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Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
As a photographer, a great-looking website portfolio is one of your best shots at showcasing your work to a global audience. Aside from social media platforms, a website is virtually the only place you can display your range of skills and talent in a professional online capacity. So, making sure you design it in an impactful way is non-negotiable.
A well-designed website should be easy to navigate, feature a range of your best work, all in the highest resolution available, and show people exactly what kind of photographer you are.
When done well, a photography portfolio will demonstrate your creative prowess, spread the word about your professional services, and ultimately help you land amazing clients.
Web design for photography portfolios: 8 strategies
There is more to creating a photography portfolio than uploading images and providing a short bio. You need to set your website up so that your photographs’ value is maximized and your talent is showcased in the most impactful way possible.
Here are eight tips for achieving this goal:
1) Identify your ideal photography clients
Who are the people you are trying to attract through your photography? The more you understand about the kind of clients you want to land, the easier it will be to design a website that actually attracts them. Consider geographical location, budget, aesthetic, and other key demographic factors to ascertain who your ideal photography clients are.
Use what you discover to inform your design decisions and structure the website portfolio in a way that appeals to the people whose attention you seek to captivate.
2) Let your photography speak for itself
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Good copy is always necessary for a functional website, but as a photographer, it’s important to focus primarily on your visual work. This will help highlight your profession, skills, and overall aesthetic.
Select photos intentionally so that your work takes on as strong and professional an image as possible. Always add titles and specs, but don’t worry about cramming your site with too many text blocks that may only distract from the beauty of your photographs. That said, don’t forget to add alt text to your images. This makes your site more accessible and boosts your SEO.
3) Share what sets you apart as a photographer
Sharing your unique value proposition (UVP) is part of selling your work and demonstrating your professionalism as a photographer.
Having a clear UVP makes it easier for potential clients to see you as a singular, unique artist rather than one of the masses. This boosts the credibility of your work and highlights your portfolio in a more substantial and believable way. It also helps to establish you in your niche and ensure your web presence reflects this.
4) Shed some light on testimonials
Testimonials are one of the best tools you can use to improve the credibility and quality of your portfolio. For people who have not yet been converted into customers, the personal opinions of previous clients are what they will turn to for reassurance that you are worth hiring.
The more shoots you do, the more testimonials you can collect. Most clients will have no problem offering some feedback after a shoot or commission, especially if the experience is positive.
Design your website portfolio in such a way that there is space for testimonials and that they are easy to find, effortless to read, and, most importantly, shed positive light on your work.
5) Use an image-friendly host platform
The hosting platform you use to design and manage your photography portfolio can make a huge difference in the quality and representation of your work. It can also influence your website’s navigation and be a deciding factor in how easily clients scroll through it.
There are many different website hosting platforms, but not all are optimized for images. If you’re unsure whether the site you use or plan to use in the future is a good fit for a photograph-focused portfolio site, confer with a web design professional for guidance.
6) Optimize your portfolio for mobile browsing
Nowadays, the vast majority of online users access online portfolios and websites via their smartphones, not their desktops.
A great photography portfolio site should accommodate both. This is especially true when it comes to the structure of your photographic slideshows and layouts, both of which play critical roles in your site’s browsing experience. Additionally, you must ensure that your images load quickly and your site doesn’t lag. Quality image resolution is important, but your bounce rate will skyrocket if your site takes forever to load.
7) Gather inspiration from your peers
Designing a website that highlights your photography portfolio can take a while, but it’s better that way—you’ll have more time to learn about what you want it to look like.
Before you design or oversee the creation of your photography portfolio, pause and do some creative digging. Use image-focused sites and other portfolio examples to inspire you and help you understand what kind of portfolio you want to create.
The process of gathering inspiration can help you see things from new perspectives and discover fresh new ways of highlighting your photography that you might not have known before.
8) Hire a professional website designer
When it comes to website and online portfolio design, it is always best to go with a pro. As a photographer, you know exactly which images you’d like to showcase as your best work, but you might not understand the nuances or technicalities of inserting them on a website.
By hiring a professional website designer, you can not only be relieved of the responsibility of crafting a site portfolio from scratch, but you can also create one that is as professional, comprehensive, and visually impactful as possible.
Wrapping up
A website portfolio is an effective tool for exhibiting your photographs online and reaching an audience that really responds to your work. Knowing how to highlight your portfolio and refine it not only takes time but is also an ongoing process.
Learning these strategies and hiring a professional website designer to implement them is one of the best ways to get your photography out there and make the most of your web portfolio.