Having a website is absolutely necessary for photographers, since it is the basis for marketing any endeavor. It is a great way to present your portfolio of work to potential customers.
Let’s look at some of the best website builders for photographers.
Shopify
Admittedly, Shopify was not created for photographers per se, but the platform was created to help business people create an online store and sell from it. Shopify is one of the foremost e-commerce platforms in the industry, so if you want to turn your photography into a source of income, you can’t do better than Shopify.
Shopify allows users to create a portfolio to showcase their work and then takes things a step further with its many sales and marketing features.
With Shopify, you can sell online, in person, and across channels. Shopify has an excellent checkout, multiple payment options, and world-class shipping solutions.
For marketing purposes, Shopify has a range of SEO tools, social media integration, email marketing campaigns, and analytics.
Squarespace
Squarespace is the go-to solution for many photographers. Squarespace markets itself as the website builder for creatives and as such, it really provides the most beautiful and elegant templates out there.
In photography, the design and look of a website are important and Squarespace delivers on that point. It has 41 templates developed specifically with photographers in mind.
Squarespace has a drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to build a website. Squarespace makes it even easier for anyone with popups that appear all along the design process. You can have a blog on your website and sell from it.
Squarespace is one of the more expensive website builders, so it might not be for you if you are on a budget.
SmugMug
SmugMug is an outstanding solution for photographers. This website builder was developed specifically for photographers and their needs.
SmugMug has specific features useful to photographers.
- A quick and easy way to showcase and sell images
- Cloud storage that allows unlimited photo uploads
- The ability to upload a photo library with Lightroom
- Watermarking images for protection
- A printing service so buyers can order images directly from the website
- Password-protected galleries
- The ability to disable right-click on images
Format
Format is a website builder specifically for photographers, offering a whole range of features to make it easy to display photographs and sell them.
- Create password-protected albums for clients
- Watermarking
- Uploading directly from Lightroom and Capture One
- Disable right-click on images so they can’t be copied
Format enables the addition of an online store so you can sell prints, photo books, Photoshop actions, and Lightroom presets to your website visitors.
Format is not the easiest to set up, but it’s also not that difficult. If you want a professional website to display your photos, it’s worth putting in a bit of effort to set up Format.
GoDaddy
GoDaddy is a solution for photographers on a budget. GoDaddy is cheaper than many website builders, but it is beginner-friendly and incorporates Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI), which makes building a website effortless.
You simply tell the technology that you want a website for photography, and it uses one of the thousands of templates to choose from to create a website in minutes. On top of that, it integrates e-commerce functionality to turn the website into a store.
Many templates are suited to a photography portfolio, however, you won’t be able to store many photos.
To get started, GoDaddy is a good option.
Wix
Wix is not specifically for photographers, but if you are on a budget and you want a quick and easy website, Wix is the answer.
Wix has many stunning templates, some of which are ideal for photographers. Many wedding photographers and photojournalists use a Wix website to display their work.
Wix markets itself as a website builder for beginners, so you won’t have any problems creating a website for your photos. Plus, you can use third-party apps to customize your site to look and function exactly as you want.
And Wix now has an even easier way to build a website.
You can use Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) to do everything for you. You simply answer a few questions and Wix ADI does the rest. Admittedly, it will be a basic website and you will have to accept what it looks like and what it can do. It’s a bit limited, but it’s done quickly.
Weebly
Weebly is also a simple website builder like Wix that works with a drag-and-drop editor. So, if you are a creative and not tech-savvy, Weebly will help you to build a website where you can display and sell your images.
Weebly is a popular option for photographers because it’s cloud-based, so it offers unlimited storage space. In addition, the Weebly App Center has an extensive choice of apps to customize your website and optimize its functionality.
However, these capabilities are only available on the premium plans, which may not be affordable for some photographers.
Why Photographers Should Have a Website
Create an online portfolio of your photography
The right website has all the high-quality requirements to display a professional portfolio.
A website allows professional photographers to present themselves and display their work in a way that they see fit with unique galleries that optimally display their work.
A website is a convenient place to display images for viewing and selling. You have complete control over how your images are displayed and arranged so customers and prospects can view your entire portfolio.
Make money from your photography
There are several ways to make money from a photography website. You can sell your photos on your website — some stunning websites display images that they sell through monthly subscriptions.
You can sell your images as prints, and do stock photography through your website. While this can be done through your website, keep in mind that it takes time and dedication for it to pay off financially.
Other ways to earn money are to write and sell e-books and develop video courses about photography. Video courses are very popular.
Make sure prospects know how to reach out to you
A website is a way to tell the world about you and your work, but people can only find you and your website if your website is optimized for SEO.
A well-optimized website will rank high on Google or other search engines for the most important keywords for your photography business.
SEO is complicated, so take your time to understand how to choose your keywords to rank high on Google. You can’t expect to choose your keywords and wait for Google traffic to notice you — you’re competing with others for the right keywords.
Boost marketing efforts
A website can help you to create a presence. Your website is where prospects and clients can learn about you and your photography.
Your website, if you know how to make use of the website builder’s marketing features, can help establish your photography business as a going concern, and convey a sense of professionalism.
A website it a great opportunity to showcase your work and market yourself.
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The Best Way to Start a Photography Business
Find a niche that suits your needs
Should you do landscape photography, portraits, kids & families, travel, fashion, weddings, new-born, fine art, or news? Then there’s architecture, and new technologies; food and sports. The list is endless.
You have to find a way to narrow down and find your particular field of interest. It should be one that engages you and that you show a talent for.
It’s normal to shoot in more than one niche, but you will hone your skills better if you focus on only one. Finding the right niche is one of the biggest challenges for some photographers. For others, it’s clear from the beginning what they are going to do.
It’s important to find your niche because it will allow you to focus on what to shoot and the more you do that, the better you will become, until you can call yourself an expert.
Look for ways to sell photography
If you want to run your own photography business, you must determine how you are going to make your money. Here are a few ideas:
- Sell your photos online through a third-party seller. They will do everything for you. They will process the orders, print and send out the prints. They will put a markup on the product and pay you a commission.
- Do wedding photography. This is a route that many photographers choose. You can make a lot of money as a wedding photographer, but it’s extremely stressful because you are responsible for recording the most important day in a couple’s lives.
- License your photos on Flickr through Getty Images. When visitors to these sites see your photos and want to use them, they have to pay to do so.
- Sell your photos online by submitting them to stock photography sites. Visitors to the site buy the license to use the image, not the image itself if they want to use the image. Selling licenses to use your photos is a good way to make repeat money from images.
- Sell your photos at galleries. You can hold an exhibition of your best photographs and sell them at the exhibition.
- Teach photography. This can be a part-time enterprise. You can develop a course and teach it one on one or in groups. Many people still love learning from an expert in person, rather than doing a course online.
- Enter competitions. Even if you don’t win any prize money, the competition will force you to hone your skills, and you will get your work out there, which eventually can lead to a shooting contract and income.
Get the tools & software you need for shooting
Photography is an occupation that requires a lot of quality equipment in order to produce quality photographs. Your images can only be as good as your eye and the quality of the equipment you use to capture what your eye observes.
Here’s a list of the basic equipment you will need to start a photography business.
- The best camera you can afford.
- A high-quality backup camera.
- A variety of lenses.
- Tripod
- Lighting equipment or reflectors
- Computer and editing software
- External Hard Drive
- Smartphone with a quality camera for promotional content on social media
Shoot stunning photographs
To be able to take stunning photographs is not something you learn in a day or two. You need to master the basics of composition, the rule of thirds, focus, framing a shot, focal point, adding depth, and much, much more.
The best is to do a course, learn from an expert and practice, practice, practice.
Create a website for photography
Any business must have a website these days. You won’t be taken seriously as a professional photographer if potential clients can’t find you online via your website. A website is almost the basis for a successful business these days.
A website will introduce you and your work to thousands of internet users. Make sure you choose a website builder with great SEO features so you can optimize your website for search engines.
A website will also be a place to display and store your images. Choose a website builder that is hosted in the cloud so you have access to unlimited storage.
FAQs
Do photographers need a website?
Yes, they do. A website allows you to showcase your work and market yourself and your work to potential buyers. A website shows that you are a professional and serious about doing business.
Is it hard to build a website for photographers?
No, it’s not. There are many website builders for beginners that make it easy to build a website.
Can I sell stock photos through my website?
Yes, you can. Quite a few professional photographers sell their own stock photos through their websites.
Conclusion
Any photographer who is serious about making money from their photographs should have a website to promote themselves and their work.
A website is the ideal place to host your portfolio of work and to market yourself as a professional photographer.
Don’t worry if you are not a graphic designer. That does not mean you can’t create your own website. Investigate the website builders we mentioned in this article and choose one to create your own online home for your photographic work.
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