A well-curated and sophisticated online portfolio is one of the most effective ways for photographers to attract new audiences. And with WordPress remaining one of the most popular and easy-to-use website building platforms and content management systems (CMS) on the market, both amateur and professional snappers can use it successfully to showcase their best pictures.
In this article, we've listed some of the best WordPress themes for photographers to purchase and download. If you'd prefer to run the rule over some other website building options, check out this guide on the best website builders right now.
01. Photography WordPress
- Price: $59
- Download here
Consistently ranked among the best photography themes listed on ThemeForest, Photography WordPress is a regular hit among photographers for its inbuilt portfolio layouts. There are over 70 pre-designed styles to choose from, divided into four portfolio categories: wide, contained, modern, and single. Both light and dark colour versions of all styles are included, and there are eight menu layouts.
In addition to the predefined styles, this theme contains a number of features tailored to professional photographers (or amateurs who may wish to make some money from their photos). This includes the ability to create client-specific galleries, pages, and archives, which come with the option of password-protected photo proofing. This gives clients access to specific galleries along with the ability to accept or reject certain photos within them.
02. Core
- Price: $39
- Download here
There are three main homepages to choose from with this elegant and minimalist theme, including a style that copies the Ken Burns signature of zooming in on still shots, as popularised by the American documentarian.
The unique Flow style scrolls horizontally, lining the photos up like a reel of film and reflecting them below in a mirror image. The third homepage style is more of a classic full screen, displaying entire galleries as thumbnails and showcasing one header image at a time via the slider.
There are six gallery templates, and also an option to install a video portfolio. As ever with WordPress, there are a host of custom widgets that can be installed, and photographers with a wider selection of media to showcase may appreciate the YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr embed functionality.
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03. Photocrati
- Price: $79
- Download here
The print lab is the standout feature from this theme, thanks to an exclusive link-up with professional printers in the US. The in-built ecommerce functionality connects to Stripe and Paypal and includes automated tax calculations, making it easy to sell your snaps through the site. Chosen prints are then automatically shipped out to paying customers without any further fulfilment requirements from the photographer.
There are also over 60 out-of-the-box designs and layouts, fully responsive and optimised for desktop, tablet, and smartphone devices. A neat security feature includes right-click protection, preventing visitors from copying or saving your images.
04. Framed
- Price: $59
- Download here
Designed with professional photographers in mind, Framed incorporates ready-to-use websites based on your photography specialism. Templates include travel, food, fashion, event, and landscape photography.
Should you opt for one of these suggested layouts, they can be installed with one click, and additional designs are added regularly. Whichever layout you opt for, there are dozens of customisations to tweak and personalise further, with mixing and matching between gallery layouts also available.
The theme is WooCommerce compatible, and it also uses the WordPress Elementor page builder, ensuring that no coding knowledge is required. The free Polylang plugin also provides multi-language support if desired.
05. Ashade
- Price: $39
- Download here
The spectacular video option is one of three attention-grabbing homepage options on this ambitious theme perfectly suited to photographers with expansive landscape-orientated shots that fill the screen. If you don’t have any video to hand, the slider homepage uses the Ken Burns effect to add movement to stills, while the static version lets your chosen homepage photo speak for itself.
The horizontal smooth scroll on the works and showcases pages are smartly implemented and user-intuitive thanks to the cursor graphic, and the photo processing function is great for demonstrating to clients the post-production improvements made to your shots.
06. Border
- Price: $70
- Download here
The smartly organised grid and mason galleries on this theme are an effective way to showcase a montage of photos on one page, with users able to click on any photo they wish to maximise. Conversely, the slider gallery takes the choice out of the viewer’s hands and automatically flicks through images one at a time. The shop page follows the masonry design, with a complete ecommerce system including cart functionality and the ability for customers to leave reviews.
Border also comes with a slick journal functionality that may appeal to photographers keen to write about their experiences and offer some insight and context into each of their photographs.
07. Solene
- Price: $69
- Download here
Designed specifically for wedding photographers, the Solene theme is compatible with both the WPBakery and Elementor WordPress page builders. There are 12 homepage presets and seven inner page styles, while the theme demo can be installed as seen, straight out of the box.
Although most of the layouts adhere to the pastel palette and colour schemes one might expect from a traditional wedding theme, over 800 font styles and customisable headers and footers – including social media widget integration – ensures there are still plenty of ways to create a bespoke photography portfolio for your photos.
08. Wiso
- Price: $29
- Download here
Another theme that lends itself nicely to wedding photography is this one from Wiso, which also comes in a little cheaper than the other themes in this list. With 34 ready-made homepage styles including animation options, there are many ways to personalise this theme, which can therefore be adapted for a range of photography niches in addition to weddings.
Additional photography features include photo watermarking and downloads, PDF creation, a booking calendar, and proofing galleries where clients can leave feedback.
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