10 Best Sites for Photographers to Showcase Creative Work
The decreasing cost of digital cameras and increasing allure of self-employment among millennials and the younger generation has contributed to a rise in the number of creatives picking up cameras and venturing out as amateur photographers and hobbyists.
Many creatives are also pursuing careers as professional or commercial photographers, with some pro photographers freelancing as photojournalists and others running their own studios or working for companies as salaried employees.
Other commercial photographers have further customized their careers by choosing to specialize in a certain kind of photography, like fashion photographers, wildlife photographers, sports photographers, and wedding photographers.
While a career in photography can be a great choice, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that employment of self-employed photographers will grow 12% from 2016 to 2026, being a full-time photographer is not without its challenges.
Professional photography demands a lot of smart work, dedication, creativity, and a "good eye" for a picture, as well as a solid technical understanding of photography.
With so much detailing going into every image captured by a photographer, it is important to make sure your work is well showcased and appreciated. Thus, the need for the best photography websites or portfolio sites to showcase your work is great.
Like other creatives, photographers can showcase their work to the world on their own website or on any of the existing portfolio websites for photographers. A portfolio website for creatives makes sure all your photography work is compiled under a single resource for easy access for those who might be interested. This is crucial for driving more work opportunities and recognition.
If you are looking for popular websites for photographers where you can showcase your original photos and maybe even kickstart a career in photography, we’ve compiled a list of the best websites for photographers to showcase their creative work.
Best Photography Websites to Showcase Your Work
Here are some of the best photography websites and platforms that photographers can use to showcase their work:
1. 500px
The 500px platform is touted to be the global network of photographers. This customizable portfolio-building tool does not only let photographers showcase their work, but is also a source of great inspiration for diverse photography styles and genres.
Photographers can even list their photos on the website for sale and make good money for their work. This is one of the best websites for pro photographers as well as mobile photographers who are looking to take their photography to the next level.
With over 15 million photographers coming together to be a part of this creative community, 500px is definitely a great site to try out for any photographer, especially if you are looking to gain global exposure, and get paid for your work and skills.
2. Adobe Portfolio
Are you are looking to create a standard online portfolio for all your photography work? If yes, then Adobe Portfolio is going to be a great platform match for you.
You can use the platform to build a single page portfolio of your photography work, as well as a full-fledged photography website portfolio for the same.
You can also use Adobe Portfolio to create a gallery of your work where you can upload your content directly and also have a contact page. This is a great tool to build a website portfolio of your work even if you don't know to code.
If you have a Creative Cloud subscription, you will be able to access Portfolio for free. If not, you can start using Portfolio and other services for as low as US$9.99 a month.
3. Imagely.com
Popularly known as the WordPress for photographers, Imagely.com certainly fulfills its moniker.
If you are looking to improve your web presence as a photographer while leveraging the premium themes, hosting, and plugins for WordPress, you are an ideal match for the services provided by Imagely.com. It has also been rapidly growing in popularity owing to its great features and ease of use.
Portfolios and photo galleries built with Imagely.com are content-rich and stunning. The platform offers intuitive and easy-to-use tools built for the ubiquitous WordPress platform to let the novice, as well as experienced photographers, build a great online portfolio or even a blog to showcase their work and skills.
4. Behance
If you would like to build a very neat yet graphically rich portfolio for your photography work, Behance should be your pick. Like they say, ‘every artist should use Behance’.
So, as a photographer, you can build your portfolio on Behance. This cloud-based platform also puts up photographers and other artists in a position where they can be easily picked up by talent agencies for lucrative work opportunities.
Photographers can set up a Behance portfolio and add a professional bio and web references. You can also easily link other social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, so your work gets comprehensive exposure with the amazing portfolio-building tools at Behance.
Clients can comment on your work and provide feedback on this photography website.
5. Photoshelter
If you are a photographer who means business, then you can effectively utilize Photoshelter to showcase your images, create your photography website, and sell or license your photos.
Building a great portfolio with Photoshelter is a breeze - very easy. You get to choose from several templates that you can further customize, without the need to code.
The platform lets you share high-resolution files of your work and even create private galleries. By getting on board with Photoshelter, you also get to use their built-in shopping cart, as well as their partnerships with major print labs to earn more.
6. Instagram
Instagram happens to be one of the most popular visual platform on the planet that is being harnessed by brands as well as individuals that are looking to promote their work or offerings.
As of this writing, Instagram has over 1 billion active monthly users. So, Instagram is a great website for photographers who are looking to get recognition and more work opportunities. The user base and potential audience on Instagram is so huge.
However, to find the best results on Instagram with photos, remember to leverage storytelling. Not only will this increase the power of your content and messaging, but it can also help with brand loyalty and recognition.
Photographers can showcase their work by using relevant and popular hashtags, and also get featured on popular photography cluster pages that can help them build and enhance their community recognition.
7. Wix
Wix is quite a popular website builder that is a big hit amongst the photography community. You can create a professional photography website or online portfolio with Wix in a jiffy.
If you want to start with a blank slate, Wix lets you employ its editor to experience total design freedom where you can explore unique ways to create a professional photography website or portfolio for your work from scratch.
By using Wix, you can display your high-quality images in a fully-customizable gallery. Hosting your site on Wix is also a great way to add more than just image content to your brand identity. It’s also great for text, explainer and walkthrough videos as well.
If you are looking to sell your photography work, you can also create an amazing storefront for your photography website or portfolio and earn as much as you can.
8. Squarespace
Squarespace is another one of the best websites that will help you create a professional photography website where you can showcase your amazing photo works.
Squarespace has many beautiful and ‘out of the box’ templates for photographers to use that offer flexibility in design and customization, and also let you put up a photography blog if you may like. Their customer care service is also up to the mark.
Squarespace lets you display your work with multiple presentations, including full-screen slideshows, lightbox, and more. Uploading high-resolution images is no issue with Squarespace when it comes to multi-device optimization.
The platform automatically creates perfectly cropped versions on your photography website for every device. It offers a free trial so that you can get to experience all its functionalities before you decide to put in your money for their subscription.
9. Zenfolio
Many photographers feel the need to create an online portfolio for their photography work because they are also looking to sell their photography.
If you are one such photographer, then Zenfolio is among the best websites for photographers that can be your ultimate, all-in-one e-commerce platform to showcase and sell your photography.
With Zenfolio, you will be able to set up a beautiful and modern photography website within minutes. All the templates Zenfolio makes available are search engine optimized so that your photography website and portfolios can find maximum visibility.
With the 14-day free trial, you'll get top-notch website building or setup features for your photography site and showcase portfolio. The Pro plan for Zenfolio ranges between $5-$30/month, based on the type of features that you might require.
10. SmugMug
Every photo captured by a photographer carries a vision and a story. SmugMug is among the best websites for photographers of all kinds to upload, showcase, protect, share, and sell their photos.
With SmugMug, photographers can save their photos to the Cloud using their secure cloud storage offering. Photographers can also build a great portfolio site and use their apps to get the word out about your work.
SmugMug also offers you the support and software for taking your client interactions to the next level. You can check out what they have to offer with their free, 14-day test run.
Best photography websites honorary mentions:
Best websites for photographers to build a portfolio honorary mentions:
In conclusion
If you are a photographer or an aspiring one who is ready to showcase your amazing work to the world, and also perhaps sell your photography to the people who would appreciate it, the above-mentioned platforms are some of the best websites for photographers and great places to start your photography journey.
Let us know if we missed a favorite portfolio website for photographers or any best photography websites and platforms in this list by dropping a comment on social media.
Catherrine Garcia is an experienced Web Developer at WPCodingDev and a passionate blogger. She loves to share her knowledge through her articles on web development related topics.
