How to Build a Photography Portfolio Website

A photography portfolio website needs three things done well: image galleries that hold full-resolution photos without slowing the page down, a contact or booking path, and, if you deliver work to clients, a private way to share and approve images. Which platform fits depends mostly on that last point. General-purpose builders like Squarespace handle galleries and booking well. Photography-specific builders like Format and Pixpa add client proofing and print sales on top. If you already design in Figma, publishing through Figment is a route for the display side of the site, without the built-in client-delivery tools.

What does a photographer's site actually need?

Before picking a platform, separate the requirements that apply to almost every photography site from the ones that only matter if you deliver paid client work:

• Galleries that don't compress the point. The images are the product. A gallery block or portfolio page that auto-arranges a set of photos into a grid or slideshow, rather than a generic content block, is the baseline.
• Full-resolution images that still load fast. The two pull against each other unless the platform resizes images per device automatically. Pixpa's own build guidance is direct about this: upload at full resolution and "let the platform serve a device-appropriate size instead of shipping a 6MB JPEG to a phone" (Pixpa, "Photography Website Builder with Client Galleries").
• A contact or booking path. A form, a booking widget, or at minimum a clear email — something that turns a visitor into an inquiry.
• Client proofing, only if you deliver shoots. A private, often password-protected gallery where a client favorites, comments on, or approves specific images before you deliver finals. This is the feature that separates a portfolio-only site from a working photography business's site, and not every platform builds it in.

What can I build with Squarespace?

Squarespace treats photography as a first-class use case, with its help center's own photographer guide covering galleries, client management, and sales in one place (Squarespace, "Building a photographer site"). For display, it offers several block types built specifically for images: "Gallery sections - Add sets of images that you can automatically rearrange into different layouts" and "Portfolio pages - Organize sets of images into different projects with thumbnail navigation" (same source).

For contact and booking, the same guide points to Acuity Scheduling, described as "our complete online scheduling solution, which you can integrate into your site with a scheduling block," alongside form blocks for general inquiries and lead capture. For access control, Squarespace's Member Sites feature can gate specific pages so only certain visitors see them — the guide frames this as a way "to create galleries that only specific clients can access, or to offer exclusive sneak peeks to fans of your work." That's the closest thing Squarespace documents to client proofing, and it's page-level access control rather than a purpose-built proofing tool: there's no documented favoriting, rating, or per-image comment workflow inside a Member Site gallery the way a dedicated proofing product has.

If cost is part of your decision, our Squarespace pricing guide breaks down what each plan unlocks and its commerce fees, which matter once you're selling prints through the site.

What does Format add that a general-purpose builder doesn't?

Format is built specifically for creative portfolios, and its own site is explicit about the trade-off: "Format stands out by offering unique creative-focused and image-centric features such as specialized templates, high image quality, seamless Lightroom integration, and efficient client proofing — solutions which are often not found in generic website builders like Wix or Squarespace" (Format, "Website Builder for Creatives & Photographers").

On image handling, Format states: "File sizes up to 100MB throughout the platform for everything from portfolio display, to client proofing and more so you don't have to compromise on image quality" (same source). Client work runs through a bundled feature set Format calls Workflow, which the page describes as an "all-in-one suite of tools to help artists manage projects, sales, contracts, client galleries, and file transfers." It also lists built-in ecommerce for "digital downloads, services, or physical products."

What does Pixpa add, specifically for proofing and print sales?

Pixpa's pitch is that the public portfolio and the private client gallery live on the same platform and the same upload. Its own description of proofing: "Your client marks favorites, rates images when you want a shortlist rather than a yes or no, and comments on individual frames. More than one person can favorite in the same gallery independently, which matters when both partners and a mother of the bride are picking album images. On the date you set, it expires" (Pixpa, "Photography Website Builder with Client Galleries").

On design, Pixpa states it ships "61 photography templates, editable down to the grid, with custom CSS and HTML when the editor runs out," plus "25+ gallery layouts... including full-screen slideshows and lightbox galleries" (same source). For sales, Pixpa's own claim is "zero commission on every sale" across prints, wall art, and digital downloads, with print orders able to route through an integrated lab or your own pricing sheet and fulfillment.

Both Format and Pixpa are commercial products with their own pricing pages; check those directly for current plan details before committing, since neither vendor page here states prices in a way this guide can verify against a second source.

What if I already design my portfolio in Figma?

Figma's Community has dozens of ready-made portfolio layouts built specifically for photographers, including dark-themed grids designed to hold large images without competing with them. Our roundup of Figma photography portfolio templates covers eleven free files and what each is actually good for.

Once the design is done, Figment's Figma plugin publishes those frames as a live website, and our guide to publishing a site from Figma covers that plugin workflow end to end. This route fits a photographer who wants full design control over the display side, a hero, a gallery grid, an about page, a contact form, and is willing to keep client proofing and print sales as separate tools. It is not a fit if you need the proofing, favoriting, or print-fulfillment features built into Format or Pixpa: Figment doesn't have a client gallery product, and its AI editor is a preview with an access-request form, not a live editing tool for an existing site.

Which route fits which photographer?

What should I actually pick?

• Pick Squarespace if you want galleries, booking, and a store in one general-purpose platform, and you're comfortable with page-level access control instead of dedicated proofing.
• Pick Format or Pixpa if client proofing (favorites, ratings, per-image comments) and zero-commission print sales are core to how you deliver finished work — that's the specific gap general-purpose builders don't document filling.
• Pick Figma plus Figment if the design itself matters most to you and you're willing to run client delivery through a separate tool. It's the right fit for a portfolio-only site, not a full photography business site with proofing and checkout built in.

Bottom line: every option here can hold a gallery and a contact form. The real decision point is whether you need client proofing and print fulfillment built into the same platform, or whether a portfolio that looks exactly the way you designed it, with client delivery handled elsewhere, is the better trade.