WordPress Plugins for Photographers

WordPress is an excellent platform for photographers to show their photography skills, services, and photos they have for sale. Fortunately, all of the features needed are available in plugins, and there are many photography plugins to choose from. In this post, we’ll look at the best WordPress plugins for photographers to help you decide the best options for your photography website.

Why Photographers Should Use WordPress Plugins

First, let's discuss the types of features photographers need and how I chose the plugins for this list. Photographers need to show their photography services, and examples of their work, allow clients to proof their photos, and sell photos that customers can download. This is often done within a gallery.

With this in mind, photographers need to build a photography portfolio to showcase their work and provide a gallery where clients can purchase their photos, where visitors can purchase any photo they want, and the photos are protected from copying and downloading. All of these features can easily be added to any WordPress website with plugins.

The plugins I selected include one of all of these features. Except for WooCommerce, I did not include plugins that required an add-on just to make it work for photographers. Some of the features overlap, so you’ll need to choose based on the features you need. For example, some image plugins include watermarks, while others do not. So, watermarking might be available in the image plugin you’ve selected, or you might need to add a watermark plugin separately.

There are lots of gallery plugins, lightbox plugins, image optimization plugins, etc., and most of them work great for photography. I’ve only included those that have features that stand out for photographers. For example, rather than just displaying photos, the plugin should also protect the photos or allow customers to purchase them. This means several popular plugins have been left off this list.

For more information about selling your photos and photography services, see the article How to Make Money with Photography Online.

14 Top WordPress Plugins for Photographers

Now, on to the list of WordPress plugins for photographers.

1. WooCommerce Photography

WooCommerce is an excellent platform for all types of eCommerce, but it doesn’t specialize in any one type of product. An add-on for WooCommerce called WooCommerce Photography makes it easy for photographers to sell photos from their websites. It streamlines the process of uploading and selling the photos with a batch uploader that’s added to the WordPress dashboard.

The photos display as photo products, separately from all other products, and include specialized filters designed for the photo product type, so customers can see the number and types of photos they want to see. Customers can easily search through photos as they would any WooCommerce product. Prices start at $79.

2. Sunshine Photo Cart

Sunshine Photo Cart lets photographers create a photo gallery where they can sell their photos. Like most plugins on this list, it includes both a free and a premium version. The free version is the core plugin. It includes a cart system with offline and PayPal payments. Galleries can be password protected, require a user account, require an email, and be private to certain users. Galleries can have sub-galleries, and end dates, and include a watermark. Users can favorite them and share them.

The core plugin is free, but you can also purchase add-ons to expand its functionality. Add-ons include gallery layouts, a lightbox, analytics, a pricing sheet, coupons, discounts, email marketing, client messaging, multiple payment gateways, and more. Prices start at $99.

3. picu

Picu lets you create photo galleries for clients to select and approve their photos. You can send clients a link to the galleries through email. You’ll be informed through email once the clients approve their photos. Use your favorite photo management software to retrieve the selected photos.

The pro version lets you brand, customize, mark, comment, define the number of photos the client should select, download as a zip file, and import photos. It includes a watermark for theft protection. Multiple clients can receive the email so they can make individual selections, which is great for weddings and similar photography events. Prices start at $149.

4. NextGEN Gallery

NextGEN Gallery creates photo galleries and includes gallery management tools that help photographers batch upload photos, import metadata, sort, edit thumbnails, create albums, and showcase their work. The free version includes three gallery styles and two album styles. Options include the size, timing, transitions, a lightbox, etc.

The pro version adds a lot of features for photographers. Features include eCommerce, so you can sell your photos through your website. It also includes proofing, so your clients can select the photos they want. It also adds more gallery styles, lightboxes, etc. Pricing starts at $49.

5. Envira Photo Gallery

Envira Photo Gallery is a drag-and-drop gallery builder that’s excellent for photographers. Features include multiple album options, slideshows, and the standard gallery options you’d expect in a photo gallery plugin to control the timing, images, and look of the gallery.

The pro version contains all the features that a photographer needs to sell their photos and interact with clients. It adds social media integration, right-click protection, a lightbox, standalone galleries, pagination, password protection, watermarking, tags, deep linking for SEO, Instagram importing, a Pinterest pin-it button, customer proofing, and WooCommerce. Prices start at $29.

6. Modula Image Gallery

Modula Image Gallery lets you build customizable galleries with custom grids, masonry grids, and lightboxes. The free version lets you add URLs to the images, adjust the gallery settings, shuffle the images, select zoom effects, and show social buttons.

The pro version adds password protection, so only clients with the password can see their galleries. You can also create albums and manage their covers, grid type, effects, photos, random features, etc. It also includes the SEO Deepling extension for better SEO, loading effects, zoom effects, pagination, filters, the ability to download images, right-click protection, watermarks, white labeling, role management, and more. Prices start at $39.

7. Image Watermark

Image Watermark automatically places a watermark image on your photos when you upload them. You can also bulk-watermark images in your media folder. Specify the image to be used as the watermark, select its location on the photos, choose the size of the watermark, and choose the opacity. You can also have the watermark image to scale and set the image quality.

This plugin also provides right-click protection, protection from dragging and dropping your photos, and lets you disable the watermark for users that are logged in. It includes an image backup feature so you can restore the original image. This plugin does not have a premium version, so all of the features are included for free.

8. Photo Gallery by 10Web

Photo Gallery by 10Web builds galleries that draw attention with custom viewing options. It includes gallery and album views, multiple layouts, lightbox effects, watermarking, right-click protection, advertising, gallery widgets, social sharing, customizable themes, and Instagram integration. Widgets include tags, a slideshow, and a gallery.

The pro version includes more layouts, more widgets, commenting, role management, and 15 premium plugins. The plugins include a form maker, an events calendar, a slider, and more. It also adds a dynamic tags widget. Prices start at $30.

9. Booking Calendar

Booking Calendar is a great way to automate scheduling for a photographer. It displays a calendar with your availability and allows clients to reserve certain time slots. You define your availability and unavailability on the calendar. It includes a booking form with email notifications.

The premium version adds advanced hourly bookings, rules for conditional dates, seasonal prices, seasonal availability, the ability to search for availability, online payments, changeover days, early booking and last-minute booking discounts, deposits, costs based on selections, and more. You can also set up different time slots for different days. The premium version is $39.

10. Bookly

Bookly is an automated reservation system that’s designed to grow sales. It makes it easy to manage your client list and appointments. Clients receive an email showing their appointment is scheduled. Filter and search your appointment list. View the calendar based on the day, week, or month. Approve or cancel appointments automatically.

The pro version adds online payments, unlimited services, and the ability to expand with add-ons. Other features include voice notifications, gift cards, email templates, 2-way synchronization with Google Calendar, analytics, and a lot more. Expand it further with add-ons. Prices start at $89.

11. Slider by Soliloquy

Slider by Soliloquy lets you create custom sliders with a drag-and-drop builder to display photo galleries. It’s optimized for speed and includes custom templates to get you started. Easily create slideshows to showcase your work. Customize the slider, choose the photos to display, adjust the speed, etc.

Most of the features for photographers require one of the pro versions. The pro versions include add-ons such as Instagram feeds, Pinterest, copy protection, carousels, thumbnails, WooCommerce, lightbox, themes, scheduling, and more. Prices start at $19.

12. Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed

Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed lets you add your Instagram feed to your WordPress website. This is a great way to show your photos and images from your photo shoots and locations and to build a social following for your photography business. Display from multiple accounts, adjust the size, shape, color, and spacing, load infinite photos, add a follow button, and more.

The pro version adds user feeds, hashtag feeds, tagged feeds, shoppable feeds, layouts, a visual moderation system, a lightbox, carousels and sliders, Instagram Stories, captions, likes, comments, and more. Adding multiple accounts and user feeds is a great way to so social proof and testimonials of your photography services. Prices start at $98.

13. Download Manager

Download Manager makes it easy to sell photos and other digital products from your WordPress website. It provides media library file protection, and you have full control over who has access to the files. You can store your files on a cloud drive such as Google Drive, DropBox Explorer, and Box.com Explorer.

The premium eCommerce package add-on is free. Manage coupons, manage orders, generate invoices, send email notifications, add licensing prices, add a pay-as-you-want option, sell individual files, view reports, save the cart, manage discounts based on user role, etc. Add more features with premium add-ons or the pro plan starting at $99.

14. Easy Digital Downloads

Easy Digital Downloads lets you sell unlimited digital products from your photography store. It includes a shopping cart, payment methods, discount codes, customizable checkout, detailed reports, order management, customer management, and file protection.

It’s highly expandable with several premium options. The premium version adds over 10 WordPress blocks, customer management, email marketing tools, a smart checkout, reporting, custom discount codes, a mobile app, several payment methods, lead magnets, shipping options, commissions, and lots more. Prices start at $199.

Ending Thoughts on WordPress Plugins for Photographers

That’s our look at the best WordPress plugins for photographers. One of the greatest advantages of WordPress is the amazing number of plugin options available, this includes lots of feature-rich plugins for photographers. Regardless of the purpose of your photography website, you’re sure to find the plugins you need on this list.

We want to hear from you. Have you tried any of these WordPress plugins for photographers? Let us know about your experience in the comments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are WordPress plugins free?

WordPress has loads of plugins you can install, some of them are free, but some of them you will need to pay for. You can learn how to use WordPress Plugins on our blog.

Is a website on WordPress safe?

Websites on WordPress are safe, however to avoid hacking keep your website up to date.

How do I choose a design for my website?

One of the most important things when creating a website for your art is the design. Even though your pieces of art might be amazing, people will leave if your site is hard to navigate. This is why it’s important that the site is easy on the eyes and easy to navigate.

Can you make money selling photography?

Yes, you can make money selling photography. There are many ways you can do this. You can offer your photography services, sell prints, or sell digital images.