Create Gorgeous Photo Websites Quickly and Easily

Choosing a photography portfolio website 

What do you do with your photos?  Are they just left on your camera or phone?
Ever thought about having your own website to showcase your favourites?

This article will help if you are looking for a way of presenting and sharing your photos online in a simple to set up and easy to manage way.

The thought of setting up my own photography website has been growing for a few years.  Some early attempts were made but I didn't really get them to look the way I had imagined and I soon became disillusioned.  I have had advice offered from family and friends and eventually did some searching around for a way to dip my toe in the water without committing to a large outlay in the beginning.

I discovered that there is plenty of help available from people who have set up their own sites and are now promoting their services to help others.  Some of this advice is quite technical and you need to become familiar with terminology like hosting and platform, wordpress, content management system, HTML and CSS etc.  In writing my blog I already have an element of understanding, and I do work in IT but I have struggled a bit to do some of the formatting I wanted.  Blogger is simple to use but occasionally doesn't place images and text in the places I expect.

I realised that I need to use a simple set up that can present my photographs in galleries in a way that I would find easy to update. I also need the website to look good on different computers and on mobile phones and tablets (otherwise known as 'responsive'). A simple drag and drop approach to the design is important.

My portfolio website

I looked at a number of companies who provide a quick and easy website solution.  I specifically want to be able to showcase my photography so the ability to have galleries is essential. I also want to be able to offer a selection of photographs for sale as prints, so a store feature with a link to a UK company for printing is also important to me. I do not (yet) have my own domain name so needed a company who could provide this too.

My search narrowed to the following providers, all of whom would meet my needs:

• SmugMug
• Photodeck
• Squarespace
• Format
• Zenfolio
• Wix

The main things I explored were the costs, any limits on uploads, having a responsive design, any limits on image size, ease of personalisation, watermarking on images, an online store and links to UK printers. Each of these companies offer different levels of website, so you can start with a simple, basic and (sometimes) free site then upgrade for more advanced features later on. All of these platforms offer a free trial (14 days) or a free site option (that will include some advertising). Also, with all of these platforms if you pay an annual fee it works out cheaper than paying monthly.

I will put the links to each platform at the bottom of this article.  A couple of these providers are offering special prices if you click through to them from the links below and in return I may be paid a very small commission.

Contact page

Lets take a look at each one:

SmugMug

If you have used Flickr to upload and share your photos you already know about the community of  photographers out there. Flickr was the first, and is the best known, photo sharing service on the internet.  SmugMug acquired Flickr in April and says it will continue to maintain it as a seperate entity while updating its technology.  SmugMug offers four levels of website (Basic, Power, Portfolio and Business) these vary in price from $3.99 to $29.99 per month.  For a non-business user the Basic level is fantastic, providing a huge list of features at a low cost.  It has unlimited storage, great photo galleries with 6 layout styles to chose from in Basic, the ability to share images and galleries with friends and print out images, photo books and cards.

Custom watermarks and an online shop with UK print fulfillment is limited to the two higher levels of plan.

Photodeck

Photodeck also offers different levels of plan (Folio, Pro and Studio), ranging from £8 to £38 per month. There are 10 layout designs to choose from and they all look very professional and they are known for speedy performance. Photodeck is aimed at photographers and filmmakers and has secure client proofing and e-commerce. You can sell downloads directly from the site and the two higher level plans have a link with a UK printing company.  If you are into stock photography this is the one to chose as you can license your images directly without a middleman taking a cut.

Squarespace

With Squarespace you can easily create a professional website, portfolio or online store.  It is not specifically aimed at photographers but still provides unlimited uploads.  There are over 90 different website templates to select from, and they all look super.  You can  filter the designs by type of website and the Photography website filter brings up a selection of 11 designs. Previews are available for each design to make it easier to choose. There are 2 plans for websites, Personal (£10/m) and Business(£15/m) and 2 more plans that include e-commerce stores (Basic and Advanced).  Because Squarespace is multi-purpose the little extras that photographers need are not built in, such as a link to a UK printer and watermarking.

Format

Creative professionals use Format, with 11 themes to choose from these are aimed at artists, designers, photographers, illustrators and models. Every design can include an online store and this starts with up to 3 products (such as physical product, digital product, service) for the Enthusiast plan ($6/m). Two other levels are Pro($12/m) and Unlimited($25/m).  There is no link to a UK printer or watermarking as standard. However, if you are in the position of arranging or making your own prints this would provide a great web presence.

Zenfolio

The Zenfolio platform is definitely aimed at photographers with unlimited photo and video uploads.  There are 12 modern gallery designs to choose from to showcase your photographs. All galleries are available for selling with a built in shopping cart in Pro and Advanced levels, including watermarking and a UK printer.  The Starter level, at £5 per month, allows you to order your own prints but if you want to sell prints then levels Pro (£16) or Advanced (£25) are required.

Wix

With over 500 mobile-friendly templates, Wix has something for any type of business. Although it doesn't specialise in photography websites Wix has five specific apps for photographers that can be added to any of the templates.  These are Pro Gallery, Photo Albums, Art Store, Instagram Feed and Right Click Protect. Prices are from the simplest Connect Your Own Domain at £2.55/m, a Combo level for personal use at £5.15/m, Unlimited for entrepreneurs and freelancers at £7.76/m, eCommerce level for small businesses (£10.10/m) and a VIP level at £15.57/m. However if you don't mind the banner and footer showing Wix advertising you can have the website for free.

Links and offers

SmugMug:  link here to start your free SmugMug 14-day trial today, and save 15% on a subscription



Photodeck: https://www.photodeck.com/ no special offers but 14 day free trial is available.

Squarespace: https://www.squarespace.com/ again no special offer but 14 day free trail is available.

Format: https://www.format.com/ try for 14 days for free

Zenfolio: https://en.zenfolio.com/uk/signup no special offer but try it free for 14 days.

Wix: click here for a free website 

If you want to know which one I chose take a look here and let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks.

My reasons : It was very easy to set up, includes galleries, watermarking, printing in the UK, it has an art store and has an instagram link too!  Plus I'm trying it out on a free site to see how things go.  Hope you like it.  Thank you Wix. 

Which one will you choose?  Let me know how you get on.

Thanks.