Best Photography Portfolio Websites For Your Professional Activity

Online platforms have become the main space for positioning creativity, replacing traditional galleries and exhibitions. It is known that if you're not on the Internet, you don't exist. Both beginners and experienced professionals always look for ways to expand their audience and attract clients' attention to their work. Creating a professional online portfolio on websites is a great way to showcase your talents and seriousness. Many photography portfolio sites help build your brand and present it to a global audience.

But how to choose the right platform among the abundance of options, whether you're a beginner looking for simple tools or a professional ready for a more complex interface? Let's explore the features of the best portfolio websites for photographers that can discover or highlight your style.

7 Best Platforms for Photography Portfolio

A website is not simply a storage space for remarkable photos; it reflects professionalism and readiness for business proposals. When choosing a website to construct the best photography portfolio, don’t forget to define your goals and budget. Do you strive to create a community of like-minded individuals, sell your photos online, or find job opportunities for contracted work?

Dealing with various website builders might seem daunting at first. However, for most of them, technical skills are not required. What matters is the willingness to share your story with the world. Now, we present to you the most popular websites for portfolios:

1. Adobe Portfolio

Professionals widely use Adobe Portfolio, a well-known website builder provided as part of the Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom packages.

Adobe Portfolio allows you to create up to five websites with unlimited pages. A wide range of themes can be customized to suit your preferences. The integration with other Adobe Creative Cloud programs is highly convenient for the entire workflow of a photographer, from editing to publishing photos. Also, the Adobe Portfolio interface provides you with contact information via MailChimp and generates passwords for your pages to protect your work from competitors. However, Adobe Portfolio does not support selling your works online. It makes the site less competitive compared to other platforms.

Pricing

Access to this builder can be obtained by subscribing to Adobe. Adobe Creative Cloud offers various subscription plans for publishing your photos. For example, the Photography plan starts at $4.79 per month, including VAT. The price also varies depending on the cloud storage size (from 20 GB to 1 TB), also including VAT.

2. Behance 

Behance is one of the best free photography portfolio websites. It’s a simpler alternative to Adobe Portfolio. You can create your portfolio on this site without a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud.

This site does not focus on creating a portfolio. It is similar to a networking community where people post their photos, exchange comments, and stream live broadcasts.

Although the feature to sell works directly is not available on this platform, you still have the opportunity to track job listings and apply. This increases your chances of having an employer view your photo gallery. Behance also supports NFTs for selling photos in digital format.

If you are a beginner in photography, this platform can be a good starting point for positioning yourself and building your community.

3. Squarespace

Squarespace is in demand among professional photographers due to its high-quality templates, advanced design settings, and online selling capabilities, which set it apart from other platforms.

This platform offers stylish templates that can easily be customized by adding images, text blocks, and videos. It includes pages for your bio and contact information. Squarespace also provides email campaign tools for promoting your work in search engines, as well as analytics for e-commerce. At the same time, this platform doesn’t protect your content and has a complex interface for beginners.

Pricing

Squarespace offers a variety of pricing plans. For portfolios and blogs, the excellent option is the Personal Plan, which costs $16 per month. There are also more expensive plans ranging from $23 to $52 per month.

4. SmugMug

SmugMug is one of the best photo portfolio sites, specifically designed for professional photographers. It offers ample storage for their work and a more personalized approach to creativity.

The platform provides a variety of themes and templates adapted to different photography styles, helping photographers maintain their unique artistic touch. It also serves for photo sharing, storage, and selling through online stores, along with additional features such as SEO tools, watermarks, and photo printing services. The con of this site is difficult navigation.

Pricing

SmugMug has three pricing plans ranging from $25 to $45 per month, depending on the inclusion of selling and archiving features.

5. Photoshelter 

Photoshelter is styled to meet the needs of photographers, including selling and licensing photos.

This builder offers 9 templates for creating your site, allowing you to use various labs to sell your work through prints. The platform enables you to market discount coupons and service packages, as well as private galleries with time-limited access for clients. Unlike previous platforms, Photoshelter is poorly integrated with other platforms and also lacks SEO optimization.

Pricing

Photoshelter offers several pricing plans tailored for individual photographers or large companies.  Сosts range from $29.99 per month for the standard plan to $49.99 per month for the professional plan.  If this high tariff is out of reach for you, look for more affordable alternatives.

6. Zenfolio

Zenfolio is an excellent solution for photographers who want to create the best website for a photography portfolio. You can choose a design template and modify it to your style, as well as showcase your work in private galleries. 

Zenfolio can protect your files from plagiarism and allow you to sell your works in various formats. This site has its mobile app and Quick Shop button for one-click purchases. The slow customer support and lack of specific customization needs may make you look at other photo portfolio sites.

Pricing

Zenfolio proposes three subscription plans, with prices ranging from $7 to $40 per month.

7. Wix

Wix is an affordable website builder platform that is quite popular among photographers. Although Wix is not exclusively planned for photographers, it has all the necessary features to make a professional portfolio.

With this builder, you can adjust almost every element of your site, from colors and fonts to content. It is easy to use with drag-and-drop functionality on computer and mobile devices. The user of this website builder gets access to a marketplace for apps and the ability to create online stores. On the other hand, Wix is inappropriate for handling large volumes of content due to slow loading speeds, so it is not ideal for large-scale projects.

Pricing

You can choose the free plan with basic features, though it includes ads and requires using Wix branding. For more advanced functions, there are four plans (Light, Core, Business, and Business Elite) ranging from $9 to $48 per month.

Portfolio sites for photographers are a fundamental aspect of their professional development and recognition, which is why choosing the right platform should be done carefully, considering all the pros and cons.

Strategies for Effectively Showcasing Photography Work

A strong portfolio takes more than just selecting a platform. Here are some concise strategies to increase your portfolio's impact:

1. Organize your works for better navigation to simplify the perception of your photographs by viewers.

2. Tell stories through your photos. Storytelling is a powerful tool to make a lasting impression on viewers and keep them engaged with your images for a long time.

3. Don't forget to periodically update your works to maintain visibility and attract new viewers.

4. Use SEO tools. Due to this, employers can easily find you in search engines.

Show only your best works to emphasize your professional skills and avoid getting lost in the millions of mediocre photos. For this purpose, you can use high-quality artificial intelligence editors, such as Luminar Neo, to harmonize your photos and create a unified style atmosphere.

The Examples of the Best Photography Portfolio Websites

An online portfolio is a way to share your talent with the world and showcase the originality of your perspective. But it’s also an opportunity to get inspired by the work of other photographers and find new ideas for your photos. We invite you to explore some photography portfolio website examples that captivate your aesthetic soul.

1. Scott Snyder

The portfolio of American photographer Scott Snyder stands out with a large amount of space on the homepage, quality, minimalism, and clarity.

The homepage features his best object works, but there is also a “Work” page for the rest of his projects. Additionally, there is an “About Me” section and conveniently placed personal contact details. The photographer uses easily readable fonts. His portfolio is a great example of an elegant style.

2. Emily Gustafson Photography

Emily Gustafson's website is a great example of a client-facing portfolio. The photographer provides comprehensive information about herself as a specialist, necessary for clients: best photos (families, couples, portraits), contact details, and pricing. Emily's site also includes a FAQ section. Her website showcases professionalism and a focus on attracting clients.

3. Chris Zielecki

Chris Zieleck's website resembles the travel journals of a photographer who explores the essence of untouched nature. This gives his work a special atmosphere. The artist's portfolio includes a Shop Print section, where buyers can purchase calendars featuring his photographs.

4. Griffith Imaging

This website is like a magazine with vibrant, fresh lifestyle photographs. The visuals in soft, natural colors are easy on the eyes. The simple site navigation helps clients quickly find their way around the website.

5. This Wild Idea

Theron Humphrey came up with an engaging concept for his portfolio. His photographs capture the phenomenon of motion in all its forms. The website of the photographer provides quick access to main sections such as the portfolio and the shop for purchasing prints. The “About/Contact” section is visually separated from the main menu and is easy to notice.

6. Harold Feng Photography

Harold Feng introduces his audience to his work profile by featuring wedding photos with an animated transition on the homepage. In the portfolio section, customers can also choose photos for travel and events. The website also includes an informative blog and regular updates.

7. Jen Huang Bogan

This website has a minimalist design and layout. On the homepage, you can see beautiful full-sized photographs. The navigation menu placement on the left is convenient for site visitors.

The Bottom Line

An online portfolio is your 24/7 gallery, displaying your photos to the world. Exploring the features of popular websites will help you find the best platform for your photography portfolio. Combine this with strategic steps and advanced tools like Luminar Neo, and you'll be ready for success.

Let's find the ideal online platform for your photography portfolio!