Not having a website for your photography studio is like having a storefront located in the middle of a random field with no roads for miles. And having an online photography portfolio that lacks in the aesthetics department is akin to having a storefront with dingy carpet and a lackluster sign. See where we’re going with this?
As a photographer — an explicitly creative individual — having a beautiful, well-oiled studio portfolio is absolutely key to booking clients. To begin, having a web presence directs traffic your way when a potential client searches for something like “Charlotte Photographer” or “Best Photographers in Portland.” Once they get to your portfolio, having a professional and easy-to-navigate website will intrigue them and increase the likelihood of them reaching out to you.
Best Sites for Photography Portfolios
BluDomain
Cost: $50 to $100 for template, $100/year hosting
BluDomain is a popular go-to choice for photographers because of its sleek designs, prompt and helpful customer support, and user-friendliness. You do not need to be an HTML expert or design pro to create a truly professional, impressive website with BluDomain and we love that. While BluDomain provides designs for a variety of business types, they’ve got a soft spot for photographers and, consequently, their designs are perfectly tailored to showcasing you and your work. All the flash templates are pre-designed and allow you to go in and do light customization. The cost of one design ranges from a flat fee of $50 to $100. Conveniently, you can also use BluDomain as your hosting site, which costs $100 annually.
Creative Motion Design
Cost: $120 for template, $100/year hosting
Creative Motion Design offers both HTML and flash designs that are as stunning as they are simple to use. With nearly 30 different templates to choose from, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a site design that speaks to your creative aesthetic. Each template also comes with a photo shopping cart to help “increase your online sales without incurring commissions or increased hosting fees,” which is a nice perk. You’ll pay a flat fee of $120 for the portfolio template, plus a $100 annual hosting fee. Creative Motion Design has also recently launched their “irresistibly customizable blog,” as well, which you can buy on its own for $95 or add on to your portfolio package for $47.50. The purchase gives you access to all nine “made for photographers” design themes, which you can switch between at your leisure.
ProPhoto
Cost: $199 to $279
If you’re on the prowl for a blog-meets-website-meets-portfolio, we highly recommend checking out ProPhoto. Before getting started, you’ll need to secure a domain name and sign up with a host (ProPhoto recommends bluehost). After doing so, you can purchase ProPhoto, which comes with 14 built-in design templates that are fully customizable. Their customizer service is top notch and the designs are sleek and straight-to-the-point, which we love. Plus, you only pay a one-time fee of $199 (self install) to $279 (expert install). Use our link and get $10 off either package.
Wix
Cost: Free
Wix specializes in empowering business owners and individuals with the ability to create an online presence “for free and exactly the way you want.” If you’re just testing the waters and don’t want to spend any money until you have it all sorted out, Wix may be a great place for you to start. It’s also used by established studios and business owners, as well, so don’t nix Wix without checking it out, first. The service is easy to use and they do offer some beautiful portfolio templates for photographers. We found it easy to navigate Wix and customize designs, though sometimes it does run a little slowly. For the low cost of $0, though, you can’t beat it.
Carbonmade
Cost: Free
Another cost-free photography portfolio option is Carbonmade, which specializes in web design templates for all creative types. The biggest perk, aside from the fact that it’s free to use, is that Carbonmade is a breeze to set up. In fact, they boast that it’s “so easy” that you’ll make your portfolio in minutes. In addition to being very straightforward, Carbonmade’s portfolio templates don’t sully your videos or squish your pictures — they stay “large and lovely,” allowing you to show off your professional work to the world. The one downside is that there isn’t a whole lot of variety in terms of design options and some of the at-cost website options we’ve listed here are a little more visually impressive. You can always upgrade to their “Whoo!” service, though, which offers more space and flexibility. It costs $12 per month.
PhotoShelter
Cost: $9.99/mo to 49.99/mo
PhotoShelter is designed specifically with photographers in mind. They provide professional designs with “built-in eCommerce, secure cloud storage, and client proofing tools — all in one platform.” PhotoShelter provides numerous pre-designed templates that you can then lightly customize (HTML know-how isn’t necessary). One perk we love is that each website comes with built in SEO and social media tools, which better helps clients find you. The biggest downside to PhotoShelter is that you need to pay monthly for as long as you use the website, as opposed to a flat, one-time fee that some other photography portfolio platforms charge.
Orosso
Cost: $24/mo to $34/mo
“Websites for creative professionals” is Orosso’s motto. Like the other portfolio options on our list, it’s very easy to use and the designs offered are elegant and offer simple navigation for current and potential clients. We appreciate that setting up your site doesn’t take tons of time (or web design knowledge) and that you can launch your portfolio in minutes. Another perk is that you can update your site whenever you want and as often as you need to. Like PhotoShelter, there is a per-month fee that ranges from $24 to $34 versus a one-time flat fee.
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