Creating a Basic Web Portfolio

Your Portfolio is one important aspect when doing photography. Without one, you would have no way of showcasing your work. Making your site look well organized and professional is critical when constructing your portfolio. You don’t need to be a pro at coding HTML to create a site. Web hosting services such as SmugMug, Zenfolio or Squarespace are great starting points for creating your portfolio. These services usually have drag and drop features, plus they have 24/7 support networks. Many, such as those I've mentioned, will ask you to pay for your account, but it’s worth paying to have a professional looking site rather than trying to make a free site that is going to surround your work with distracting advertisements or pass viruses to the visitors of your site.

                When you start building your website, you want to sort your content among multiple pages. You will want a home page, a Bio page, and at least one gallery page. You may add more if you wish, but those are the key pages you will need when creating a site to display your photography. 

Homepage

                This page should display either a photograph or a collection of them that you have taken. You want to be able to grab the attention of your visitors. Normally I try to avoid putting text on the home page besides the title of the site. The home page will act as your main page for your site. It should include links to the other pages as well as having some of your most liked works. The home page should provide user links to any social media you use for your photography business specifically. I would avoid using any of your personal social media accounts when creating links.

Bio Page

                The bio page should be a small blurb about you as a photographer such as what you do in the field and what other jobs and/or credentials you might have or have had. You might also enter additional information about yourself, such as hobbies, where you are from, or even where you live (Note: Don’t put you’re your home address or any specific personal details your not willing to give out. State and Town are fine.) . The bio page is typically written in the third person.

Gallery

                This is the area in which you will showcase your work. Everyone has to make their own choices on how they upload and organize their gallery when putting it online have my own system I use to organize my work. Some people like using adobe Lightroom and such when uploading to their site.