A Love Letter To Big Photography In Web Design

Dearest modern web,

There’s something I’ve been meaning to say, but verbal expression hasn’t come easy. Have my words been stolen by the thousands, tied up in pictures of sun-kissed canyons and spectacular city skylines? If the 12 examples below are any indication, it appears I have indeed been robbed blind by the evocative power of big photography.

But wherein lies the root of my affection for big photo backgrounds in web design?

What pulls me towards websites with full-screen image sliders and responsive photo backgrounds?

Let me count the ways:

Big photography can amplify a specific emotion or feeling, making it easier for website owners to communicate a message effectively within the viewer’s first glance of a page.
From landing pages to portfolios, company websites and more, big photography takes advantage of visual appeal to engage audiences.
Big photography provides a powerful way to display products or services in action (see examples 1-4, 6, 8-9 ).
Rich, stunning imagery can captivate viewers and compel them to spend more time on the page, which in turn can lead to higher conversions.
Big photography adds depth to pages with less complex navigation structure and minimal content. Tell less; show more.

But where art thou, expansive images of rich and captivating magnificence?

Here are 12 strong examples of big photography in modern web design: