Web design is taking a plunge into photography and digital arts. Making large photos as a background is getting trendy.  Hence, putting up a catchy photo never misses to attract the audience attention. It says a lot about the website as well as the developers.  It also helps the designer create aura, a color palette  and signify the substance and objective of a website.

But of course the texts, search engines and web contents are the most essential parts to consider for web designing. The key is typography control. It does require complex photo manipulation, and because resizing the image based on the browser size is not that easy, using exceptional CSS or, in some cases, Flash to get everything looking at their best.

I have compiled examples of cool large photo background website designs, hopefully to inspire you!

1. Paul Smith Menswear

This layout looks fashionable and trendy. The photo background showcases their products at the same time it makes the page look nice.

2. Campanino Golf Club

By the background itself, golf enthusiasts and athletes get excited of what this site could offer.

3. Raven at Lora Bay

This layout showcases the cozy feel of  the golf club. The scenic view on the background tempts the audience to come over and enjoy the amenities.

4. Bently Reserve

The strong background describes much about the site’s foundation and the kind of service they offer.

5. DOJO

As cool as the site is, this background is pretty catchy and innovative.

6. Old Loft

The fun & colorful background gives you that welcoming feel.

7. Creative People

The unique background simply implies the content of this website.

8. Medis

This background picture holds the mere idea of the site which is wining and dining.

9. MacAllan Ridge

The large foggy background matches the template and goes well with the color scheme.

10. Alexarts

I love the great concept being put into this background. And with the additional customized thought bubble  buttons you can’t help but be impressed.

11. USAY

Color schemes and template goes well with the photo background. Added with a little touch of proper positioning of buttons and contexts.

12. Museum of Science + Industry

The cool outer-space background says it all. It’s very science fictional and creative.

13. Food Inc. Movie

The big cow on the background is very attention catching. It makes you want to read more about the site.

14. Julliana Barros

The great photo background has a very good composition. Templates are positioned very well and the typography is just right.

15. Electricurrent

The creative background is very compound and it delivers the objective of the website perfectly.

16. Gavin Castleton

This amazingly edited background makes you curious as to what the website is about. Using minimal typography, the site concentrates on the story behind the picture.

17. Vivo Group

This background contributes in acquiring that happiness filled-aura that the website is implying on the audience. Very bright colors are used and typography is minimal.

18. Viget Inspire

This example illustrates a lot about the developers of the site. Their creativity and uniqueness oozes out from this catchy background.

19. Upstruct

This one is simple yet bold. Gives you that strong impression about the site. The great color combination of color schemes and customized templates compliments everything.

20. Hasse Bronten

Basically, the photo background introduces who the site is about and what it contains. This one has really cool templates and concept.

21. RingV Media

This is a perfect example of simplicity with a kick. It is very brilliant how the object in the image worked well with the layout.

22. Club Manche Attractivite

Landscape photos are challenging because you need to match it with the right amount of color and design. This example pulled it off by putting smaller images in the middle that would compliment the background.

23. Davida Int

Talking about being minimalist, this design makes the background completely pop out.  They showcase their product and make it the center of attention without losing the texts on the side.

24. August

This is a tricky landscape background, applied with a good blend of color scheme, templates and positioning.

25. Travis and Presley

A collage photo effect like this is quirky. You need to compose the layout with great color matching and positioning so that it wont look messy and over crowded.

26. Ines Papert

This one is really striking. The angle of the photo background is remarkable & gave the layout a good view.

27. Orca Bay Seafoods

This is a great example of adding flash to the background. It is very customized and unique.

28. Maurice Krijtenberg

Another one of those good flash backgrounds. This one however, is a very edgy serious aura.

29. Kalinowe Pola

I like this one because the photo background tells a story which makes it interesting. Put together with great color scheme and positioning of templates it looks really good.

30. Mellow Mushroom

I always save the best for last. For me, this is what I found very impressive so far. It’s cutting edge flash effects and the background photo compliments each other. Worked even better because of the color scheme.

As you can see from the following examples, website designs with large photo backgrounds are very appealing to the viewers’ eyes. It makes it unique and interesting. Especially the ones with additional flash effects. A great composition of photography, flash, and exceptional CSS skills will get you a very unique layout that will surely make your website standout.