For a photographer, a portfolio is the most direct and effective way to show people what you do.  It not only demonstrates your capabilities with a camera but also your personal style.  It’s a marketing tool that lets people know what type of photography you specialize in.  

Your portfolio should be the central focus of your website.  Of course, when just gettings started, a traditional website isn’t always necessary.  Many photographers get the word out about their offerings on social media (e.g., Instagram, Facebook).  But even if you’re going that route, you might as well start building a real portfolio site that includes basic info and contact pages.  At some point, potential clients will want to know more about you, your prices, and how to hire you.

Portfolio Websites

Below is a list of popular hosted portfolio site options.  These generally allow you to use your own domain name and offer extensive customization to match your branding.

• Adobe Portfolio.  Free if you’re already on one of Adobe’s Creative Cloud plans.  Includes a simple and easy-to-navigate portfolio feature, unlimited site pages, and you can use your own domain name.
• Format.  Plenty of features and designs make it easy to create a site that compliments the style of your portfolio.  Format also hosts a “workflow” feature that helps you manage customer contacts and galleries for ordering.
• Squarespace.  Clean, professional design options.  One of the leaders in professional, hosted sites.  Plenty of good photography portfolio features.

Self-Hosted Portfolio Websites

Self-hosted solutions are also good options if you have the time and inclination to manage the technical aspects of your own site.  More than likely this would involve signing up with a web host and installing a site-building or content management system tool like WordPress.  I currently use Bluehost for my sites.

If you don’t have experience with something like this, you should know there is a steep learning curve if you’re trying to get up and running quickly.  And some web hosting services aren’t very reliable.  The upside, though, is you’ll have complete control over virtually all technical aspects of your site.

I think for most people, self-hosting is potentially more trouble and more expensive than a hosted solution like the ones listed above.  So, if you do decide to self-host, you might consider letting a professional web designer handle most of the technical chores for you.  Leave the technical details and maintenance to the professionals and spend your time on more productive things, like photography.

What Should You Include in Your Portfolio?

You should show only your best work in your main portfolio.  And show the type of work you’d like to be hired for.  Your portfolio should also be consistent in its presentation.  Don’t try to cram too many different types of photography into it, especially if your goal is to attract portrait clients.  

Consider your target market and present images that demonstrate your ability to produce the types of images they’d want from you.  And keep in mind, a smaller, well-presented portfolio is probably going to be a more effective sales tool than a large mediocre set of images.

Finally, a portfolio “site” isn’t just about the images, it’s about you and what you’re like to work with as a person.  Offer enough information about yourself to let people know who you are and what you stand for.  But don’t overdo it.

How to Start Building Your Portfolio

I’ve written a whole book on building a portrait portfolio.  You can find it here.  But I can boil it down to a few key points for this post:

• Start with friends and family.  You probably know a few people who’d make good portrait subjects.  Ask them to pose for you.  They’re going to be easy to work with and you won’t be under much pressure or time constraints when working with friends or family.  You can take your time getting everything just right, and even schedule a do-over shoot if necessary.
• Models.  Independent professional models can make great subjects when building your portfolio.  The ones who get a lot of work know what they’re doing in front of a camera, and many are happy to offer advice to new photographers during a shoot.  Some models who are building up their own modeling portfolios might be willing to pose in exchange for photos.  You can find independent models on Instagram, Facebook model/photography networking groups, and sites such as ModelMayhem.
• Musicians, Actors, Entertainers.  People in the entertainment business always need new promotional images and bio photos.  When building your portfolio, you can start out by offering a few of them a quick shoot and images for free.  Word might get out quickly that you’re doing this, so be very selective; you don’t want to just say yes to everyone who asks.  The time will come when these people are willing to pay for your services.

What Else To Include On Your Website

Here are some other things photographers will provide on their sites:

• About.  This can include your bio and information on who you partner with for shoots.
• Testimonials.  These can be very powerful marketing tools.  When people rave about working with you, it makes potential clients feel like they can trust you and come away feeling happy with the results.
• Contact.  Let people know how to get in touch with you.  Include your service area (where you’re willing to travel and meet with clients).  It might be a good idea to use a contact form on your site that asks potential clients what they are looking for, specifically.  Offer choices in a dropdown box and make an open-ended message box available.
• Booking Information and/or FAQ.  If you have a process in place (and you probably should), explain how you set up bookings.

The decision on whether or not to invest your time and money in building a complete portfolio site is a personal one.  It’s going to depend on your marketing philosophy and your goals for getting work as a photographer.  Even if you’re not interested in getting hired by clients, a portfolio can serve as a promotional tool for your artistic offerings.  It lets people know that you take your work seriously enough to give it a professional home base and presentation platform.