now I can share that out pouring love to you. I might tweak a few things here and there, but I can finally move on from that piece of design. And now I wait some more until God reveals what his desires are for me here in Phoenix.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about my new site! But really, I just want to thank all of my friends, family, and my husband for their support and encouragement. Your comments on here and Facebook push me EVERY day. I hope for those of you pursuing photography, that I can push you as well :) I'll be posting the actual design process and how I did everything to give you a better idea of how it was all created!

2 comments:

  1. Phew...no we can wait a couple of years before you have to do another redesign! This website is perfect. Great job, sweetie!

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  2. OMG, Ale! Your website is AWESOME! You can really enjoy looking at those photos flashing on the homepage. The fonts you used are so girly, as well as their colors. Your site shows how creative you are! Practice more and you'll be very consistent in the near future!

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