Building a website dedicated to your photography may seem like a daunting endeavor, especially if you find your natural habitat to be behind the lens, not the keyboard. You’ve got a dazzling portfolio filled with breathtaking images, a unique creative vision, and you’re pumped to show the world what you’ve got. But the big question is, how do you go about crafting that website? No need to fret.
In this friendly blog post, we’re going to walk you hand in hand through the process of developing your very own professional photography website in a way that’s both easy to understand and doable. We’re going to unravel all the tech jargon and provide you with a step-by-step guide to help you build a platform that does justice to your magnificent work.
So, get comfy, take a deep breath, and let’s jump into the wonderful journey of creating a photography website together.
What is a Photography Website?
Picture this — a glossy, digital art space where each photo weaves a tale, every snapshot echoing your unique view of the world. That’s what a photography website embodies. It’s your personal corner in the vast online universe, a playground for photographers to beautifully present their craft, spanning across various themes, styles, and projects.
It’s not merely a portfolio; it’s more like a meticulously curated exhibition of your artistic voyage, open for the world to admire. Potential clients can wander through your body of work, get a sense of your style and proficiency, and even book your services, all from one central hub.
Furthermore, your photography website can double as a personal diary or a blog, allowing you to share the stories from behind the lens, your techniques, and your experiences, establishing a deeper bond with your audience. In a nutshell, a photography website is much more than a dazzling display of pictures; it’s a gateway into your world as a photographer, bridging the divide between the artist and the onlooker.
What Should a Photography Website Include?
The Basic
1. A Homepage
The homepage is the main page of a website, and it serves as an entry point to the site’s content. For this reason, it’s one of the most important pages on your website.
Since it’s the first page your visitors will see and as it sets the tone for the rest of your site, it’s prudent to consider its design, your branding, and how it will be represented, including colors, fonts, logos, and taglines.
With a well-designed homepage, you can create a positive first impression and encourage visitors to explore your website further.
A homepage usually contains the following elements:
- A site navigation menu with links to important sections and pages that will allow users to easily navigate your website.
- Call-to-action buttons (CTAs) that will be clearly visible, with a clear call-to-action text that will encourage users to click on it and perform the desired action, like, for example, signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase.
- Many homepages contain a hero section to immediately catch the user’s attention and nudge them towards performing a certain action.
Note: Common Ninja has a wide selection of call-to-action buttons that you can easily add to your website.
2. An About Page
Another important page to have on your website is the “About Us” page. This page is crucial to establishing credibility and building trust.
The about us page often contains information about the organization, its mission, its history, and the people behind it, enabling users to establish a connection with the company and learn more about the organization and its values.
Note: Common Ninja has a great selection of widgets that can enhance your “About Us” page.
3. A Contacts Page
A “Contacts” page is another, very important page to have on your website. It provides visitors with a way to get in touch with the website’s owners or administrators. Typically, it will include contact information about the business (like a contact email address, phone number, and physical address), as well as a contact form that a visitor can fill out and send to contact the website’s owners.
This page helps to further build trust, improve user experience, and enable other businesses to contact the website owners regarding open new business opportunities.
Note: Common Ninja can improve how users contact you via a free and easily customizable Contact form.
4. A Header & Footer
Headers and footers have become an integral part of website design, and anyone building a website should add them to their website.
Having a header and a footer on your website will improve navigation, create a consistent look, support your branding, provide important information, and improve conversion with CTAs.
The header typically includes branding elements (like the colors, logo, company name, etc.), and navigational menus (to other pages, login options, etc).
The footer will also include branding elements, as well as links to other pages, but its design enables adding more links, CTAs, and other information, in an organized and aesthetically pleasing manner.
The Advanced
While the above elements are true for all websites, a Photography website requires a few more elements.
Portfolio
This page serves as a comprehensive showcase of the photographer’s body of work. The collection can be thoughtfully organized into distinct galleries or projects, ensuring a smoother browsing experience for visitors, allowing them to easily delve into specific themes or genres that catch their eye.
Note: Common Ninja offers powerful widgets for portfolio pages, like the Image Slider, the Image Gallery, the Image Carousel, the Image Accordion, Image Hover Effects, the Image Stack Gallery, and the Image Magnifier, among others.
Services/Photography Packages
If the photographer offers specific services or packages, this page should outline the details, pricing, and any additional information relevant to potential clients. It can include options like wedding photography, portrait sessions, event coverage, etc.
Testimonials
This page spotlights endorsements from prior clients, playing a key role in fostering trust and establishing your credibility. It gives potential clients a chance to understand others’ experiences and gauge their happiness with the photographer’s artistry.
Note: Common Ninja offers the Testimonials widget, which offers a great, fully customizable way of displaying you testimonials.
Blog/News
In case the photographer runs a blog or habitually refreshes their site with the latest news and updates, this page becomes their stage for sharing captivating tales, glimpses from behind the camera, handy photography tips, and updates from the photography world. It’s a wonderful tool to keep visitors engaged and entice them to frequently revisit the site.
Client Gallery/Private Galleries
In the event that the photographer provides private galleries for clients to browse and download their captured moments, this page can offer a safe login zone to access those exclusive galleries. It guarantees privacy while offering a personalized browsing experience tailored for each client.
Note: Common Ninja has a great selection of image gallery widgets that you can choose from.
Pricing
Depending on the photographer’s preference, a separate page or section can outline the pricing structure for different services or packages. This helps potential clients understand the cost involved and make informed decisions.
FAQs
A dedicated Frequently Asked Questions page can serve to answer typical questions that potential clients might be pondering. It could encompass subjects ranging from the booking procedure, how photos are delivered, the editing style used, and beyond.
Note: Common Ninja offers a very powerful and versatile FAQ widget that you can use to add FAQs to your website.
Social Media Integration
Incorporating links to social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter makes it a breeze for visitors to engage with the photographer across multiple channels and keep tabs on their latest updates.
Note: Common Ninja has a great selection of social media widgets that can greatly enhance you website. We have social feed widgets and the Social Media Links widget.
How To Create a Photography Website?
Step 1: Choose Your Website Builder
There are lots of available website-building platforms today. How many you ask? Well, there are well over 200 website and e-commerce builders.
Clearly, not all are on the same level or for the same purpose, but the sheer amount is both fascinating and scary. Fascinating because it means that there’s a lot to choose from, and scary because there’s too much to choose from.
Luckily, there are around 20 that truly stand out in terms of the features they offer, how easy it is to use them and their prices. We have a great article about the best website builders out there that you should definitely take a look at.
Great Website Builders for a Photography Website
While the above gives you a broad overview of website building, here are some website builders that could be great for building a Photography website:
SmugMug
SmugMug is a top-notch platform designed for photographers to securely store, share, and monetize high-resolution photos online. It provides boundless and safe photo storage, coupled with e-commerce features that allow the sale of prints and digital downloads straight from your website. Armed with a vast assortment of customizable website templates, SmugMug empowers photographers to display their work in an eye-catching and bespoke manner.
Squarespace
Squarespace is a popular website-building platform renowned for its sleek, modern templates and intuitive drag-and-drop interface. For photographers, Squarespace offers portfolio templates specifically designed to showcase images in the most captivating light. The platform also includes e-commerce capabilities, SEO tools, and integrated analytics to help photographers grow and manage their online presence.
Note: We have a very detailed guide on how to build a website with Squarespace, and you should definitely take a look at it.
Wix
Wix is a user-friendly website builder that provides specialized tools for photographers. It offers striking, customizable templates, an array of image display options, and advanced SEO tools. Notably, Wix also provides online booking and payment systems, client photo galleries, and a mobile app to manage your site on-the-go.
Format
Format is a website builder specifically designed for creative professionals, including photographers. It offers an array of beautifully designed, customizable templates, alongside client-proofing and online store features. Format’s built-in workflow tools, like invoice and contract management, are particularly beneficial for photographers who conduct business online.
Zenfolio
Zenfolio is an all-in-one platform, crafted with photographers in mind, to showcase and commercialize their artistry. It comes packed with stunning gallery-esque templates, limitless photo upload options, and a seamless integrated shopping cart feature for selling print and digital works. What’s more, Zenfolio equips photographers with marketing and SEO tools to broaden their reach and connect with a larger audience.
Showit
Showit is the Picasso of website builders. It provides a super-intuitive, user-friendly interface with high customizability, offering photographers the freedom to paint their own unique online presence. Plus, its seamless WordPress integration means powerful blogging capabilities are just a click away.
Semplice
Semplice is a portfolio platform powered by WordPress, designed to offer creatives a high level of personalization. It empowers photographers to craft portfolio pages that encapsulate their distinct style. Semplice also shines with a multitude of features like password-secured pages, tailor-made fonts, and captivating fullscreen video backgrounds.
PhotoShelter
PhotoShelter is a platform thoughtfully created for professional photographers, making it a breeze to manage, distribute, and monetize their work on the web. It offers secure cloud-based storage, tailor-made website designs, e-commerce features, and cohesive delivery systems for prints and licenses. Its sophisticated search tools simplify the process for prospective clients to uncover a photographer’s craft.
Pixpa
Pixpa is a versatile platform built for photographers to craft an eye-catching online portfolio, distribute client galleries, and even inaugurate an online storefront. Its user-friendly interface, visually appealing themes, and custom domain feature streamline the process for photographers to set up and maintain their online visibility.
Pixieset
Pixieset is a platform engineered specifically to facilitate photographers in sharing and delivering their work to clients. Its feature set includes customizable client photo galleries, an online storefront for selling prints, and a mobile application to manage your business activities on the fly. Utilizing Pixieset, photographers can forge a stunning and professional online presence with minimal strain.
Portfoliobox
Portfoliobox is a versatile and intuitive website builder tailored specifically for creative individuals. Photographers can leverage its array of dazzling, customizable templates, e-commerce capabilities, and straightforward interface. With zero coding skills needed, photographers can sculpt a unique online portfolio that effectively embodies their work and personal brand.
Carbonmade
Carbonmade is a visually striking and easy-to-use portfolio creator, perfect for photographers keen on presenting their work in an uncomplicated yet enthralling manner. It presents customizable designs, project display features, and a straightforward interface. Carbonmade’s appeal resides in its simplicity, making it a prime choice for photographers on the hunt for an uncomplicated, no-frills way of crafting an online portfolio.
Choose a Hosting Plan (Optional)
Depending on what website builder you chose, you may have to get a hosting plan separately. We have a great guide on the top 10 hosting providers available on the market. Mind you that many of these offer the option to get a domain name, too.
Choose a Domain Name (Optional)
Depending on what website builder you choose, and on what hosting plan you choose, you may have to get a domain name separately.
Step 2: Start Designing Your Website
Choose a Template (Optional)
Some website builders offer pre-made templates that you can choose from for specific website types. This is a great way to save time on design.
Choose Color Schemes
Color schemes are super important in website design and branding. They’re not just for show—colors can really affect how we feel and react. If a brand chooses the right colors, it can guide our eyes where they want, make us feel a certain way, and even get us to take action.
This is where color theory comes in. It’s basically the science of how colors work together and how they make us feel. For instance, blue usually makes us feel calm and trustful, red stirs up energy and passion, and green symbolizes growth. So, when a brand chooses colors that match its vibe and the feelings it wants to evoke, it can really boost its recognition and trust with customers. Super cool, right?
Choose Fonts
Font pairing is like the secret sauce in website design and branding. Just like colors, the fonts you choose can really set the mood and deliver your brand message. You’ve got to think about the vibes different fonts give off. A fancy script might feel elegant, while a bold, all-caps font can scream confidence and power.
The trick is in finding fonts that complement each other without clashing or looking too similar. That’s why we do font pairing. You want your headline font to grab attention, but it needs to work well with your body text font, which should be easy to read. So, for instance, you might pair a decorative font for your headers with a simple, clean one for the body text. Get it right, and you’re on your way to a website that looks super professional and keeps your visitors reading. It’s a bit like a good music duo—each part’s got to be good on its own, but together they create a whole new level of awesome!
Add a Hero Image
The hero section of a website is like the opening scene of a movie—it sets the stage and grabs your attention. It’s that first big chunk you see when you land on a website, often with a big image, a catchy headline, and a call to action. It’s there to quickly show you what the site or the brand is all about and, hopefully, make you want to stick around.
Choosing the right elements for your hero section is key. A stunning image or background can draw people in, while a powerful headline can spark interest. Then there’s the call to action, which could be a button or a link, nudging you to do something—like shop now, sign up, or learn more. So, think of the hero section like your website’s elevator pitch. It’s got to be punchy, engaging, and super clear about what’s on offer. If it’s done right, it’s like a friendly welcome mat that invites visitors to come in and explore more.
Add CTAs
Calls to Action (CTAs) on a website are like your friendly tour guides. They tell you where to go next and what to do. You’ll often find them as buttons or links with words like “Buy Now”, “Sign Up”, “Learn More”—you get the idea. They’re super important because they help guide your visitors and encourage them to take the actions you want them to.
But here’s the thing: all CTAs are not created equal. A good CTA is clear, concise, and compelling—it tells you exactly what you’ll get and why you should click on it. And where you place them can make a big difference, too. You want to position your CTAs where they’ll be noticed, like in your hero section, at the end of a blog post, or even in a pop-up. So, think of CTAs as your website’s friendly nudges, steering your visitors in the right direction and getting them to engage, interact, and hopefully, become customers. It’s like having a good salesperson right there on the page.
Step 3: Publish The Website
When you are done setting up and designing your website, publish it. And that’s it.
How To Enhance Your Photography Website?
Enhance Your Website With Powerful Widgets
While many of the website builders we recommended are great for building your Photography website, they are somewhat limited in the features and tools they offer, and, in a competitive world, every additional feature that you can add to your website can be a game changer.
That’s where Common Ninja comes in to save the day.
Common Ninja offers an extensive, ever-growing collection of professional and reliable widgets that will help you save time and money and improve your website beyond what your current website-building platform offers.
Common Ninja’s widgets are free, fully customizable, perfectly responsive, and easy to use (just check our YouTube guides), so be sure to check them out, and greatly improve your website.
Common Ninja — The Only Collection of Widgets You’ll Ever Need
Content
Content is an important part of any website, no matter what niche it’s in. Content can include anything from text, images, videos, and other media that informs, educates, or entertains the audience, and we highly recommend that you add good content to your website.
It is crucial for several reasons:
- It provides value to visitors — good content, can provide value to users, whether these are guides, service or product comparisons, tips, tricks, or other equally helpful content.
- It builds trust and credibility — by creating good, well-written, and well-researched content, you can increase trust in your brand and improve its credibility.
- It improves SEO: Search engines like Google prioritize websites with high-quality, relevant content, so by creating content that includes relevant keywords and provides value to your audience, you can improve your website’s search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your website.
- It drives conversions — well-written content that addresses pain points, with strategically placed CTAs can drive conversions, such as sign-ups, purchases, or inquiries, up.
- It establishes your brand’s voice and identity — the content on your website is an opportunity to establish your brand’s voice and identity. Consistent and high-quality content can help your brand stand out and create a memorable impression on your audience.
Optimization
Optimizing a website is essential for improving its visibility on search engines, increasing traffic, and improving the user experience. Here are some effective ways to optimize your website:
- Remove unnecessary distractions
- Improve page speed
- Optimize for mobile
- Optimize forms
- Write good copy
- Write good CTAs
- Define and communicate your value proposition
- Localize content
Promotion
Promoting a website is essential for increasing its visibility and driving traffic to it.
It requires time & effort, and here are some ways that can help you promote your website:
- Social Media: Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram are great for promoting your website, building a following, and driving traffic to it.
- Email marketing: Building an email list is an effective way to promote your website, reach your audience directly, and keep them updated on your latest content or products.
- Paid advertising: Paid advertising through platforms like Google Ads or social media ads can help you reach a larger audience and drive targeted traffic to your website.
- Collaboration: Collaborating with other websites in your niche can help you gain exposure, drive traffic to your site and improve your SEO via backlinking.
- Incentives: Offering incentives like discounts, free trials, or giveaways can attract new users to your website and encourage them to share it with others.
Conclusion
In closing, building a photography website might initially seem like a herculean task, especially for those of us more accustomed to focusing on a camera’s aperture than the nuances of web design. But remember, every great journey begins with a single step, and you’re certainly not alone on this path.
This article is your travel companion, guiding you through the sometimes winding, technical terrain of creating your online showcase. So embrace the challenge, let your creativity shine through, and don’t forget to have fun along the way.
Remember, your photography website is more than a digital portfolio; it’s your very own corner of the internet, an invitation for the world to step into your unique perspective. So, go ahead and let your shutter click resonate across the world wide web!
