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What are the best photography website designs?

Female photographer in front of waterfall - Iceland thinking of the best photography website designs

Designing a website for a photography business can be an exciting process; there are so many options in terms of layout, design and types of content that you could include. 

Building the right website for your business can be difficult, and with so many options you may fall into some bad web design habits, such as creating an overcrowded website. However, at Go SiteBuilder our ready made templates are designed to guide you every step of the way to help you create a professional and stylish website.

In a creative industry such as photography, showing creativity and flair in your web design is incredibly important. Without a well-conceived web design visitors may be discouraged from using your services or browsing through your work. Creating a website that displays your photographs beautifully and gives the visitors all the relevant information is vital. 

Key aspects to consider:

Web design can be confusing and overwhelming, especially if this is the first website you have designed. When designing a website, there are some key elements which you must think about before designing your website. The best photography businesses carefully consider these key components when designing their websites:

  • Web design – does your web design really reflect your business and your aesthetic?
  • Layout – is your website easy to use and navigate?
  • Portraying your business model – does your website show what kind of photography you offer?
  • Showing your work – what type of gallery layout do you want? For more inspiration read our blog on how to create a photo gallery.

For more information on what to include in your website check out our blog on what features you should include in your photography website. Below we are going to give some examples of the best examples of photography websites in different styles to help you design the best website for your business. 

Landscape Photography Website: Colin Prior Photography

Source: Colin Prior

This website is a stunning example of how great web design can show your photographs in their best light. The large header photograph is part of a slideshow that changes between equally beautiful landscape pictures. The layout is simple yet effective, with a clean minimalist aesthetic allowing the photographs to shine. 

Portrait Photography: Joe McNally

Source: Joe McNally Photography

This photography website clearly shows the type of photography that the company specialises in. There is a range of photographs on the homepage, immediately exposing visitors to the photographers style. The sidebar menu shows the various styles of photography that they specialise in. Although this layout may not be an option with many website builders, there are more simple ways to achieve the same look. For example using a collection of photographs in a gallery on your homepage will give a similar effect. 

Fashion Photography: The Fashion Camera

Source: The Fashion Camera

This fashion photographer has taken a slightly different approach to her website, by focusing on her personal connection to her work. This creates a connection between the visitor and the website owner. Certainly not a strategy every business may want to use but for this type of photography using your point of view can be useful. The muted colours and font create a stylish website with an effective design and layout. 

Art/Concept Photography: Shaw and Shaw

Source: Shaw and Shaw Photography

Shaw and Shaw’s photography website is a great example of how colours and unique design can elevate a website. This is particularly effective in this photography style of art or concept work, where aesthetic is so important. The multicolored menu draws the eye but doesn’t detract from the photograph above. The website mostly operates on a slideshow with a page of information at the end. Although not the most informative, the unique elements of this website make it memorable and successful. 

Wedding Photography: Holly Rose Weddings

wedding photography site homepage with married couple

Source: Holly Rose Weddings

The design for this wedding photography website is very effective. The colour scheme is muted and the design is minimalist. These soft design decisions create a beautiful wedding website which ties in with the photo shoot chosen as the header. The menu is simple and easy to navigate as a header menu. 

If you’re ready to build an amazing website for your photography business, then look no further than Go Sitebuilder. With a wide range of features, including multiple gallery options our simple website builder design means you can have a professional looking website up and running in minutes. Try our 14-day free trial today!

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How to watermark your photos

Young woman using laptop at home to find out how to watermark photos

The internet is a complex place, and it can be extremely difficult to keep track of images once they’ve been uploaded. Although it is true that images you take yourself are automatically protected by copyright, once those images go online it is so easy for someone to copy or save your image and use it on their site – and you might not even realise that they’ve done it! We’ve already written a blog about stamping a copyright logo to your image, but these can be easily cropped off, whereas it’s impossible to use a watermarked photo without making it clear where the image came from.

What is a watermark?

Traditionally, a watermark is a translucent phrase or a logo embossed directly onto an image, meaning that both the watermark and the image are both still visible. Although we are talking about watermarks on digital images today, as a society we have been using watermarks for centuries; you’ll find them on banknotes, passports and reams of branded paper. In fact, the first practice of watermarking dates back to the Fabriano paper mill in Milan in 1282, when papermaking started to become a common practice. 

Nowadays, however, it’s possible to apply “digital watermarks” to your images. This means you don’t have to have something embossed on top of your image. It is invisible, but indelible; some providers like IMATAG change the pixel values themselves to encode a secret message, imperceptible to the human eye. Even if the image is cropped, scaled, colour-edited or compressed, the digital watermark will remain. 

Do you need a watermark?

If you have a photography website or are uploading your own photos on your website builder, then it’s a good idea to watermark them. They are your intellectual property, and especially if you are trying to develop a particular brand image with your photos, the last thing you want is someone else passing these images off as your own. 

Although visible watermarks can seem obtrusive, they are more likely to dissuade photo thieves from taking your image, whereas if you place a copyright logo in the bottom of the picture, it’s easy for someone to crop this out of the image. Creating a subtle but visible watermark can ease your mind and keep your photography safe. Invisible watermarks remove the issue of affecting the image, but you’ll have to manually check to see if people have used your photos on their websites and you normally have to pay a fee to do it. 

Watermark software

Visible watermarking

When creating visible watermarks for your images, you can choose between using paid or free software. Although paid photo editors like Adobe Photoshop have dedicated watermark tools, it’s not worth paying for the software unless you already use it for other purposes. You can even create a basic visible watermark in Microsoft Paint!

Make sure that you don’t use a watermark that is too faint or too small, as photo editors can remove these types of watermarks. However, if it is too obvious, then it will compromise the appearance and composition of the original photo. 

A+ Signature is available through the iTunes store, and allows you to easily add a watermark to your images. Marksta gives you various options to watermark your photos, so you can make sure it’s the right size and opacity for you. If you’re a Windows user, uMark or Watermark are also options that make it simple to add watermarks to your images. 

But what should you choose to add as a watermark? You can add the copyright logo, or your brand’s logo as a watermark, or a string of text; your name, business name or image description could work well here. 

Digital watermarking

Digital watermarking is invisible and adds data to the original file, meaning that the watermark remains on the image regardless of the image type you use or any image editing that takes place. This might be a good idea if you have a photography business and you don’t want your images to be compromised by a visible watermark. 

Unfortunately, most digital watermarking providers charge for this service. IceMark costs around £40 for an application that lets you watermark as many images as you like, or DigiMarc is a good option for large-batch corporate images but costs around £40 annually. 

How can I avoid watermarking and copyright issues?

If this all seems too complicated and you just want pictures to enhance your web design rather than to publicise your own photography, feel free to use copyright-free stock imagery from sites such as Pixabay or Unsplash. If you use our website builder, we have access to thousands of stock images that you can use to make your site look stunning in just a click!

Ready to get started with your website builder? With Go Sitebuilder, we have ready to go templates that will allow you to easily add your images and information in minutes so that your new site is professional, beautiful and most importantly – hassle free! Try our 14-day free trial today and get your business online.

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How can a photographer make money online?

Amazed woman looking at a Go Sitebuilder photography website on a smart phone which is making money online

You’ve taken the perfect shot. The lighting is good, the angles are on point and the image has captured everything you wanted it to. But where do you display such a stunning photograph online? As a professional photographer, there is endless demand for your work online: businesses, bloggers, and social media influencers all rely on professional photographers to advertise their content. 

Considering that 75% of shoppers rely on product photographs when shopping on an e-commerce store, your work can be high in demand amongst those who sell products online. But how do you get yourself out there, and make money online?

Build your portfolio  

Before you start putting together your portfolio, it’s important to ask yourself what your style is. By working out what kind of photography you enjoy, you can build your image in a way that’s individual and unique to you. Perhaps you have a certain way of editing your photos, or enjoy taking pictures of certain things: whatever you decide, it is important to remain consistent so that the person who views your portfolio can get a good idea as to what kind of professional photographer you are. 

When building your portfolio, don’t just throw together a bunch of images and let the viewer decide for themselves which ones are the best. By crafting your portfolio so that you only include your very best pieces of work, you are proving to the viewer that your photographs are worth investing in. 

Even the order you put your images in can be crucial – Brian Dilg, the head of the New York Film Academy, advised that the first image must be the best one out of all your photographs. 

Have a beautiful site design

Just as an artist tries to make their exhibition as aesthetic as possible, you want to display your images in a way that is visually appealing. As your aim as a professional photographer is to make money online and become more visible, people will be more likely to purchase your images for e-commerce purposes if you have a stunning website design. 

Luckily, to create a beautiful site design you don’t need to be an expert in coding: website builders such as Go Sitebuilder offer a huge range of ready to go website designs, enabling you to display your photographs in a way that is attractive to anyone who visits your site. 

According to the Stanford Web Credibility Research, the credibility of a company is 75% based on their website design – by displaying your images in an appealing way, you are not only able to show off your skills as a photographer, but you’re also telling them that you’re a professional who takes their work seriously, meaning they are more likely to want to invest in your work.

Tell a story 

Whilst a picture might be worth a thousand words, actually telling your personal story, or giving the visitor some information behind a certain photograph helps build a relationship between the site visitor and yourself. The best way to do this is by writing blogs: by writing about your inspiration behind a certain image, you can convey your passion for photography, telling the site visitor that you would be completely committed to delivering them the highest quality photos. 

Blogging is also an invaluable tool for SEO – if you want to increase your visibility on the internet, then including relevant keywords within your blog that are highly searched for means that Google is more likely to index your site, ranking you highly on its search engines. This means that you’re much more likely to see a higher traffic flow to your site and, by repeatedly blogging, Google knows to reindex your site, so that you’re much more likely to stay at a high position. 

Utilise social media 

Overlooking the importance of social media is a huge mistake: it is a free way to market your photography, once you’ve built up a good following. Considering that most social media users log into their accounts at least once a day, creating a strong social media platform is a fantastic way to not only draw in existing fans of your work, but to also reach out to new potential customers. 

By having a strong social media following, you’re showing that you are not only a professional photographer, but that your work is also popular, meaning you’re high in demand. This is an attractive prospect, especially for someone who wants to use your photography for e-commerce purposes, meaning that you’re much more likely to make money online. 

As you’ll want to focus on shooting the best photographs you can, you won’t want to spend endless hours building your own website from scratch. This is why Go Sitebuilder is one of the best website builders for those who don’t have endless hours of time on their hands: we offer ready to go sites that can be crafted to suit your own image. Our free 14-day trial means you can try Go Sitebuilder today, so that you can build your own site completely hassle-free! 

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What kind of photography is most in demand?

Photographer taking photographs of a model to upload to Go Sitebuilder

Being a professional freelance photographer is the dream for many people. You can turn your hobby into a profession without being tied to an office or a specific industry. If you’ve been thinking about ways to supplement your income with photography or even start up your own freelance photography business, you need to see what photography services are most in demand. 

Family and portrait photography

This could be one of the most common forms of freelance photography. Before you start, think of a niche to help you stand out from the crowd; are you a lighting whiz that specialises in more posed, professional-looking photos, or do you have the people skills to make people laugh and feel at ease for more candid images? Capitalise on your skills and you’ll find yourself getting busy very quickly!

 As this type of photography is very area-based, you will rely heavily on word of mouth to build clients, so make sure that your clients leave your photoshoot having had a positive experience. 

Event photography

You might just be thinking of wedding photography, but freelance photographers are often hired to cover a plethora of different events, including birthdays, christenings, corporate meals and charity events. 

The hardest thing with event photography is working out a price for your work; a beginner wedding photographer could charge around £1000, for example, whereas an experienced one is likely to charge a minimum of £5000. Remember events are often poorly managed, overrun and you might have to deal with the occasional stressed-out event organiser, so make sure it is worth your time. 

Headshots

Corporate headshots can be a very lucrative job once you’ve broken into the market and have a couple of high-quality examples in your portfolio. And it can be fun; many companies are moving away from the stiff, suited-up pained smile and are going for more dynamic images. You’ll need to be adaptable, easy-going and a good people person to make sure your clients feel comfortable in front of the camera. Once they’ve had one good experience with you, businesses are more likely to hire you for more gigs such as events, meetings and team photos!

Taking professional acting headshots is another niche that can make you some money; you can charge upwards of £400 for a session. This is a good option if you are skilled at lighting and like the artistic side of portraiture, but make sure you have some decent experience and are confident in this style; they’re likely to have high standards!

School photography

If you like to be busy, why not approach the schools in your area and offer to do photography for them? Most schools aim to have pictures taken not only of individual students, but also of year groups, sports teams and the whole school once a year. This could end up being thousands of images per school, and another good way of getting income from your photography. 

This will require a lot of planning, and it’s a good idea to hire an assistant if you’re going to be taking photos for a large school.

Product photography

If someone has a fantastic product, they’re going to need a beautiful photo of it to make sure it sells. Product photography is a huge part of digital marketing, and could be a great way to make money. Do you know anybody that is just starting out with a new product? Offer to take their photos for a small charge, and use their images in your portfolio; once you’ve got examples of your work, people are much more likely to hire you for their own products. 

Social media photography

Instagram is one of the most popular social media sites, and it relies almost entirely on beautiful images. Around 71% of businesses use Instagram to promote their company, which means you can capitalise on this by offering to take photos for them. You can contact local businesses and offer “social media packages” where you edit the photos and crop them to the perfect size for Instagram or Facebook. They can then use these photos for advertising on social media sites, which is an important part of any business.

Real Estate photography

If you like nosing around other people’s houses and you’ve got a wide-angle lens, then real estate photography is a great option. Try approaching your local estate agent and compare their amateur photography with some examples of your own well lit, perfectly composed interior photos. When looking for a house to buy or rent, the images are hands down the most important part for house hunters and will be the deciding factor as to whether they get in contact with the estate agent or not. 

There are many ways that you can turn your photography hobby into a profitable business, you just need to decide which route to take. Once you’ve done this, it’s time to make a website to show off your skills! Our website builder gives you beautiful ready made web designs with one-click image galleries so that you can highlight your best work at the touch of a button – read our blog on how to create the best photography website for some more ideas. Try our 14-day free trial today and see where your photography skills can get you.

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How can I protect my photos from being stolen by strangers?

If you have your own online business or blogging platform, photos are a great way to market your services and add some visual aesthetic into your site. It’s important to make these images individual to you: people are much more likely to remember your name or brand if they have a certain image relating to your website stuck in their mind. 

However, it is incredibly easy for strangers to steal photos that you upload. This type of thievery doesn’t involve a masked fiend with a bag ready to swipe up your images – anyone can do it from anywhere in the world, safely hidden behind a computer screen. 

Protecting your photos prevents other people from taking your photo credit: if you’ve invested time or money into the perfect image for your website, then you don’t want anyone else taking advantage of all your hard work. In the online world, individuality is key, and protecting your photos ensures your pictures remain unique to you. 

Make it difficult to steal your photos 

Unfortunately, it is incredibly easy to steal photos: Stolen image finder Copytrack has reported that over 2.5 billion online images are taken illegally every day. However, if you make life more difficult for a stranger trying to steal your photos, you could deter them and prompt them to look for another image somewhere else. 

One of the ways that you can do this is by disabling the ‘right-click’ option when building your website. Although the image can still be screenshotted, this reduces the overall resolution of the image, leaving the photo thief with a low quality photo. This means it is a lot harder for people to recycle your images for their own commercial use: no one is going to want to buy a product with a low quality image on it. 

Add a copyright notice 

Considering you legally own any image that you’ve created, it isn’t mandatory for you to give a copyright notice to protect your images. Nevertheless, posting a copyright notice might act as a deterrent, especially if the person stealing the photo doesn’t realise they are actually doing anything wrong. Reminding people that you are the owner of the image might just be the thing that prompts someone to reconsider screenshotting your image for their own use. 

Adding a copyright notice is pretty easy: WordPress have suggested posting the following into the sidebar so that it is visible at all times.

“© [Full Name] and [Blog Name], [Current Year or Year Range]. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to [Your Name] and [Your Blog Name] with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.”

The trick is to ensure that this warning is big enough to see, but also not so in your face that it might distract visitors to your site, putting them off viewing what content you have to offer. 

Watermark your images 

Watermarking – which is where you print your details onto the image – is probably the safest bet when it comes to protecting your photos. Depending on where you position the watermark, you can keep your image protected even from crafty editors. Be aware that if you decide to insert your name in the bottom of the picture then it could be easily cropped out. 

However, if you put a semi-transparent watermark all over your image then your photo is less likely to be stolen by a stranger: even if the pic is pinched, you still receive the credit that you deserve. And, whilst it might detract from the beauty of the original image, you are giving people the information that they need to discover its original form.

If you opt to use stock images then you don’t have to worry about copyrighting your photos: these ready to go aesthetic pictures are great to use if you don’t have the time to source your own photos, but want to make your site as visually appealing as possible. As they are created by someone else who then allows third parties to use them, you aren’t the owner of the image, and therefore don’t have to worry about someone else stealing your images.

Where to upload your photos 

If you want to upload your own photos then it is important to have a smooth-running, easy to use website to post them onto. Go Sitebuilder is one of the best site builders in the UK, delivering ready to go websites at your fingertips. If you find yourself stretched for time, we offer a huge range of free stock images, allowing you to create the perfect website for you in a few clicks.

Our 14-day free trial means you can discover just how easy it is to build your dream site, completely free of charge!

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What features do you want in your photography website

You might think that creating an effective and unique photography website is difficult when there is so much competition. But if you find a simple website builder with ready-made professional templates, you will only need a short time to showcase your business and work in the best light. There are some key elements that you should consider including into your website to make sure it stands out, and we’ve outlined some of them here. 

Key Information

Having up-to-date information regarding your business is key in gaining new customers and expanding your business. Without core information visitors to your website will find getting to know your brand and services difficult and may decide to go elsewhere. There are a few pieces of information you should include, and when building your website, make sure that they are easy to find!

Type of Photography: visitors to your website may be looking for a specific type of photography, for example, wedding photography. By advertising what kind of photographic services you can provide potential customers can instantly see whether your business would be right for them. When providing this information ensure to include photographs of your work. If you’re not sure which is right for you, have a look at this list of professional photography genres to give you some inspiration.

About You: in a customer facing job such as photography new customers will often want to know about you and your experience in the field. This should not be a long essay about your life. Keep this section short and informative, if you are comfortable maybe add a photograph of you working. 

Contact Details: in order to turn visitors into customers having contact details is incredibly important; according to Ko Marketing, 44% of visitors will leave your site if there are no contact details. These should be displayed clearly on your website and you must ensure you check the email you provide regularly for potential clients. Generally you should include an email address, phone number and work address (if applicable). 

Range of Services: providing information on the range of services you offer allows visitors to your website to discover more about your business without having to call. This may be more applicable to photographers who offer many different kinds of photography. If this is the case arranging your website by type of photography can be effective. For example, one section on wedding photography, one on commercial, one for industrial etc. 

If you specialise in one type of photography you may have a narrower range of services. Therefore, the way you present your services will affect your business. You may choose to arrange service by time, for example a day session or half day. Alternatively, you may arrange by the number of prints ordered, for example offering a photoshoot for an hour with 30 prints included. These types of offers can help bring more customers to your business. 

A Page Showing Your Portfolio

A photography website without a gallery or portfolio will not gain any new customers. Without a portfolio visitors to your website cannot see the best aspects of your work. A portfolio page should be organised by category if your work spans multiple photographic disciplines. Images in your portfolio must be high quality and edited professionally. Consider including captions to your photographs, describing the scene or the service that links to the image. Some photography websites also watermark their photographs so that they cannot be stolen and used by other people. 

Reviews and Testimonials

Another key aspect you may consider for your photography website are reviews and testimonials. These can help legitimise your work and show visitors the standard that you are working at. Be sure to include reviews that mention a range of skills such as:

  • Your attitude on the job
  • The satisfaction of the customer 
  • Communication 
  • Quality of photographs 
  • Quality of prints/photo books you produce 

These kinds of reviews will show you in a highly positive light and allow you to showcase your skills to new visitors. Reviews and testimonials can also show the variety of events you have worked at or the different types of jobs you undertake. 

Simple Design and Layout

A major pitfall of many websites is overcomplicating the design, which leads to a messy crowded website. Good website design should be aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. Ensure your photographs are well spaced in the website and text is clear and concise. Often a neutral colour scheme or accents of colour are the best way to create a photography website as they do not distract from the images.  

If you are looking for a good website builder for your company, then look no further than Go Sitebuilder! Our simple design means you can have a professional looking website up and running in minutes. With built-in features such as image galleries, a professional photography website is quick and easy to design. Try our 14-day free trial today.

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How do I know if a photo is copyrighted?

Woman looking at image on tablet. How do I know if a photo is copyrighted?

Using photos copied from the internet can be risky, and you could put yourself in danger of breaching copyright. Since the advent of the internet, it is so simple to right click and save an image, but to keep yourself safe you should never use that photo unless you know the regulations surrounding it! That’s what we’re here for – we’re going to let you know when an image is copyrighted, when it isn’t, and most importantly, when you can use it on your website.

Can you use any image from the web?

Quick answer – no! According to UK Law, when an image is created, it is copyright protected as the intellectual property of the creator. This is a process that happens automatically, so if you upload a picture on your website that you took, other people do not have the right to use it unless you give them permission. Copyright in the UK lasts for the life of the creator plus 70 years from their death, but if the copyright has expired then you are free to use it.  

There are exceptions to copyright, which means you can use any image as long as it is used within limited situations. This includes non-commercial research, private study, and teaching. If you are using your website to sell a service, then you will be using photos for commercial use and copyright will apply. 

How can you tell if you can use a photo?

This is the tricky bit – if copyright is automatically applied without having to apply for it, there are no records on what is free to use. 

However, if a photo has a watermark (often the name of the company/creator written on the image), if it has the ⓒ symbol, or a caption that indicates ownership or sourcing, then it’s generally safe to assume this image is protected under copyright and you can’t use it. 

You might have found a picture that is free to use under the Creative Commons Licensing, but you’ll need to look at the wording in detail. Often these types of licenses are limited to non-commercial use. 

One good way to see if a photo is copyrighted is by reverse searching for the image. Right click on the image and select “copy image address”. Then paste this into Google Images or a site dedicated to reverse image search, like TinEye. This will show you where the image is used, and where it has come from. You can also install plugins for Firefox and Chrome to easily reverse search images. If it comes from a paid stock photo website like Adobe, then leave it be! 

A common question is whether you can use photos from social media, but in the UK, these pictures are still considered the intellectual property of the creator. Social media platforms do have terms in their contracts that mean they can reuse your content, but this doesn’t override existing copyright laws. Essentially, this means that the social media provider can re-use your material (for example, when someone shares your photo on their feed within the app) but that doesn’t mean that anybody can download your photo and pass it off as your own. 

How can you find copyright-free images?

If we’ve scared you, we didn’t mean to! It might seem like all photos are copyrighted, but there are loads of stock photos that are available to use. You can choose to pay for a stock photo provider, like Shutterstock or Adobe, but there are also loads of free stock photo websites that offer high quality photos – for nothing! Here is a list of some of our favourites, and you can use these images worry-free.

What happens if I use a copyrighted image on the web?

If you unknowingly use a photo that is copyright-protected, then you might be contacted and asked to purchase a one-off licence for the use of that photo. Or, if you have used more than one photo from the same creator, they may try and come to a commercial arrangement, where you can freely use their photos for an ongoing fee. 

In the worst case scenario, however, the creator could take legal action and take you to court. This usually ends up being very expensive, as the user will have to pay the licence of the photo, court expenses, and often financial compensation for the copyright infringement, as well as removing all photos by that creator from their site. If it is deemed that you deliberately infringed copyright, then there are criminal penalties. 

The best way to stay safe is never to use a photo if you’re not sure where it came from! If you don’t have a budget, you can use free stock images, but if you’re still on the hunt for a website builder to do so, why not try Go Sitebuilder? They have free access to thousands of stock photos so you won’t have to worry about copyright, as well as easy-to-use galleries and photo editors. Try our 14-day trial and see for yourself!