What should a photography portfolio website include?

A brief prevents the portfolio from becoming a tour of every photographic interest. Name the intended viewer, the work they need to see, and what they should be able to do next.

A personal brief might be “a changing record of Melbourne streets for friends and other photographers.” An editorial portrait photographer might want an editor to understand their approach and send an inquiry. A student might need three assignments with enough context for a tutor to follow the work.

Use the sentence to decide what belongs on the site. If two projects serve different purposes, separate galleries can give each the introduction it needs.

Use gallery names that make sense without explanation. Projects, series, places, subjects, events, and distinct areas of practice usually produce clearer groups than catch-all labels such as "Work" or "Portfolio."

Write a line describing each proposed gallery, then compare them. If two descriptions say almost the same thing, the photographs may work better together. If every image could fit anywhere, the groups probably need a clearer purpose.

Put the most representative work first and keep experiments in draft until they feel ready. A mixed overview can be useful, but it should introduce the work rather than duplicate the whole portfolio.

Most photography portfolios need fewer pages than expected. Add a page only when it answers a viewer’s real question.

The homepage needs your name and an inviting route into the photographs. Each gallery needs a clear subject, a representative cover, and an order that rewards looking. A short introduction and a reliable contact route will answer most of the questions that remain.

Add details such as dates, locations, or camera information when they make a photograph more interesting or easier to understand. Give the work context without making every image require a paragraph of explanation.

In ISO100, your name, Introduction, Bio, and contact form sit alongside the galleries. Add a custom page when an artist statement, exhibition list, services, or project story needs more space. Combine text and photographs, include a contact form, and arrange it in your navigation.

A service page can explain what a session includes; an exhibition page can give dates and context. Keep each page useful to someone who has just seen the photographs.

Select Keep as draft for unfinished pages. When ready, clear it, save, preview, and publish the content and navigation.

A portfolio can look resolved on the editor screen and fail on the public page. Review it as a stranger with no memory of the shoots.

A portfolio should change when the work changes, not whenever a template trend appears. A short quarterly review is enough for many photographers.

Compare a new photograph with the existing selection before adding it. Sometimes it fills a gap; sometimes it replaces a frame you have outgrown. Check the cover again after an edit so it still represents the gallery.

Use the same review to update your bio, contact details, and social links. Keep a local record of the selected files, captions, and order so the edit remains yours wherever you publish it.