the mad blog

Most photography websites focus almost entirely on the work. Which makes sense. The work is the thing.

But when someone is actually hiring you, that’s not the full decision.

There’s a whole layer happening underneath that most sites don’t really speak to. Your client isn’t just choosing images they like. They’re thinking about who they’re going to trust with a real budget, who they’re going to collaborate with in pre-production, who they’re going to spend long days with on set, and who they’re relying on to deliver in the end. Whether they say it out loud or not, they’re trying to get a sense of you.

And most websites don’t give them much to go on.

A lot of “about” pages feel like an afterthought. A small photo, a block of text, a quick summary of where you’ve been or what you’ve done. It checks the box, but it doesn’t really answer the question your client is quietly asking, which is: what is it actually like to work with you?

That’s where this starts to matter more than people think. Because your work might get you into consideration, but your presence is what helps someone justify choosing you. And honestly, justify the cost that comes with that decision.

This doesn’t mean you need to write more or suddenly turn your site into something overly personal. It just means letting people into your thinking a little. How do you approach a shoot? What do you notice that other people might miss? What do you care about when you’re making decisions on set? What does a client actually walk away with after working with you?

You can do all of this without breaking the feel of your site. It can still be very photo-forward. In fact, it works better when it is. Instead of isolating all of this into a separate “about me” page, you can weave it into your work. Inside your project pages, in small pieces of context, in how you talk about what someone is seeing.

So it’s not just a gallery anymore. It becomes a guided experience.

You’re showing the images, but you’re also quietly saying: this is what I was thinking here, this is why this matters, this is how this came together.

And without needing to overexplain, something shifts. Your client starts to feel like they understand you. They can picture working with you. They trust how you think. They see the value more clearly.

That’s what moves someone from “this looks good” to “this is the person.”

If your site feels strong visually but still a little flat overall, this is often what’s missing. Not more work and not a full redesign, just a clearer sense of who you are within it.

If you want a structure that makes space for both your work and your presence, I’ve created Showit website templates designed to do exactly that, so you’re not choosing between showing your work and showing who you are. You’re doing both in a way that actually supports the decision.

Click here for a tour through an example: https://madmagentacreative.com/product/test_reverie-website-template/

And as always, if you have any questions just ping me!