E-Photo
Issue #206  9/5/2014
 
New Responsive Web Design For I Photo Central

By Alex Novak

After a year in the making, I Photo Central has just launched a fully redesigned and responsive website, which makes this website the first in the photography field to do so. Actually this cutting-edge approach makes I Photo Central one of the very first retail database-driven websites to go full responsive design in any field.


Responsive web design means that no matter what device or orientation that you use to browse the website (desktop, smart phone, tablet or lap top; horizontal or vertical), the website automatically adapts itself to your device without having to redirect you to a "mobile app", which is slower and more readily subject to viruses.

Responsive design is quicker, and type and other page elements will automatically size to be clearer and easier to read without having to download separate apps for each of your machines and having to download updates to those apps every day or so. We feel that responsive design of websites will be the new standard, instead of separate apps for each device--better that the website conforms and updates to your device automatically. With a phone or tablet it will work most effectively on 4G and fast WIFI connections.

The new design also has a more contemporary feel, and we will be using more photographs to illustrate our newsletter online. Links for email and social media sharing have been added to make it easier for you to share articles and pictures of interest (so you can let that special someone know what you want for your birthday!).

You can now sort any search results on the website not only by alpha, but also by price (high to low; low to high) and by when the item was added to the website (newest first; oldest first). You can also change the number of items shown on the page, although the initial setting will always be the smallest number to allow for faster download on mobile devices. If you want to download "All", you may have to wait a bit for items to download depending on your connection and the total number of items selected, so please be patient. You can also get to the back and front of the search results quicker if you choose.

To check out the search page which has many filters to zero in on your own personal selection of photographs that are for sale, just go here: http://www.iphotocentral.com/search/search.php.

All in all, the redesign places even more emphasis on the photographs for sale, brings more of the content on photography information in the forefront and attempts to make navigation on the website easier and more intuitive. Keep in mind that some elements will be added and tweaked in the next month or so. Some newer features planned (for example, your own personal portfolio of photography choices) may take some time to initiate, and there may be a few bugs along the way. This is cutting edge stuff after all, so please bear with us. We appreciate your kind patience during this transformation. Feel free to email us your comments, praise, observations and any problems you encounter to: info@iphotocentral.com.

We have had some great help from our design and programming team: Dan Marcolina and Stephen Toth.

Dan Marcolina of Marcolina Design Inc. is one of the recognized early innovators in digital print, interactive and video design. Whether creating brand guidelines, television tiles or web content for clients like Adobe, Discovery Channel and Business Wire, Marcolina brings a playful elegance that blends technology and concepts across media. His inventive work has been featured in dozens of books and magazines including Communications Arts, Graphis and The Macintosh Bible. He's also a talented photographer and is known for his creative work shot with an IPhone. You really should see the photographs to believe them. You can view them at: http://marcolina.squarespace.com.

Stephen Toth has been the go-to programming guru for numerous photography dealers and major photographers for nearly 20 years. His simple but comprehensive Photo Nav database system has become the standard for many in the photography business. His website skills and talent have kept him at the cutting edge, without going over the edge as some other programmers have. He also practices photography as a hobby.

Both Dan Marcolina's and Stephen Toth's knowledge of the field of photography AND technology has made this a synergistic project that not only looks great but also functions well and safely. No matter what your device, come take the new website for a spin here: http://www.iphotocentral.com. Photographs are easier than ever to see and buy on the redesigned site. And information and content on photography collecting and curating, including the photo market, is attractively presented and easily accessed at the website.

Novak has over 47 years experience in the photography-collecting arena. He is a long-time member and formally board member of the Daguerreian Society, and, when it was still functioning, he was a member of the American Photographic Historical Society (APHS). He organized the 2016 19th-century Photography Show and Conference for the Daguerreian Society. He is also a long-time member of the Association of International Photography Art Dealers, or AIPAD. Novak has been a member of the board of the nonprofit Photo Review, which publishes both the Photo Review and the Photograph Collector, and is currently on the Photo Review's advisory board. He was a founding member of the Getty Museum Photography Council. He is author of French 19th-Century Master Photographers: Life into Art.

Novak has had photography articles and columns published in several newspapers, the American Photographic Historical Society newsletter, the Photograph Collector and the Daguerreian Society newsletter. He writes and publishes the E-Photo Newsletter, the largest circulation newsletter in the field. Novak is also president and owner of Contemporary Works/Vintage Works, a private photography dealer, which sells by appointment and has sold at exhibit shows, such as AIPAD New York and Miami, Art Chicago, Classic Photography LA, Photo LA, Paris Photo, The 19th-century Photography Show, Art Miami, etc.