Portrait, wedding, real-estate, and commercial photographers
A portfolio that books the inquiry, not a second Instagram
A handful of real galleries, a clear starting price, and an inquiry path that does not dump people into DMs.
Your Instagram is not a contract. A site is where starting prices, the inquiry path, and a few complete galleries can sit still long enough for a couple to forward the link to each other.
What has to be on the first site
A handful of complete galleries, not 400 thumbnails
Eight to twenty strong images per set. Slow sites full of everything help no one.
A starting price or a “from” range you will stand behind
If you truly will not publish numbers, say what the next step costs (a consult, a mini).
An inquiry path that is not “DM me”
A form or you@yourdomain.com. DMs disappear; inboxes can be searched when you are in tax season.
Who you actually shoot
Weddings, families, listings — pick. “All photography” is how you blend into the template.
HTTPS and a domain you can print on a gift box
Subdomains look like a draft.
Builder choice when the work is visual
Squarespace is often the calmer fit for portfolios. That is an editorial opinion, not a paid Squarespace relationship. GoDaddy Website Builder (affiliate link to GoDaddy, placeholder URL) is enough if you need the domain and mail this month and your photos are strong — templates matter less than the pictures. Wix if you already know you want a particular booking app.
Buy the domain either way. Point it at whichever builder you finish. Professional mail on that domain belongs on the invoice for the same reason the photos belong in a gallery: it is the grown-up version of the same name.
Hardware is part of the shopfront
If the laptop cannot export a gallery, that is a kit problem, not a builder problem. See laptops and printers. Do not reprint cards until the URL loads on a phone.