How To Create The Best Photography Website

How To Create The Best Photography Website: 40 Inspiring Examples

For photographers, designing a digital portfolio is not a desirable, but a necessary step to promote their business on the web. The important part is no longer to be present, but to showcase what you’ve done, and to attract prospective clients with it.

That is why as a photographer you need to import a portfolio on a breathtaking website, and to make its content irresistible.

The rules for designing an amazing photography website

Showcasing a portfolio sounds like a simple task, but there is much more to it than simply displaying few images. It is nothing alike regular websites, where you have a prescribed structure to follow: headers, navigation menus, and eventually a sidebar/footer.

Photography sites need much more attention, right because they let creativity loose, and because you can do literally everything to achieve the main goal you have in mind.

These are the most important web design guidelines that you need to follow when creating your website:

Keep it simple

As a photographer, you already know how invaluable simplicity is, and you understand the need to focus on essential elements instead of superfluous ones. Therefore, you should leave unnecessary content out, and let viewers focus on what is really important to them.

Navigation should be intuitive

You don’t want visitors to wander around, not being sure where to click or what to see. These are the best practices that can help you:

  • Don’t include too many items in the menu (5 will be perfectly enough).
  • Place the menu on its usual location (the top, or the left side of the screen).
  • Wherever you place the menu, make it look consistent to the rest of the website’s content.
  • Don’t forget the shortcut to the homepage (a ‘Home’ button in the menu, or a click on the logo).

High contrasts

It all depends on your style, but the general rule says you should display photos on black backgrounds, so that they will look better. The reason for that is high contrast, which helps the colors of the photo stand out, and appears even more stunning. This is especially recommended for HDR, commercial, nature and sports photography, where you can also use a white background depending on the content of the photo.

Tailor your website, rather than using common themes/templates

Obviously, it will all depend on your budget, skills, and intentions, but being original matters to every business. Therefore, tailoring your own photography website is much more appreciated than using existent themes and templates. This is similar like tailoring your own photos.

In fact, personalizing a photography website is a good idea even when you’re just using it to save money and time.

Make it about you

Use a language that is easy to understand, and include glimpses from your own life and personality. Users will appreciate you being creative in the about page, so make the most of this opportunity.

Top 40 photography websites on the Internet

1. Maxim Dondyuk
1---MAXIM-DONDYUK-I-photography---http___maximdondyuk

Maxim Dondyuk started as a Freelance photographer in 2010, but the way how he chose to promote his documentary projects soon took him to the top of the best photography websites list.

2. Ville Kansanen
2-httpvillekansanen.comwork

Ville Kansanen is an experienced photographer, doing self-portraiture for about 10 years.

3. David Jay Photography
3---David-Jay-Photography-FASHION,_---http___www.davidjayphotography.com_Artist

4. Fernando Decillis
4-httpwww.fernandodecillis

5. Mattsartain
5--Matt-Sartain-Photography---http___www.mattsartain

6. Gonzaga Manso
6--Photographer-and-Director---Gonzaga-Manso-_-Gonz_---http___gonzagamanso

7. Kristina Varaksina
7---Kristina-Varaksina-P_---http___www.kristinavaraksina

8. George Logan
8---George-Logan-Photographer---http___www.georgelogan.co

9. Morten Rygaard
9---Fotograf-Morten-Rygaard---http___mortenrygaard

Morten’s currently residing and working in Aarhus, Denmark. His work is almost every time in the focus of popular magazines and campaigns.

10. Jaime Travezan

Jaime Travezan attracted the attention of world media in 2014, developing a special photography concept for the human body based on architectural collages and light movement.

11. Tim Hawley
11---Tim-Hawley---Award-Winning-Photographer---http___www.timhawley

Tim Hawley is an internationally known digital artist who won multiple photography awards around the world.

12. Dmitrij Leltschuk
Dmitrij Leltschuk photography

13. Jill Beth Hannes
13---Jill-Beth-Hannesjillbethhannes---http___jillbethhannes

Jill Beth Hannes is one of the establishers of conceptual photography, currently working and residing in Los Angeles, CA.

14. Jack Fillery
Jack Fillery Photography

Jack Fillery is a famous British photographer, whose studio is located in Peckham, London. The same as other photographers we mentioned, he has been awarded multiple times.

15. Agnieszka Traczewska
15--Traczewska-Photography---http___www.agnieszkatraczewska

Agnieszka became famous because of using photography to capture the most intensive and extreme human emotions.

16. Mahesh Balasubramanian
Mahesh Balasubramanian Photography banner

Mahesh Balasubramanian used his Indian origins (Chennai) to develop a photography concept based on traditions and customs. His work contains mostly travel shoots and daily life scenes.

17. Marcelo Castro
17---Travel---Marcelo-_---http___www.marcelocastrophotography

Marcelo Castro is another traveler who enjoys recording nature and everyday life, even if his vocation is engineering, and he is working as such on full-time basis.

18. Francisco Negroni
18---Francisco-Negroni,-Volcanoes-and-Pata_---http___www.francisconegroni

Francisco Negroni is a Chilean Artist, still working as a Freelancer.

19. Bruno D’Amicis
19---Home-I-BRUNO-D'AMICIS-PHOTOGRAPHY---WILDERNESS_---http___www.brunodamicis

Bruno D’Amicis is more of a nature enthusiast, traveling to explore wildlife, native communications and different cultures.

20. Sam Hobson
20---SAM-HOBSON-PHOTOGRAPHY---http___www.samhobson.co

Sam Hobson supports conservation of wildlife, which is best seen through its urban wildlife photography.

21. Koen Demuynck
21--Belgian-photographer-I-Koen-Demuynck---http___www.koendemuynck

22. Brent Stirton
22---Brent-Stirton---http___www.brentstirton

Brent Stirton comes from South Africa, where he became famous by its contribution to the documentary world.

23. Mareen Fischinger
23---Mareen-Fischinger-Fotografie---http___mareenfischinger

Mareen Fischinger does photography and provides photo-production service, such as casting, booking of makeup, hair, and styling, retouching, art direction, and location scouting. She is famous both nationally and internationally.

24. Corey Arnold
24---Corey-Arnold---Photographer---http___www.coreyfishes
Corey Arnold is in fact a commercial fisherman, but the breathtaking landscapes his work places reveal inspired him to develop as a photographer.

25. Gavin Gough
25---Gavin-Gough-Photographer---http___portfolio.gavingough
Gavin Gough is a famous editorial/travel photographer, working with multiple well-known NGOs and commercial clients from over 50 states around the globe. He is still a freelancer.

26. Mitchell Kanashkevich
26---Travel,-traditions,-culture---doc_---http___www.mitchellkphotos
Mitchell Kanashkevich is famous by his curiosity, and does mostly documentary photography, due to his restless spirit and will to explore the world.

27. Steffen Allen
27---Steffen-Knudsen-Allen-Photography---Home---http___www.steffenallen
Steffen Allen was hired by a famous New York studio to hold a head photographer position for international clients. Meanwhile, he is doing freelance photography.

28. Caitlin Worthington
28---Caitlin-Worthington-Photograp_---http___www.caitlinworthington
Caitlin Worthington is one of the best-known Australian photographers, currently working in Perth, Western Australia. His masterworks are portraits and commercial photography.

29. Ryan Edy
29---Ryan-Edy---Home---http___www.ryanedy

It is not rare to discover Edy’s work in famous reviews, such as Creative Review or Communication Arts. Just recently, Phase One Profile dealt with his talent, one that has been awarded multiple times by One Eyeland, IPA, Px3, and Portrait Salon.

30. Christina Marie
30--San-Diego-Wedding-Photography-I-San-Diego-Engageme_---http___cmarie-photo

31. James Day
James Day Photography
James Day is a London-based editorial photographer, working mostly in national/international advertising.

32. Eli
32---ELI---http___weareeli

ELI is a company that offers digital retouching.

33. Kuperberg
33---San-Francisco-Wedding-Photographer---http___www.kuperberg

34. Mark Velasquez
34---Mark-Velasquez-Photography---http___www

35. Timothy Hogan
35---Beverage,-Advertising-and-Luxury-Still-L_---http___www

Timothy Hogan is another LA, CA miracle, a master of artistic photography who won multiple awards around the world.

36. Clayton Bozard
36-Clayton-Bozard-Photography---Portfolio---http___www.claytonbozard

Clayton Bozard’s area of expertise is music photography and editorial portraits. He is working in Columbia, South Carolina.

37. Daniel Kennedy
37-Dan-Kennedy---One-of-UK's-leading-Celebrity-

Daniel Kennedy, known as Dan Kennedy, is a famous London-based photographer focusing on fashion and show business. He is constantly traveling between UK and the US to shoot for celebrities and popular styling magazines, and he is known worldwide.

38. Jill Greenberg
38---Jill-Greenberg-Studio---http___www.jillgreenberg

39. Jonathan Glynn-Smith
39-Jonathan-Glynn-Smith---http___www.jonathanglynnsmith

40. Gavin Gough
40--Gavin-Gough-Photogra_---http___portfolio.gavingough

Gavin Gough focuses mostly on traveling and editorial photography. He is still a freelancer.

Your own photography portfolio: How to create it?

As we said, the task won’t be that simple. Collating won’t be enough, and you may find yourself suffering the consequences of your own intention to collect all best materials, and to present them in a visually appealing manner.

There are photographers out there doing an amazing work, but they are still not popular because of not knowing how to showcase the art they’re creating. Still, creating a beautiful portfolio is not something you can skip nowadays, so give these tips a look, and let them lead you through the process:

1. Shoot specifically for the purpose

Isn’t it obvious? Art turns out much better when you’re not under pressure to meet deadlines and expectations, so choose your own subjects and shoot them for free. This is where you’ll be allowed to make the most of your talent, and to create a breathtaking portfolio that can bring more clients on board. It can be a family member, a friend, or your favorite travel destination. You choose!

2. Focus on your target audience

How do you want people to feel when they see your work? Surprised? Shocked? Obviously, not everybody will fell the exact way you want them too, or see the landscape shot through your eyes, but having at least 50% of people reacting the way you want them to means you’ve already achieved the goal.

3. Edit your photos

Don’t let editing slide through your fingers, because once an image goes live, there is nothing you can do about it. It will stay viral for years ahead, and assuming it is good, it will grace people’s walls long after you’re gone. Therefore, think about the impact you’re creating, and avoid presenting your work in a poor way which can hinder your future deals.

4. Choose shots carefully

Choosing the right shoots is the most challenging part of the task, as a photographer is always torn between selecting his personal favorites and the ones that have been mostly appreciated by experts and clients.

Regardless of the effort he is investing in it, a photographer is not the most unbiased person for the task, because he will always strive to prioritize the things he likes, in comparison to the ones his audience may like.

In case you’re going through the same struggle, ask people whose opinion you can trust, and try to stay impartial for as long as you can. Narrow the work to 30 favorite photos, and remove one by one until you arrive to the desired number. In situations like this one, small nuances make a huge difference, so remove every piece that has whatever small flaw or feels defocused. Trust us-a small collection of perfect pieces is much better than a large, satisfactory one.

Freelance photography: Promotional strategies

Nowadays, taking good photos is among the simplest tasks a photographer should perform. The business side of the process is what makes things more complicated, because competition is harsh, and one often has to invest more time and efforts to market his services and to keep customers on his side.

As this is not a choice, but an obligation, both professional and freelance photographers have to look for a key way to stand out, and to attract the attention of their potential clients.

Blogging

Blogging is among the simplest way to feed audience with fresh content, and to inform Google that you’re working and you want to promote your activity. Once you’re on the web, Google will take care of your rankings, and will let users know what you’re doing, and how they can reach you. In case you don’t have that much work to display, spread the posts wherever possible (social networks, for instance), or show personal photographs where your talent is more than obvious.

Using email lists

Email marketing means to world to any business, not just from the aspect of selling and promotion, but rather keeping interested parties who opt-in to see your work on board. It is an also an invaluable strategy for saving time.

The thing about email lists is that they indicate clearly who is interested in your work, and expresses enough confidence to give you an e-mail address and receive information. These people like what you’re doing, which is exactly why they want to be updated about your new photos on regular business. At the same time, these people are your prospective clients, so take good care of them.

Online/Offline networking

Good marketing also stands for reaching out to people in a manner which is familiar to them, and contacting them in a comfortable way without asking them to join a platform (subscribe to a newsletter_ they know nothing about. The best ways to go are social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook.

Our recommendation is to create a special profile (a group or a page) to display your work, rather than using your personal profile to share posts in other communities. That will unite people interested in your work, and will allow them to follow your professional development, rather than being interrupted by personal updates.

Create an image gallery, and add new images all the time, so that users will know you’re busy, and will familiarize with all aspects of your work and your talent.

Start participating in local professional groups, and build a network of colleagues where you can share good practices and familiarize with business owners who can grow fond of your work. Use these contacts to promote your work, and you will get more clients than you expected.

Photo blogs featuring

The internet is absolutely crowded with photography blogs, some of them really popular among users looking for ideas and advice. If you’re a wedding photographer, for instance, try to display your work wherever you can, and draw the attention of as many clients as possible. The mere fact that your work will appear on a popular blog increases the chance for you to be hired by clients who discovered you randomly, and are browsing information about you all over the web. It is simply invaluable for your business.

Benefit from reviews and testimonials

It is a very common strategy: use you old clients to hook new ones. When previous customers are satisfied with your work, you won’t even have to ask them to recommend it: there will be multiple great testimonials on your website to convince new users that you’re trustworthy.

Sell your work

Organize exhibitions to help people discover your work, as it is the most secure way to ensure future commissions. You don’t have to organize anything extravagant or expensive, maybe just selling prints or displaying them in a high-traffic area. You can even suggest collaboration to small local galleries or art centers.

Final thoughts

  • Don’t lose focus from your end user: regardless of whether you’re designing a portfolio to make money or to showcase your images, the users should be able to find it easily. It may sound like a cool idea to choose an uncommon layout or to work with complex navigation, but the truth is that such an approach can confuse users, and frustrate them to the extent that they won’t contact you even if they like your work. You can have the best photographs ever, but that won’t be of any use to your viewers if you fail to display them in the right format.
  • These are the key web rules for designing amazing photography websites: simplicity, intuitive navigation, high contrasts, personalized themes, larger viewing areas, and creative about pages.
  • Depending on your business knowledge, running a commercial website can be either easy or complicated. The website should ideally feel natural, with navigation paths that are comfortable to use, and are therefore memorable for your brand. Once you reach the desired result, you will be ready to branch out, and use even different means to spread your profile on the web.

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