Updated Sep 25,2024
Web Design

Top 12 Free Photography Portfolio Websites: Unlock Your Photography Potential

So, photographer, do you want to develop your professional portfolio? Well, it's not just nice to have; it is a must-have. A well-designed portfolio website is one sure way to woo prospective clients, but it is more than that. It is just good artistry on full display. You do understand that in the digital age, don't you? Having an amazing online presence is essential in building your brand and ultimately reaching a wider audience. 

So, what are some things to remember when building your portfolio? Luckily for you, there are many free photography portfolio websites that you could use to make a fantastic portfolio online without having to incur a single cost.

In this post, I'll introduce you to the 12 best free photography portfolio websites that will help unlock your photography potential and take your presence to the next level within the competitive world of photography.

No matter if you are a seasoned photographer or a complete novice, these platforms work hard to make sure that you have everything needed to show off your work smoothly and in a professional-looking manner, so let's get straight to seeing how these websites could help you make an online portfolio of your work that meets your style and talent.

Top 12 Free Photography Portfolio Websites

free photography portfolio websites

So, one has mastered photography and now wishes to share his photos? Well, the first step towards that is selecting the right website. It's rather essential to get noticed and build their brand. So, as part of this guide, let's briefly glimpse 12 free websites perfect for photographers. Cool templates and multiple ways to display your photos are some of the characteristics of these websites. Let's find the best place that will showcase your photography skills to the world!

Rank

Name

Rating [By Capterra]

#1WordPress4.6 out of 5
#2Squarespace4.6 out of 5
#3Wix4.4 out of 5
#4Weebly4.3 out of 5
#5SITE1234.4 out of 5
#6Strikingly4.3 out of 5
#7Jimdo4.2 out of 5
#8GoDaddy4.2 out of 5
#9Ucraft4.6 out of 5 [Less Reviewer]
#10Siter.ioNot Available
#11PageCloud4.7 out of 5 [Less reviewers]
#12Fabrik4.5 out of 5 [Less reviewer]

#1 WordPress

Since its launch, WordPress has been among the best and most intuitive platforms for exposing your snaps online. I have used WordPress for a long time, and, as an experienced photographer, I find that this platform works simply because of its versatility and easy access. Let us find out why WordPress is among the best options for creating a tremendous photographic portfolio for any photographer.

How to Get Started

You will do this in stages while creating a WordPress photography portfolio website. Now, let's start with the step-by-step guide on how to get started:

Step 1: Setting Up Your WordPress Website

Step 2: Choose and Install a Theme

Step 3: Install Essential Plugins

Step 4: Create Key Pages

Step 5: Add and Organize Your Content

Step 6: Optimizing Your Website

Step 7: Launch and Promote Your Portfolio

Themes and Templates

Again, this is one of the things I admire about WordPress.You can individualize it to such an extent. You do make your portfolio your own.

  • Divi by Elegant Themes: Highly customizable with a drag-and-drop builder, multiple premade layouts, and complete control over design.
  • Oshine: Multiple demo options, visual page builder, responsive design, and various portfolio styles.
  • Photo-Me: Specifically designed for photographers, multiple gallery and page layouts, responsive design.

Pros and Cons

Yes, WordPress is definitely a popular choice for creating photography portfolios. But along with lots of pros, it has some cons too:

Pros

Cons

Free Plan Available: start up free of cost.Limited customization on the free plan more is available with an upgrade to a premium plan.
Easy to set up and manage- User-Friendly.Ads on Free Plan: Paid plans remove ads.
Responsive Design: It looks great on any device.Storage Limits: Keep your image sizes in check and use cloud storage if needed.
Community Support: Tremendous resources and community support are available. 

#2 Squarespace

Certainly, Squarespace is all high-quality templates and elements. Newbies love it simply because there is nothing complicated—no fuss! If you just dare to ask a Squarespace user something about their drag-and-drop editor, he probably will start looking at you quite funny for even questioning it—it is that great! But honestly, it is fantastic. Besides, you receive AI design guidance! Isn't that incredible? A perfect feature for the present generation of AI, don't you think?

How to Get Started

To get started with Squarespace, follow these steps:

Step 1: First, visit the official website of Squarespace.

Step 2: Click on the "Get started" CTA button.

Step 3: They will ask about your website.

Step 4: It will give you multiple choices.

Step 5 These options can be explored, and your dream site can be created.

Themes and Templates

Some of the cool and impressive photography website themes and templates are listed below:

  • ARTHUR: Clean and simple theme for website and creative projects.
  • ÇIMEN: A sleek contemporary visual story—really immersive imagery of mind.
  • KEO is a versatile business and professional theme with highly custom layout designs and robust-based typography.
  • GILDEN: Brave, modern theme suitable for making a visual statement of products and services.
  • McCurry: An original and expressive theme created especially for photographers and visual artists; front-loaded with gallery displays.
  • RESEDA: A smooth and professional-looking theme, perfect for companies and offices, with neat, very manageable sections. It is responsive, clean, and attractive.
  • AUE SOBOL: Creative and dynamic theme featuring great grid-based, original design layouts for creative portfolios on any domain—great for a design studio.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

More than 110 templates, all responsive to any need.Some business tools could benefit from further development.
Free SSL Certificates for secure transactions are included in all plans.Page speed performance may be improved to get the much-needed speed load time.
Unlimited storage and bandwidth, non-stop expansion at no incremental cost.Additionally, low design flexibility may limit customization options.
Very user-friendly interface. Easy for a beginner to use. 

#3 Wix

Having gleaned some of the advantages of WordPress for photography portfolios, let's proceed to another remarkable platform: Wix. Once again, as a photographer and a user of both the platforms under discussion, I would suggest utilities on Wix, which have a different interface and, therefore, stand alone in creating vastly visually appealing portfolios. This is where Wix reigns supreme over the others with its drag-and-drop support and many customization options at the behest of photographers.

How to Get Started

Now, you want to start with Wix for a photography portfolio website. Well, that is a multi-step process. So, let us look at the detailed step-by-step guide to help you in the process:

Step 1: Sign Up to Wix

Step 2: Choose a template

Step 3: Customizing your Template

Step 4: Add Functionality

Step 5: Optimize for Mobile

Step 6: Deploying Your Website

Themes and Templates

There are some mind-blowing themes and templates of Wix for a photography portfolio:

  • Travel Photographer: Explore and enhance gallery functionality with the latest layouts and hover effects.
  • Fashion Photographer: Clean and minimalistic, focusing on issues of elegant photo presentation.
  • Landscape Photographer: A full-screen slider with a modern design and grid-based galleries.
  • Artist: Classic and sophisticated.
  • Urban: Photography It applies urban-inspired layouts, thus making it perfect for use with cityscape and street photographers. 
  • Infinite Scroll: Loads new images while scrolling, perfect for extensive portfolios.

Pros and Cons

To this end, Wix has much to offer photographers, but limitations exist. Herein lies my balanced opinion based on experience.

Pros

Cons

User-Friendly: No coding skills required.Free plan has limited storage upgrade to a premium plan and enjoy more storage space.
When it comes to visuals, templates are crafted in such a way as to give you additional impetus for your photography.Design Limitations: This may not be as flexible as other more advanced platforms, but there will never be a problem of not having enough choices.
All-Round Support: Customer service with a large amount of tutorials to provide.Data Portability: The decision to switch from Wix can be daunting primarily due to factors arising from the firm’s proprietary structures.
Inexpensive: Some user features are restricted to a paid version of the application plan, but at least there is a basic plan. 

#4 Weebly

Now, let's look at Weebly: It's a free site where one can build a portfolio of photographs. I tried many platforms for my use, but out of my experience, I feel Weebly is one of the most user-friendly and best of the lot. Let us now consider Weebly's critical features and benefits for any photographer who wishes his work to be displayed online.

How to Get Started

Creating a photography portfolio website with Weebly is easy and intuitive. Here's how to do it in a step-by-step manner:

Step 1: At first, you have to create an account and log in

Step 2: Create a New Site

Step 3: Select a Theme

Step 4: Personalize Your Portfolio

Step 5: Put Your Work into Pages and Add Navigation

Step 6: Settings and SEO Options

Step 7: Preview and Publish Your Site

Step 8: Maintain and Update Your Portfolio

Themes and Templates

Weebly has multiple themes and templates that can blend flawlessly with a photographic portfolio website, so here are some to be recommended:

  • Select the "JS Photography" theme, which will help you take a minimalist approach to make your shots stand out in elegant simplicity.
  • Another good theme is modus operandi. Here you will find it clean and modern.
  • Mandy miller would also make for a better choice.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Ease of Use: Drag-and-drop interface.Limited personalization on the free plan.
Professional themes are high-quality visually engaging themes.Stay within restrictions on the size of photos, or get more storage.
Features of Mobile Optimization: Make all your web pages mobile-friendly; now you can make responsive web designsSquare ads on the website, except on professional and higher plans.
Full Support: Tutorials and customer support. Potential pitfalls and how to avoid them. 

#5 SITE123

Here is “SITE123” an ideal service for a photography portfolio website. So easy to use, even for a doofus with no real experience in the tech arena. SITE123 shows good design—templates with the view of building the best way to showcase photos hosted on SITE123, so you get to strut your stuff and leave the tech operation behind. Plus, with enough room for custom tailoring to go with your style, of course, without turning to your inner coder.

How to Get Started

Here's a simple guide to get you going:

Step 1: Go to the SITE123 website.

Step 2: Select "Website" and specify your category as Photography.

Step 3: Enter your website name and a brief description.

Step 4: Create your SITE123 account.

Step 5: Access your dashboard.

Step 6: Choose a template and customize it.

Step 7: Upload your photos.

Step 8: Make your portfolio live.

These simplified steps should help you start quickly with SITE123 for your photography portfolio.

Themes and Templates

  • Cory Gallant: Stunning landscapes and vibrant cityscapes by Cory Gallant, capturing stories in vivid detail.
  • James Movies: Cinematic photography by james movies brings dramatic scenes to life through stunning visuals.
  • Portrait Photographer: Portraits that capture emotions and beauty with artistry and precision.
  • The Art of Street: Candid moments and urban energy, revealing stories of everyday life through Photography.
  • EW Photography: Diverse and creative photography celebrating life's moments and natural beauty.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

SITE123 allows users to create multilingual websites effortlessly.The free plan includes ads that impact site aesthetics.
It offers a free plan option, making it accessible for beginners.Limits customization options for layouts.
Designed to optimize websites for search engines.Offers a restricted selection of templates.
Accommodates different currencies and languages. 

#6 Strikingly

You know, that's what I did with Strikingly for my photographer portfolio website: "Easy and stunning"? I was like, yeah, right. But I started looking into it a little bit, and let me tell you about those ready-made templates they got for photographers. They're all the rage. They're super easy to customize, really-they'll let your photos shine up the stage.

Now, "amazing" is probably subjective. Still, there's no doubt that you can build a professional-looking portfolio with Strikingly and very fast, especially if this whole website is new to you.

How to Get Started

Here's a step-by-step process:

Step 1: Access the Strikingly homepage; navigate to the ''Get Started'' button.

Step 2: You have to register by inserting your first name, your email address, and the password you want.

Step 3: You can also use your Facebook account to sign up in a matter of seconds.

Step 4: Now, choose a website template from the number of offered templates.

Step 5: Customize your chosen template, editing the text, images, and layout.

Step 6: Add a gallery, blog, or contact form of your choice. Our task is almost complete. It's time to add some extra sections as needed.

Step 7 Preview your website. The preview shows you how your website looks on desktop and mobile.

Step 8: Once satisfied, publish your website with a free Strikingly domain.

Themes and Templates

Here are some of the best themes and templates of Strikingly for photography portfolio:

  • KAREN LO PORTFOLIO: This package contains some of the best photos Karen Lo has taken, with great detail and emotion.
  • ZINZI COLONNA PHOTOGRAPHE: A modern and sleep option.
  • Zinzi Colonna: The classically modern photos of Zinzi Colonna were created from this fascination.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

User-friendly interface with easy drag-and-drop editor.It is not suitable for complex websites due to basic customization options.
The quick and straightforward website-building process is great for new projects.Some users find it slower site speed performance compared to other website builders.
Popular among bloggers and freelancers due to its ease of use.Some users say the site's speed performance is slower than that of other website builders.

#7 Jimdo

Do you want simple ad-free websites, and no coding experience is required to create the photography portfolio? Jimdo is the perfect way for you to go! When speaking of the interface, you will find it very friendly, and you can easily set up and manage your portfolio within no time. I think one of the more significant points to relate here is that if you value simplicity with a focus on being easy to use over highly specialized features, then Jimdo may be a good fit for your needs.

How to Get Started

Designing a website on Jimdo is very easy. It is super duper easy; follow these steps: 

Step 1: Go to the official Jimdo website, this link, and click the Call to Action button “Start for free.” 

Step 2: Sign up with your information or use your Google account.

Step 3: In this step, you will begin building your site at your dream site.

Themes and Templates

  • COPENHAGEN: Scenic streets and new European architecture of Copenhagen.
  • MIAMI: Photos of the bustling beaches in Miami and the city.
  • MALAGA: Images of bright pictures on the Malaga shore and old sights.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

User-friendly and intuitive interface—Ideal for beginnersLimited customization possibility compared with more involved website builders.
Very easy and quick setup processTemplate selection is somewhat limited.
Mobile-responsive templates 

#8 Ucraft

Yes, you can absolutely make a photography portfolio with Ucraft, and they do have a free plan. Ucraft is a website builder that has templates for portfolios, which makes it easy for photographers to get their excellent work online. Ucraft has a drag-and-drop editor that makes it incredibly easy to build and customize your photography portfolio without writing code. Even on their free plan, you can use your domain name, which looks more professional.

How to Get Started

Here's a step-by-step guide to help you begin:

Step 1: Sign up with your details on the Ucraft website.

Step 2: Select the template based on your website’s look and feel and the functionalities needed.

Step 3: This includes directing Ucraft’s drag-and-drop editor to alter colors, fonts, and the structure of a website without actually coding.

Step 4: Use text, images, and videos to populate your site and use apps as well as widgets if you want to include means of creating revenue streams for your site.

Step 5: Make use of the tools that are offered by the site in order to enhance its SE visibility.

Step 6: View your site on multiple devices simultaneously, instant deployment.

Themes and Templates

It has many templates in its free version also for different categories like arts and crafts, education, services, etc. Only one template is available for the photography portfolio, but it is super cool.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Strong mobile site customization capabilities.Placing page objects can be awkward.
Modern and appealing site templates.Lack of basic photo editing tools (e.g., no rotation feature).
Image repository for easy reuse on the site.Absence of built-in site traffic reporting tools.
Collaborative site editing features. 
Good options for creating a web store. 

#9 GoDaddy

A friend of mine is using GO DADDY for his photography website portfolio. When I asked him about the most enjoyable aspect of working at GoDaddy, he, without hesitation, replied that he gets the best value for his money at GoDaddy. Most of us find it difficult to overcome challenges that accompany the development of portfolio sites because of low technical skills. In this case, of course, GoDaddy’s way of building the site is tremendously convincing. But if you do come across these limitations, do not worry; there are indeed freebies at GoDaddy, although there are restrictive measures.

How to Get Started

To start creating your site on GoDaddy, follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to the official website of the GoDaddy company.
Step 2: Look for the button “Start for free”.
Step 3: Basic information and registration are only required to create a profile.
Step 4: Now get busy with the work of searching and building your site.

Themes and Templates

  • Deirdre Lorde: Showcase your photos with a slideshow header, galleries, and online booking.
  • Justified: Focus on your photos with a clean design that allows appointments and reviews.
  • Stefan Girard: Add creativity with workshop scheduling and appointment options.
  • Simon Kim: Highlight your work and story with your portfolio, profile, and newsletter.
  • Charmed: Display your photos in carousel galleries with space to sell your work.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

A large selection of domain extensions is available.Customer support quality can be inconsistent.
It offers a wide range of services, including domain registration, web hosting, and website builders.Upselling of additional services can be overwhelming.
Reliable uptime and performance for hosted websites. 

#10 Siter.io

Do you like black backgrounds? You must think that this is a weird question, but just follow me here. I am talking about Siter.io. If you go to their website, you will immediately notice the relaxed and calming black background they have. For some of the best photography portfolio websites that are free, Siter.io comes in number 10. You undoubtedly will appreciate the flexibility. What is wrong with Siter.io? Just reach out to their customer support for help. Trust me, you'll like how they handle things.

How to Get Started

To get started in creating your site on Siter.io:

Step 1: Go to the official site of Siter.io. First of all, you have to go to Siter.io.
Step 2: Start for Free. Look for the "Start for free" button and click on it.
Step 3: Sign Up Sign up either using your Google account or your email.
Step 4: Create Your Site: Sign in, then fill in the information and use its intuitive no-code website builder.

Themes and Templates

  • Portfolio #1: Discover eloquence through simplicity, whose appeal lies in the beauty of its visually appealing composition.
  • Portfolio #2: This is about experiencing style and sophistication in every shot.
  • Portfolio #3 - Minimalistic yet Captivating - Sometimes pictures say a thousand words.
  • Portfolio #4: Subtle and delicate photographs that capture the beauty of quietude.
  • Portfolio #5: A restrained collection with clean lines and thoughtful composition.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Smooth performance on both mobile and desktop.Poor hosting quality.
Provides a great support system.Some users find it slow.
The Figma plugin integration is highly appreciated. 

#11 PageCloud

Have you ever wanted just to be able to drop elements anywhere on your website and have them fall into place? That's precisely what PageCloud is going to let you do. Now, when you think about a platform such as WordPress or Wix, they pride themselves on the number of templates to choose from. PageCloud does things differently with fewer choices - just slightly over 40 templates - but each one is done brilliantly. And here's the kicker: if you worry about future features and customer support, then PageCloud impresses in that regard. It's quite impressive.

How to Get Started

To get started with PageCloud, follow these easy steps:

Step 1: Go to the official website of PageCloud and then hit the "Get started for free" CTA button.

Step 2 Fill out the registration form with the details, or sign in using your Google account.

Step 3: From the dashboard, select a template to use for your site.

Step 4: Configure and publish your pages and content.

Themes and Templates

  • Koda: Bold colors and simple design make it perfect for showcasing and growing your photography portfolio online.
  • Pixie: Pixie has a flexible layout ideal for creative photography portfolios, letting your work be presented uniquely.
  • Retro is fun looking, with a more vintage look and galleries that are always customizable to make your photos stand out.
  • Boho: Soft colors and simple galleries make Boho a calm, one-page photo portfolio.
  • McM: McM's stylish, mid-century modern design is ideal for showcasing photography with a clean, elegant look.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

It is easy to use and beginner-friendly.There can be issues with mobile responsiveness.
It offers a checklist from start to finish for building a site.Some users find that it does not provide full SEO benefits.
The customization options are highly impressive. 

#12 Fabrik

Fabrik is a website tool that allows photographers to create their own portfolio sites. It's not like Behance, where you share your work with others; instead, Fabrik lets you build and design your own website. It comes with templates you can customize and tools to show off your photos beautifully, like galleries and slideshows. People like it because it's easy to use and gives you control over how your portfolio looks.

How to Get Started

What do you think? Will it be complex? Actually, no! It is super easy. Just follow:

Step 1: Go to the official Fabrik website. 

Step 2: Click "Get Started.": Navigate to the homepage and click "Get started" or the similarly suitability stated option.

Step 3: Choose a Theme: Preview all the available themes and select the one that reflects your photography style or best suits your needs.

Step 4: Sign Up: "Click your theme of choice and sign up by giving the information asked for.".

Step 5: Access Your Dashboard: Once you sign up successfully, you will land on your Dashboard page.

Step 6: Create Your Site: In the Dashboard, click "Create New Site" or something like that to begin constructing your portfolio site.

This will allow you to have your photography portfolio up and running with Fabrik in a record time in the following steps.

Themes and Templates

Fabrik's photography portfolio themes are really good-looking and varied enough to help your work shine. Here is a brief description of each theme:

  • Canvas Clean and minimalistic. Beautiful typefacing. Open layouts that invite your images to take center stage.
  • Tocuyo: Modern and dynamic; bold typography and grid-based galleries, suitable for portraits and landscapes.
  • Calico: Soft and artistic, delicately designed, it mostly has light colors and organic shapes, adding to visual storytelling.
  • Loden actually has quite a classic and sophisticated look, and dark and smooth lines make this the perfect professional, timeless portfolio.
  • Poplin: Vivid and full of energy, bright colors, and playful elements; most suitable for photographers who would like to highlight the creativity and versatility of a picture.

Each theme in Fabrik is carefully thought about to complement a different style of photography so that your portfolio not only looks stunning but also speaks of the unique artist that you are.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Fabrik has many themes to help your photography portfolio look visually striking and elegant.Fabrik is more geared towards portfolios and does not have all the advanced features that someone who wants extensive e-commerce capability might need.
Themes are responsive, which means they look fantastic on devices of all shapes and sizes: desktops, tablets, and smartphones.Pricing plans may be higher compared to other platforms, which could be a concern for those on a budget.
Easily set up and manage your portfolio, even as a beginner, because of the easy-to-use interface. 

Tips for Optimizing Your Photography Site

Once you have chosen the ideal platform for your portfolio website, the next thing is maximization to guarantee that this photograph of yours will be seen; you want every visitor to be captured by your pictures as much as possible and be able to view all your outstanding work without the priesthood of pain and stress. Let these practical tips guide you through maximizing the best out of your website, from fast loading times to appropriate distribution of all your portfolios. Here are some tips that you can apply practically to optimize your photography website:

  • Image Optimization: Compress images for fast loading without compromising the quality.
  • Responsive Design: Ensure your site looks perfect on all devices.
  • SEO Basics: Many search engines place a heavy emphasis on keywords within descriptive filenames for images.
  • Clean Design: Keep your site minimalist so all the attention is focused on your photos.
  • Fast Loading: It means optimizing speed by reducing unwanted elements, opting for reliable hosting, and much more.
  • Clear Categories: Make it easy to navigate your portfolio.
  • Contact and Sharing Include easy-to-find contact info and social sharing buttons.
  • Update Regularly. It's so important; it shows that you're keeping your portfolio fresh and shows your latest work.
  • Client Feedback: Add testimonials to instill trust.
  • Analytics: Monitor traffic on your site and how visitors interact with it to inform improvements.

Follow these tips to make your site more appealing to visitors and a more admirable display of your photography.

EndNote

Well, this has been quite a ride, hasn't it? Now that you have the top 12 free photography portfolio websites, you are all set to go out there and let your talent shine and your professional network grow. A portfolio is much more than simply placing your work out there - it's about communicating your vision, including web design, to speak to clients and collaborators.

Simply put, the key to making a great photography portfolio is to display the best and most consistent example of your work. Choose a couple/few images of your best works that exemplify your personal vision and technique. Include a range of credits to showcase your range but maintain continuity through the style of editing used. In fact, it is always useful to think of quality over quantity since it has a much stronger effect. It should still be common, formal, and representative of the artist you are!

Are you planning to design your portfolio website and other related materials? Graphic Design Eye offers a complete range of services, including website design, banner design, photography logo design, and digital/printed brand kits. Their services can perfectly complement your portfolio, ensuring a consistent look and feel that aligns with your aesthetic preferences. So, contact Graphic Design Eye to support your creative process.

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