Photographer website: from portfolio to booking

Choose a clear specialism on your website

A site that shows weddings, products, dogs, property and portraits all at once makes things hard for a visitor. A couple getting married wants a wedding photographer. A marketing manager is looking for a corporate photographer. So choose one or two main directions and build your site around them.

• Put your specialism in the first sentence of your homepage, with your region.
• Do you do several kinds of work? Give each its own page with its own portfolio and prices.
• Use the words your clients use, such as 'wedding photographer' or 'business headshots'.

What should a photographer website include?

• A portfolio with your strongest work, per type of assignment.
• An about-me page with a photo of you and how you work on a shoot.
• Your packages and prices, or at least starting prices.
• How an assignment runs: introduction, shoot, selection, delivery.
• Client experiences, with their permission.
• A contact form that asks for date, location and type of assignment.
• A link to your Instagram, but not as a replacement for your portfolio.

The contact form deserves special attention. Ask for the date, the location, the type of assignment and how the client found you. For weddings the date matters most: let the client fill that in first. That way you see straight away whether you are available and can reply quickly and personally. Speed counts, because many people email several photographers at once.

A portfolio that convinces clients

Less is often more. Twenty strong photos convince better than two hundred average ones. A client judges you on your weakest photo, not your best. So ask a colleague or happy client to help with your selection. What you see as a strong photo because you know how hard it was may not even stand out to an outsider.

• Choose your best photos per category and swap them regularly.
• For weddings or events, also show a complete story, so clients see what they will get.
• For a few projects, briefly tell the story: the brief, the location, the approach.
• Show work you want to do again. What you show is what you attract.
• Ask clients for permission before putting recognisable people online.

Making large photos load fast

Photographers' sites are often slow, precisely because of the photos. A visitor on a phone with a mediocre connection won't wait. Google also looks at speed, including whether the largest image is visible within 2.5 seconds.

• Never upload your original files. Have the site automatically create smaller versions for each screen size.
• Use modern formats such as WebP or AVIF. They are much smaller at the same quality.
• Only load photos below the fold when the visitor scrolls to them.
• Avoid heavy sliders and a full-width video at the top.

Read more about images on your site in photos on your website. Want to be found in Google Images too? Read our article on images and SEO. It explains, among other things, how to write good file names and alt text. Alt text is a short description of a photo that Google and screen readers use.

Presenting photography packages and prices

Many photographers leave prices out for fear of scaring clients away. But without any indication, people drop off or ask five photographers for a price. Clear packages actually attract clients who suit you.

• Create two or three packages, with number of hours, number of photos and delivery time.
• Say what isn't included, such as travel costs or an album.
• For business work, give a starting price per half day.
• Put a button under each package to check the date or book an appointment.

Delivering photos online in a client gallery

After the shoot, clients want to receive their photos in a pleasant way. A plain download link works, but a dedicated online gallery feels more professional. There the client can view photos, pick favourites, download and possibly order prints.

There are ready-made services for client galleries, with varying prices. Check the current price. A gallery built into your own website is also possible. That mainly makes sense if you have many clients or want your own way of working, such as a selection round or a link to your invoices. In every case, pay attention to privacy: photos of people are personal data under the GDPR (AVG in Dutch). Protect galleries with a password or unique link and don't keep them longer than necessary.

Getting found in Google as a photographer

• Create a page per specialism that includes your region, for example wedding photographer in North Holland.
• Complete your Google Business Profile and post work there regularly too.
• Ask clients for a review straight after delivering the photos.
• Now and then, write a blog post about a shoot at a well-known location. People often search by location.
• Work with venues and other businesses, such as wedding venues, that link to your site.

Read more about local visibility in our article on local SEO.

Having your photographer website built by Violexa

At Violexa a custom website starts from €1,799 excl. VAT (€2,177 incl. VAT) per project. That includes design, build, a design that works on every screen, basic SEO, Google Analytics, a CMS and training. You manage your portfolio yourself, and the site automatically creates the right sizes of your photos. A custom client gallery comes with a fixed price upfront. We work from Amsterdam for photographers all over the Netherlands.

Want to know what your photography business needs? Request a free quickscan. In 30 minutes, online or on location, we look at your situation together. Afterwards you get short written advice with a price indication, with no obligation.

Frequently asked questions