If you’re a professional photographer, then you know that having an online portfolio is a must. A photography portfolio website is the best way to showcase your work to potential clients, and it’s also a great way to sell your photography services.
In this article, I will discuss in detail the essential elements that need to be present on a photography portfolio website.
You will learn the exact elements that you need to include in your photography portfolio website to boost your photography sales. So if you’re ready, let’s get started!
What Should a Photography Portfolio Website Have?
1. Hero Section With a Clear Unique Selling Proposition
When someone lands on your photography website, you only have a few seconds to make a good impression. That’s why it’s important to have a strong hero section (the area under your logo and menu) that immediately grabs the visitor’s attention and tells them what your photography business is all about and what makes you different from other photographers.
Your Hero Section Should Include
- A clear headline that tells the visitor what you do (ex. “Commercial Product Photographer for Skincare, Beauty and Lifestyle Brands”, “Award-Winning London Wedding Photographer”, “Asian Wedding Photography London, Birmingham & Leicester”).
- A unique selling proposition that sets you apart from other photographers (ex. “I specialize in candid, natural wedding photography”, “I have a background in digital marketing and sales, which I utilize in my photography work to create product photos that not only look great but also increase conversions and sales for my clients”).
- A strong visual (preferably a photo or video) that catches the eye and pulls the visitor to the website.
- A call to action (CTA) that tells the visitor what you want them to do next, such as “view my portfolio”, “view pricing”, or “contact me”.
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3 Examples of an Effective Hero Section
What Makes This Hero Section Great?
- It has a very clear and catchy heading “Wedding Photography for Modern Couples in London”.
- The photo of the bride and groom perfectly encapsulates what the heading is trying to convey.
- Arrows pointing to the left and right at the bottom of the screen make you want to explore more work from this photographer.
Related reading: Why 90% of Photography Portfolios Fail to Attract New Clients
What Makes This Hero Section Great?
- This product photographer’s core area of expertise is immediately clear from the main heading: “Commercial product photography for skincare, beauty and lifestyle brands”.
- A beautifully animated photo slideshow immediately shows the level of expertise and makes you want to see more work from this product photographer.
- The navigation menu is simple and easy to use.
What Makes This Hero Section Great?
- Creative and clear heading with powerful words
- Beautifully animated background video showcasing the behind-the-scenes process
- Clear call-to-action button right in the center of the screen
- Beautiful typography
2. About me section
An about me section is one of the most important elements of a photography portfolio website, as it’s your chance to connect with your potential clients on a personal level and give them a behind-the-scenes look at who you are as a photographer.
About Me Section Should Include
- A well-written introduction to who you are as a photographer and where you are based.
- Your photography experience (list of well-known clients who you worked with, awards or recognitions, unique photo experiences).
- Your USP (unique selling proposition). In other words, what makes you different from other photographers? For example, you may have experience in social media marketing and can offer your clients not only product photography photoshoots, but also social media services. Or maybe you are a wedding photographer, who can also shoot beautiful and memorable videos.
- A professional headshot of you as well as any other relevant photos that help tell your story (e.g., photos of you in action, candid shots with clients, etc.). If you want to go the extra mile, hire a professional videographer and shoot an introductory video about yourself and your services. Here’s an excellent example of an introductory video from Alina Kareva, a product photographer from Latvia:
- Links to your social media channels so visitors can connect with you on a personal level and see more of your photography work.
- Call-to-action (CTA) – I can’t stress enough how important it is to include call-to-actions on your website to convert website visitors into clients. For example, at the end of your photography bio, you could include a simple call-to-action: “Let’s discuss your project”, “Get in touch”, or “View my portfolio”.
3 Examples of a Great About Me Section
What Makes This About Me Section Great?
- The striking headshot captures your attention right away and introduces you to the person behind the lens.
- The modern design layout of this About Me section with bold typography makes this section look interesting and captures visitors’ attention.
- Haylies’ website features a call-to-action that reads “Get to know me,” which takes users to an About Me page with more detailed information about her, her approach, and past clients.
What Makes This About Me Section Great?
- The beautiful design layout and matching colors make this About Me section look professional and unique.
- Her cheerful countenance and casual clothing help visitors to better grasp her personality and connect with her on a more personal level.
- Heather’s about me section is much more than just a summary of her accomplishments. By writing in an informal and humorous style, Heather allows readers to catch a glimpse into her personality. This makes it easier for potential clients to understand who she is and what working with her would be like.
- The “Get to know me” button on Heather’s homepage leads potential clients to a page where she tells her story and provides more insight into her work as a photographer.
What Makes This About Me Section Great?
- An introductory video shows Alina in action, which immediately builds trust and confidence in her product photography services.
- Alina’s USP is highlighted right away – she offers not only product photography services but also mentions that she has a background in marketing and sales that helps her create product photos that not only look great but also boost sales for her clients.
- Social media and contact details are highlighted on the right side to make it easier for website visitors to get in touch with her and book her product photography services.
3. Your Photography Portfolio
Your photography portfolio is the most important element of your website because it’s what sells your photography services. That’s why it’s essential to only showcase your very best work and make sure that your photos are well-organized and easy to navigate.
Some Things to Keep In Mind When Creating Your Photography Portfolio
- Use high-quality images that are large enough to be viewed on a large monitor. The last thing you want is for your photos to look pixelated or fuzzy when viewed on a retina display. However, you also need to remember about image optimization to make sure your website loads fast enough as it is one of the major search engine optimization (SEO) factors. I recommend you keep your photo sizes no more than 500 KB (kilobytes) each. Below you will a list of online services that will help you optimize your photos.
- Use a simple and clean design layout for your portfolio so that nothing takes away from your stunning photos.
- Organize your photos into categories or galleries so that visitors can easily find the type of photos they’re looking for. For example, if you’re a wedding photographer, you could have a gallery for engagement photos, wedding ceremony photos, and reception photos. If you are a product photographer, you could divide your portfolio into product categories, such as beauty products, accessories, watches, apparel, jewelry, home items, fragrances, shoes, etc.
- Include alt tags for your photos. An alt tag, also known as “alt attribute” and “alt description,” is an HTML attribute applied to image tags to provide a text alternative for search engines. This will improve your search engine optimization (SEO) and help you rank higher on Google.
How to Optimize Your Photos for the Web
You can use online image optimization services to quickly optimize your photos and reduce their file size for faster website loading times. Here are four services that will help you optimize your photos:
Examples of a Great Photography Portfolio Section on a Website
What Makes This Wedding Photography Portfolio Great?
- Helena’s wedding portfolio is divided into albums showing a large number of different weddings in different locations and styles. This shows that Helena is a professional photographer with a lot of experience in wedding photography and increases trust and confidence that she will be able to deliver great results. Her wedding photography portfolio also gives potential clients ideas for her work and helps them pick the type of wedding photography they desire.
- Helena’s wedding portfolio is designed for easy navigation.
- Each wedding album is supplemented with accompanying text about the wedding including details of other companies that were involved in the organization of the wedding. This not only captures readers’ attention but also provides additional value to her potential clients.
What Makes This Product Photography Portfolio Great?
- Halie’s product photography portfolio is divided into categories, such as watches, cosmetics, home goods, fragrances, jewelry, etc. With this, she’s able to provide consumers with a quick and easy method of finding the products they’re looking for. Each of her categories has its own dedicated page with a unique URL handle (ex. /cosmetics-portfolio, /watches-portfolio, etc.). This is excellent for her website’s SEO, and it’s especially beneficial if she decides to run Google or Facebook advertising because she will be able to obtain visitors to the proper page, resulting in a boost in conversions.
- All of her product portfolio website’s photographs are optimized for faster load times and SEO success.
- Her product photography portfolio’s layout allows her to mix vertical and horizontal photos for a more aesthetically appealing browse.
4. Your Photography Price List
Your photography pricing should be included on your website so that potential clients can easily see how much your services cost. This will help to ensure that you are attracting the right kind of clients who are willing and able to pay your rates.
There are a few different ways that you can present your pricing on your website. For example, you could have a simple list of your photography services and prices, or you could create a detailed pricing guide that outlines all of the different factors that affect your photography rates.
Related reading: How Much to Charge for Product Photography? (Calculator)
If you don’t want to post your photography rates on your portfolio website, that’s okay! Just explain that every photo shoot is different, and offer a contact form where potential clients can fill out the desired details of their photo shoot. In doing so, you can put together a custom quote for what they’re looking for.
5. Client Testimonials
One of the most important elements that should be included on your photography portfolio website is client testimonials. These are reviews and comments from previous clients that attest to your skills as a photographer and the quality of your work.
Including testimonials on your website will help to increase trust and confidence in potential clients, which could result in more bookings and sales. If you don’t have any testimonials yet, reach out to some of your previous clients and ask if they would be willing to write a review for you.
Pro tip: Ask your clients to record a short video testimonial about their experience with you on an iPhone (or any other mobile device). Video testimonials are far more effective in generating trust than written reviews and testimonials.
6. Your Clients Logos or “As Seen In” Publications
If you’ve worked with big brands or well-known companies, make sure to showcase their logos on your photography portfolio website. This will help build trust and confidence in your photography services.
From my personal experience in digital marketing and conversion rate optimization, I’ve seen really good results when the clients’ logos were placed directly after the hero section (the first screen people see when they enter your website).
Alternatively, you can create a separate section with clients’ logos and place it somewhere on your homepage but try to pick a place where people will see it because if you will place it right at the bottom of your homepage, there’s a good chance that a lot of visitors won’t see it.
How to Display Your Clients’ Logos Prominently on Your Website
Pro tip: If you have been featured in any well-known magazines or websites, make sure to include this information on your website!
7. Contact Form
You need to include a contact form on your photography portfolio website. This will give potential clients an easy way to get in touch with you so that they can inquire about your services or book a photo shoot.
When creating your contact form, be sure to include all of the relevant fields that potential clients will need to fill out, such as their name, email address, phone number, and any other relevant information (ex. date of the wedding, number of photos, Instagram account, etc). You may also want to consider including a file upload field so that potential clients can attach image references or other files when they contact you.
Make sure to also include your contact details such as phone number and email address below or somewhere near your contact form, because some clients may prefer to get in touch over the phone instead of filling in contact forms. The more options you will provide your potential clients to get in touch with you, the better.
8. FAQ Section
An FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section can be really useful in answering common questions that potential clients may have about your photography services. This will help to increase transparency and build trust with potential clients, which could lead to more sales.
Some Questions You May Want to Consider Including in Your FAQ Section Are
- How much do you charge for your photography services?
- What is included in your photography package?
- Do you travel for photo shoots? If so, how much do you charge for travel expenses?
- How long does it take to receive the photos after the photo shoot?
- Do you offer discounts for large orders or multiple bookings?
If you’re not sure what questions to include in your FAQ section, reach out to some of your previous clients and ask them what questions they had before booking your services. You may also look at other photographers’ websites to see what sorts of questions they answer in their FAQ section, and if they don’t have one, you might still get ideas from the content on their sites.
9. Blog
If you want to sell photography services, one of the most important things you can do is have a blog on your photography portfolio website. It will allow you to generate a constant stream of organic (free) traffic to your website without having to invest into paid advertising. Plus, it gives you an opportunity to showcase your photography skills and build up a rapport with potential clients.
Related reading: Ultimate Guide on How To Get Product Photography Clients
Some Ideas for Topics You Could Write About on Your Photography Blog
- How to Enjoy Your Photoshoot When You’re Camera Shy
- 6 Photos Every Parent Needs of Their Child
- How to Keep Children Entertained at Your Wedding
- The Instagram Strategy You Need In 2022
- 7 Factors To Consider When Choosing Product Photographer
10. Lead Magnet
If you want to generate leads from your photography portfolio website, then you need to offer a lead magnet. A lead magnet is a freebie that you offer in exchange for someone’s contact information (usually an email address).
Your lead magnet should be something that would be valuable to your target audience and something that relates to your photography business. For example, if you’re a wedding photographer, then your lead magnet could be a PDF guide on how to choose the best wedding photographer for your big day.
Here Are 3 Great Examples of Lead Magnets for Photography Portfolio Website
6 Ideas for Photography Lead Generation Magnet
- A comprehensive guide to lesser-known photography locations in your city that are beautiful and perfect for any photo shoot, especially outdoor portraiture with couples, families or children.
- Clothing instructions for portrait photography. You may create a simple guideline with suggestions on what sort of clothing to wear in various situations, such as “What men should wear for a business headshot.”
- Create a simple PDF checklist of the items that are essential to bring with you for a wedding photo session.
- How to increase e-commerce conversion rates with product photos: a guide that provides real examples for categories like cosmetics, home decor, watches, jewelry, etc.
- A guide on how to use product photos on social media for increased exposure (Best time to post photos on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest; Suitable hashtags to increase engagement; Catchy photo captions, etc.)
- Case study of how one of your clients has significantly increased their e-commerce sales with the product photos you took for them.
Conclusion
These are the nine essential elements that you need to include on your photography portfolio website if you want to boost sales and grow your photography business.
Just to recap, here are the nine essential elements that you need to have on your photography portfolio website to sell your photography services:
- Hero section with a clear and unique selling proposition
- About me section
- Photography portfolio
- Price list
- Client testimonials
- Client logos (if you worked with companies)
- Contact form
- FAQ section
- Blog
- Lead magnet
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