9 inspiring photography portfolio examples

As a photographer, your online portfolio is where the artist meets the entrepreneur. A high quality portfolio not only shows off your keen eye, it can also help market your services, attract new clients who are a good fit, and can even help you sell your work with an integrated e-commerce store.

Whether you want to learn how to build a photography website of your own or you want to refresh your existing portfolio, seeing other photography portfolio ideas can provide a wealth of inspiration for crafting your own. This list of 9 unique photography portfolio examples cover a range of photography styles but all have succeeded in blending professionalism with aesthetic appeal.

Contents

1. Nordica Photography
2. Mitch Rouse Aerials
3. Nina Wernicke
4. Scott Snyder
5. Van André Rensburg Portfolio
6. Calvin Pausania
7. Max Montgomery
8. Mel Volkman
9. Cassandra Ladru

1. Nordica Photography

We love this example of a simple and effective home page. The choice of a single hero image displayed above-the-fold (the part of the page shown before scrolling) lets you know immediately this is a wedding photography business.

To simplify the browsing experience, you can explore more images if you continue to scroll down the page. You can then click on any image to take you to that couple’s ‘story’ aka the wedding portfolio. They have also added quotes from the couple into each 'story' page which is a clever way to weave testimonials into a photography portfolio.

Nordica Photography has also created a stunning two minute marketing video and highlight reel. The video is essentially a simple photo slideshow, but the music and commentary layered over it really elevate the emotion of the images and give you a good sense of their photography style.

The ‘play film’ button sits front and centre on the home page so you can’t miss it, but is simple enough not to take away from the hero image behind. 

For more event photography inspiration, check out the 12 best event photographers in London.

2. Mitch Rouse Aerials

This photography portfolio example also highlights the impact of a single hero image displayed on the home page, and is particularly effective in showing off the details of a dramatic aerial scene. Mitch Rouse Aerials has taken this one step further by adding an automated revolving slideshow so you can view his best work without even needing to move your mouse. 

This example reinforces the importance of choosing your above-the-fold content carefully as it will have the most impact on visitors.

The website also has a clear header menu and uses the same simple font for both the logo and the menu which gives the website a slick, minimalist look. The portfolio is categorised into several straightforward headings like ‘coastal’ and ‘black and white’ to help visitors navigate it easily.

The header menu also contains a link to his online store made with Photoshelter, where he sells physical and digital prints.

For more outdoor photography inspiration, check out the 12 best street photographers in London.

3. Nina Wernicke

Just because you’re a photographer doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use text on your website. Nina’s photo portfolio is a great example of how snappy copywriting can help you stand out.

The punchy header displayed on the home page describes her as an ‘editorial / wedding photographer for modern romantics’ and sums up her photography style in one sentence.

An addition to the important 'about me' page, she also has a page dedicated to her ‘approach’, where she gives potential clients an opportunity to understand how she works.

Notice there is never an overwhelming amount of text. The copy is always well spaced and arranged in short paragraphs to ensure it is easy to skim read.  

For more lifestyle photography inspiration, check out the 12 best lifestyle photographers in London.

4. Scott Snyder

Scott Snyder is a product photographer who uses clean lines and plenty of negative space, and the entire website mirrors his photography style. His photo portfolio is both simple and impactful and doesn't overwhelm visitors with too much content.

He highlights a few images on the home page which immediately demonstrates his expertise in working with huge brands like Sonos. Another highlight of this portfolio is you can learn more about each project either by clicking on the image or going to the ‘work’ section.

The project pages are well laid out and explain briefly who the client is, the photographer's role in the project, and how he successfully executed the project's goals. You then can view more photos of the project below the text.

For more product photography inspiration, check out the 12 best commercial photographers in London.

5. Van André Rensburg

This is a great photo portfolio example for black and white photography. The photographer has continued the monochromatic colour scheme throughout the website including the logo and the text and it has created a cohesive and modern look.

The home page doubles as the photo portfolio and shows you don't need to overcomplicate your website. The images are displayed on a three column grid with infinite scrolling, which means new content is loaded as the user scrolls down the page. This offers a seamless browsing experience and presents the portfolio as one cohesive body of work. 

For more sensual photography inspiration, check out the 10 best boudoir photographers in London.

6. Calvin Pausania

This is an example of how a dark-mode themed website can suit some photography portfolios better than the standard white. The photographer's images have a futuristic quality and feature mainly dark backgrounds, so paired with the dark website it causes the image highlights to really pop. The use of contrasting white text is effective too.

Calvin Pausania shoots commercial and editorial campaigns as well as video, so he has separated his portfolio out under each heading to make it easy for visitors to select the work they are interested in viewing. 

For more fashion photography inspiration check out the 12 best fashion photographers in London.

7. Max Montgomery

By utilising a simple, bold text logo in all caps, you certainly won’t forget Max Montgomery’s name after visiting his website. But aside from the logo, he lets his photos do the talking. It's a simple website and once again the photo portfolio is located on the home page, featuring mainly portraits of high profile celebrities. 

As an interesting contrast, the photographer also has a section on his website called ‘photo diaries’ which contains more personal, intimate snapshots and show a different side to his photography than the commercial work. 

For more portrait photography inspiration, check out the 8 best portrait photographers in London.

8. Mel Volkman

This is a great photography portfolio example for those who want to sell physical or digital products, rather than their services.

Mel Volkman has built her website using Shopify to incorporate an e-commerce store. E-commerce platforms like Shopify make online selling easy because they are user friendly and help you take payment, process, ship and track orders.

The alternative is to add a link from your portfolio to a separate e-commerce store, but this is often more expensive as you need to pay for two websites.

The photographer has written thoughtful and detailed descriptions on each product page, explaining the art and the materials used. Adding this extra detail goes a long way when building trust and a connection with the buyer.

9. Cassandra Ladru

Cassandra is both a wedding and lifestyle photographer, and has a beautifully arranged website featuring two sections within her portfolio page. The photos are then grouped by project, whether that’s a wedding or a fashion shoot.

Cassandra has opted out of using any text on the portfolio pages and instead lets the images speak for themselves. However she does include a testimonial page labelled 'the experience' as well as an 'about me' page on her website which are vital for potential clients to learn more about her.

She keeps the 'about' section professional by focusing on her professional wedding and editorial experience and explaining why she is passionate about her job.

For more editorial photography inspiration, check out the 12 best beauty photographers in London.  

Final thoughts

There you have it, we hope these photography portfolio examples have inspired you and can transform the potentially daunting process of building an online photography portfolio into an exciting one.

Even if you don't know anything about building a website, you can replicate the types of professional designs on this list by using templates available on website builders such as Squarespace, Pixpa and Shopify, made specifically for photographers.

Remember that a good portfolio can do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to marketing your photography business, so take the time to get your portfolio just right and it could make all the difference to your future business growth.