Using flash and java to optimize the photographs

While I was looking for photographer’s websites, I came across New York photographer Eric Ryan Anderson’s awesome portfolio, found at ericryananderson.com.

First of all, he gets points for putting his contact information in the page’s title with his name. Also, he keeps the design simple with a black and white all-caps sans-serif theme. The tabs are easily accessible at the top left of the page and follow a logical order by presenting the portfolios closer to the inside of the page and the moving toward the “about” and “contact” tabs. The portfolio tab has a drop-down drawer—a design element that I’m usually prefer because it keeps the page clean (though I’m not a huge fan of the black outline around this drawer). In this drawer, he has several different categories to choose from, which helps to organize the viewing experience. The photographs in these sections take up the majority of the screen, which is ideal.

The “about” pages are simple and to the point. The “contact” page gives the user several options for getting a hold of Anderson, having a form along with his phone number and email. I also like that he added a journal, (basically, a blog), but it would have been better if he had kept the navigation and the look more cohesive with the rest of the website.

One thing I absolutely love about this portfolio website is the number of options that he gives the user. Through creative implementation of flash and java script, he has enabled the user to click forward and back through the photographs or view them as a timed slideshow. The arrows appear when the user hovers over the photograph. In addition, he has a drawer to the right of the photograph that displays a vertical row of thumbnails when the user hovers over a dot. The user can scroll up and down by mousing in the preferred direction. Also, he has another box for caption information that pops up when the user hovers the words “Image info.”

The best thing about this interface besides easy navigation is that the photo is never permanently blocked. My only critique is that it may be beneficial to be able to click once and have the drawer stay open and again to close it. This would be better for the user, but it could distract from the photograph. All in all, I love this interface and would like to implement some of the concepts in my design (once I know how to do it).