Making a Website

The days of printed portfolios are lower than ever, commercial digital imagery and short form video are on the rise, meaning online presence is essential. I wanted a website which reflected my personal brand, just as much as my imagery and so I chose to build mine from scratch on Squarespace (with the help of many great templates).

Choosing a platform took lots of consideration. As a student I was offered Cargo for free, plus options like IONOS, Wix and WordPress. Platforms which allow users to code the whole thing themselves suit conceptual work/artists very well, but I work best with something clean, functional and simple to update. Squarespace offer a ‘business’ package which I liked and offered a variety of templates that are all completely customisable with a small amount of code.  The most important part of this process has been the designing and customisation, I ensured I had my branding (such as logos and colour palette) complete before touching any templates. Then came every photographer’s worst nightmare: a self-shoot for professional images. My goal was personalised yet polished, not a very posed studio shoot in a blazer – more in my kitchen with a plain top. To keep things streamlined, I separated my product photography and wedding work, ensuring visitors could navigate easily without feeling like I was juggling too much and the wedding page is only accessible via link (which is only on the social media platform I use for weddings only). In my final thoughts: website building is a lot of work, but having clear brand vision makes it much simpler. If you’re reading this – you have found one of my favourite Squarespace features – The Blog!

If you’re a photographer reading this, what platform did you choose for your portfolio and why? I would love to hear your experience.