As a photographer, one of the most important ways to showcase your portfolio — and book new clients — is with a website. Although Squarespace, Weebly, and Wix are options for photographers to build sites, WordPress remains the world’s top option for anyone looking to create an easy and attractive website.
Since it’s so popular, there are hundreds (maybe even thousands) of photography WordPress themes, making it nearly impossible to choose. So we’ve researched for you. Here are our top 5 picks for the best WordPress themes for photographers for 2024. We’ve included the pros and cons of each and example websites so you can see them yourself.
Check out our article that covers what you need to know before deciding to build a photography website on WordPress.
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5 Tips for choosing your next WordPress theme
- Choose a theme built specifically for photographers or creatives. A theme that’s built to showcase images will have a very different native design than one that’s made for a newspaper, e-commerce site, or blog.
- If you’re a beginner, choose a site that’s easy to customize without rewriting code.
- Look for responsive themes. That means your content will display correctly no matter what device your viewer is using — a computer, a mobile phone, or a tablet.
- Could you read the reviews and the comments? The themes look great on the demo, but comments and reviews might reveal many users need help. On the contrary, comments could also reveal fantastic customer service and happy buyers, too.
- Invest in premium themes. When it comes to WordPress themes, you get what you pay for. Premium (paid) themes offer more features, better support, and reliability that you won’t find in a free theme.
The Best WordPress Photography Themes
Once you’ve found themes that meet those five tips, it’s just a matter of your taste and finding a theme that best meets your needs. So, here are our top 5 picks for the best WordPress themes for photographers right now:
1. Flothemes
With over a dozen modern, beautiful, customizable templates, it’s easy to see why Flothemes has tens of thousands of happy customers. Besides being simple to use, they have a reputation for excellent customer support.
Pros:
- Customizable designs right out of the box
- One payment, no annual fee
- Fully responsive
- Excellent customer service
- Quick
Cons:
- More expensive than some other options
- Multiple interfaces to learn
Examples:
2. Elementor Pro
Elementor is a drag-and-drop page builder for WordPress. This is different from the typical “page and post” interface you usually get with WordPress. Visual people, like photographers, love drag-and-drop themes because you can see the website as you’re building it and see any changes you make in real-time.
Elementor is not made specifically for photographers – it can be used for any website. However, they created photographer template kits with features meant to meet the needs of photographers. It is available with the paid Pro version of Elementor.
Pros:
- No coding required
- Fully customizable using Elementor’s drag and drop editor
- Start with pre-made photography templates or start from scratch
- Fully responsive
- Very affordable. For one website, the pro version starts at only $49/year
Cons:
- Has a reputation for site speed issues
- Not the best choice for a complete WordPress newbie
Examples:
3. Imagely
Imagely is another WordPress theme and series of plugins that were created especially for photographers. One thing that sets Imagely apart from the rest is its built-in plugin that allows photographers to sell and automatically fulfill print orders with integration from the print house White House Custom Color. This feature is a game-changer for photographers who sell prints; you’ll only find it with Imagely.
Pros:
- 19 fully responsive, customizable designs to choose from
- Ability to sell digital downloads to users
- Image right-click protection
- Sell and auto-fulfillment of photography prints
- Wide range of pricing options
Cons:
- May need to purchase other plugins for full functionality
- It’s not required, but for the best experience, you should host with them
Examples:
4. Divi
We should mention Divi on a list like this. It is one of the most widely used WordPress website builders today. However, Divi is not photography-specific. It can (and is) used to build just about any website you can think of.
It comes with over 1,000 pre-designed templates, including many for portfolio sites. Divi isn’t just a theme; it is also a WYSIWYG page builder, so your options for customization are endless.
Pros:
- Drag and drop visual page builder with no coding
- Fully responsive
- Popularity means there are a lot of 3rd party tools and plugins made to work with Divi
- Reasonably priced at $249 gets you a lifetime membership to use it on unlimited websites
Cons:
- So many options can make the software clunky and slow its performance
- Doesn’t always play nice with outside plugins and themes
- Need to learn multiple interfaces
Examples:
- https://www.paulsummerfieldphotography.co.uk/
- http://megankelseyphotography.com/
- https://laneweddings.com/
5. Noah
The four themes we’ve named are excellent, feature-rich options for building your WordPress site. However, we wanted to include a theme that will appeal to beginners who aren’t well-versed in WordPress. But it still had to meet our strict standards. That led us to Noah by Pixelgrade.
Noah is simple to use and customize — you don’t have to be a webmaster to figure it out. More importantly, it features a clean, simple, modern design that showcases your photography. Read over the reviews, and you’ll see that Noah is loved by WordPress experts and newbies alike. You’ll also appreciate the responsive customer service of the folks at Pixelgrade.
Pros:
- Fully responsive layout
- Retina-ready
- Excellent customer support
- Reasonably priced
- A good option for WordPress beginners
Cons:
- Fewer bells and whistles than the other options (but many can be added with plugins)
Examples:
6. Fototag
Fototag is a top-notch Photography WordPress Theme renowned for its timeless elegance. With a clean and modern layout, it caters to the needs of professional photography businesses.
Offering 10+ premade homepage demos, the theme simplifies customization through a user-friendly One-Click Demo Importer. It comes equipped with the popular Elementor Page Builder, boasting a drag-and-drop interface for seamless page creation.
Responsive and SEO-friendly, Fototag supports unlimited color combinations and includes a powerful admin panel for easy management. With features like dynamic page headers, a one-click demo importer, and compatibility with WPML translation, Fototag ensures a quick and efficient website setup for photographers.
Pros:
- Elegant and modern design suitable for professional photography businesses.
- 10+ premade homepage demos for easy site setup with One-Click Demo Importer.
- Utilizes Elementor Page Builder for intuitive and flexible page customization.
- Responsive and SEO-friendly design with unlimited color combinations.
- Powerful admin panel for efficient theme management.
- Supports WPML translation for multilingual websites.
Cons:
- Extensive features may be overwhelming for beginners.
- Learning curve associated with the numerous customization options.
Get Phototag from Envato Elements right here.
7. Bloom
Bloom is a Photography and Portfolio WordPress Theme designed for individuals seeking a clean and modern aesthetic to showcase their work.
Ideal for designers and photographers, Bloom offers an easy and attractive platform to present portfolios and engage with clients. The theme features Ajax Page Transitions for improved loading speed, an Infinite Scroll function to seamlessly load more content, and a unique Before and After image element using the Twenty Twenty jQuery library.
With a variety of home and portfolio page styles, Bloom utilizes the WPBakery Drop & Drag Page Builder for easy customization, including advanced elements and optimization options. The theme also supports various post formats, team member single pages, and offers Light and Dark versions to suit individual preferences.
Pros:
- Clean and modern design catering to photographers and designers.
- Ajax Page Transitions and Infinite Scroll for enhanced user experience.
- WPBakery Page Builder for easy customization with advanced elements.
- Multiple home and portfolio page styles, including Before and After image showcasing.
- Supports various post formats and includes a team member single page.
- Light and Dark versions available for different visual preferences.
Cons:
- Relatively complex feature set may be overwhelming for beginners.
- Dependency on WPBakery Page Builder may require a learning curve for some users.
Get Bloom from Envato Elements right here.
8. Sewell
Sewel is a captivating and user-focused Photography WordPress Theme meticulously crafted to strike a perfect balance between stunning design and versatile layout options.
Tailored for those passionate about photography, Sewel offers a variety of home page examples, including sliders, horizontal layouts, centered designs, and more. Its gallery page layouts are thoughtfully refined, featuring sliders, horizontal and vertical grids, masonry displays, and password-protected galleries for secure presentation.
With album pages, portfolio layouts, and blog designs, Sewel ensures a comprehensive platform for photographers to showcase their work. The theme integrates seamlessly with social media for easy sharing and includes advanced theme options, Visual Composer Page Builder, unlimited color customization, and SEO optimization. Additionally, it supports Google Fonts, advanced typography settings, Google Maps, FontAwesome, Line Icons, and comes with a child theme for easy modifications.
Pros:
- Diverse home page layouts and gallery options for a visually engaging experience.
- Integration with Visual Composer Page Builder for easy customization.
- Unlimited color options with live preview in the Customizer.
- Support for Contact Form 7 and SEO optimization.
- Google Fonts and custom premium font upload capabilities.
- Child theme included for hassle-free modifications.
Cons:
- Feature-rich nature may be overwhelming for beginners.
- Dependency on Visual Composer may require a learning curve for some users.
Get Sewell from Envato ELements right here.
9. Umbrella
Umbrella is a premium Photography and Portfolio WordPress theme designed for photographers, designers, and creative teams. With its unique and clean design, the theme offers a customizable fullscreen slider that is both visually striking and easy to use.
The color options can be tailored to individual preferences through the Customizer Options Panel, and the inclusion of ACF PRO and a Visual Content Builder provides powerful customization capabilities.
The theme also features dedicated sections for portfolio, blog, and contact, with smooth animations and clean, professional code contributing to its overall appeal.
Pros:
- Unique and clean design catering to photographers and creative professionals.
- Customizable fullscreen slider and color options for personalized visual appeal.
- Integration of ACF PRO and Visual Content Builder for powerful customization.
- Fast AJAX loading for a smooth and efficient website experience.
- Fully responsive and retina-ready, ensuring compatibility across devices.
- One-Click Demo Importer for easy setup and documentation included.
Cons:
- The theme’s simplicity may lack some advanced features for users with specific requirements.
Get Umbrella from Envato Elements right here.
10. Photozone
Photozone is an Elementor Template Kit designed for swift and straightforward website creation using the Elementor Page Builder plugin in WordPress.
Tailored for compatibility with the free Hello Elementor theme and adaptable to various Elementor-supported themes, this kit offers a modern and professional design with 23+ ready-to-use templates.
With a focus on user-friendliness, Photozone enables users to effortlessly build professional-looking websites through the intuitive drag-and-drop interface provided by Elementor. The kit includes diverse page templates, such as Home, About Us, Services, Team, Testimonial, Gallery, Career, Pricing Table, FAQ, Contact, and more.
Pros:
- Modern and professional design with 23+ ready-to-use templates for diverse website sections.
- Compatibility with the popular Elementor Page Builder for easy drag-and-drop customization.
- Fully responsive layout and speed optimization for fast-loading websites.
- Works with most Elementor-supported themes, providing flexibility for users.
- No coding required, making it accessible for users without advanced technical skills.
- Integration with WooCommerce for shop-ready templates, catering to e-commerce needs.
Cons:
- Elementor Pro upgrade is required for some templates and features, adding potential additional costs.
- Dependency on Elementor and other plugins may lead to compatibility issues with future updates.
Get Photozone from Envato Elements right here.
A word about Plugins
Since the themes in this guide are all built specifically for photographers, they all include an option to build a portfolio, at least to some extent. However, you can constantly improve your theme’s functionality by installing plugins. That includes installing a plugin to make the most of your photography portfolio, like Modula.
Check out our guide to the 9 best WordPress Portfolio Plugins by clicking here.
Final thoughts
There are many ways to build a website with WordPress and many different themes, templates, and plugins to help you. The WordPress themes for photographers we’ve listed are some of the best available today. They were created with the photographer’s unique needs in mind. You can’t go wrong by choosing any of them.
And, if you’re already using another WordPress theme for your photo website that you love, share it with us in the comments below. We’d love to know about it!
