Best Photography WordPress Themes in 2023

There are a lot of well-designed WordPress themes out there. Serving a lot of different purposes. There are even some that can pretty much carry a site design by themselves. But as a photographer, designer or visual artist, you don’t need the theme to stand out for you, you need a theme that lets your work do the talking, without getting in the way.

The themes listed in this post will all share this key quality. This means that many of the themes recommended here will look similar, but will differ in functionality and feel, and typography and other ways. Anyway, here are 35+ of the very best WordPress themes for a photographer in 2023.

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1. Vega

With Vega, you can again choose how you want your homepage to look from several different well-designed templates. It includes 11 different gallery layout templates, as well as filterable portfolio functionality. There’s also a content builder that allows you creative control in the way your gallery or portfolio is put together.

2. Total

While Total is technically a multipurpose theme, it has an advanced and customizable portfolio built-in. The theme supports the most common media formats (image, gallery, audio, video) and pages layouts are fully customizable thanks to the included front-end page builder. Create your design using sliders, callouts, buttons, graphs, galleries, maps and more.

The Total theme even includes 40+ quick-start demos, a header & footer builder, premium sliders, hundreds of customizer options, SEO friendly code and support for popular plugins… including WooCommerce, so if you want to sell your photography you can!

3. Pronto (Free)

Pronto is a free WordPress theme designed for photographers, designers and other creatives to create a simple portfolio fast (pronto!). The theme includes easy options for adding posts, uploading a custom logo, inserting galleries and tweaking theme colors (just change the accent color in the live theme Customizer).

4. INA Photo Stories

Designing your personal website is like a breeze with Ina. Perfectly suited to the needs of photo bloggers, Ina can be easily installed and customized as per the user’s requirements. The modern and sleek look of this WordPress theme comes with 10+ distinct blog layouts, 3 header styles, and 5 widgetized areas, just to mention a few features. The theme-options-panel is powerful and easy-to-use with wonderful design, color, logo, and customized layout options.

With Ina, you can write awesome content on a variety of topics like food, clothes, fashion, lifestyle, and personal experiences. Users can import the demo site in just one click and avail the WordPress Live customizer to make changes to the layout, color, design, or fonts after the website becomes functional. Users can also import the sample content of the WordPress theme very simple via the Wp Admin panel.

Ina has a single post layout with will full width and sidebars. Not only can it be loaded quickly, this WordPress theme is SEO-friendly and has access to 600+ Google Fonts. There are 10 different types of blog layouts that you can select from and write details about your blogger journey on the author page. There is also Child Theme included and the social media icons enable users to connect with their desired social media platforms. The Ina is a well-documented and translation-ready website with continuous backend support that guides users in installation and usage processes. You can access the website from different devices, upload photos or videos, and write stories even while on the run.

5. Astra Photography

Astra offers many ready made demos, one of which is a lovely flat photography and portfolio demo. This modern demo is clean and simple and perfect for sharing your business and work with followers and clients. Astra comes in a free and premium version, both of which include the minimum features for creating a useful photography website.

This theme includes tons of great features for customizations. Specifically it’s built around the Elementor page builder. This is important, since you want the theme to match your personal taste and style. The customization options makes changing colors or uploading a logo easy, and custom blocks add tons of great features to your pages, posts or even widget areas (like social links). Plus Astra is also compatible with top plugins like WooCommerce for easy e-commerce, Contact Form 7 for useful contact forms and more.

6. MAC

This is a full-screen theme aimed at photographers. MAC offers a sleek homepage that really makes your selected pictures the centerpiece of your whole website. This unique photo grid with hovers is a sure way to stand out.

Add creative elements to your site with a few clicks like sliders, galleries, and of course a blog. The theme is fully responsive and easy to customize thanks to built-in features. The theme’s portfolio design is sleek and very content-focused. Nothing to stand in your way here.

7. Luminis Wedding Photography

Luminis, a professional photography WordPress theme, is the perfect choice for artists running photo studios, photo agencies, and other creative ventures. If you are in the photography business and are looking for a theme to showcase your portfolio for weddings, travel, and other events, Luminis is the perfect platform. This is a minimalistic theme that provides sleek layouts and elegant designs so that you can put your best creative foot forward.

You can choose from multiple template designs, color, fonts, and blog layouts to customize your web portfolio. The theme is fully-responsive and can be operated from a wide range of devices providing an equally pleasant user-experience. Users can select any option from the 5 portfolio designs and 3 Blog layouts to design a SEO-friendly website which ranks you high in the search results. Additionally, Luminis has an excellent backend support for installation and regular updates.

Users also have access to 700+ Google fonts and the theme live customizer lets you change the look of the website even after you go live. You can also reach your target audience by connecting with them through all social media networks using icons provided in the blog layouts. Showcase your latest professional photo portfolio with the help of the Instagram Footer. Luminis is a Translation Ready website where you can translate the website into a language of your choice.

8. Lens

The default homepage of Lens is a full-page mosaic-style gallery, with a menu on the left side. But you can choose to make it a slider, full screen slider, portfolio, full width single image and more. You can also change the color themes and tweak other design details in the theme options.

A thing that makes Lens stand out from the competition is that it has built-in animated transitions. So when you’re navigating the website, instead of just seeing a white screen when you click a link before anything loads, there’s an appealing visual transition.

It’s also compatible with WooCommerce making it possible for you to integrate a store for your pictures, prints or other things right on your very website, managed from within the WordPress Dashboard.

9. Zyra

Zyra is a full-screen photography theme, with the default homepage being a slider with a menu on the left side. Unlike many of the other themes, Zyra doesn’t offer countless different homepage templates, but when the standard one is as good-looking as it is, why would you want to change it?

The color scheme is fully customizable from within the theme options, and there is video support for all pages. Meaning you could make a video the first piece in your homepage slider or gallery. Zyra also supports WooCommerce, so again, creating an online store is an option with this theme.

10. Imagery (Free)

A rather minimalistic theme with a masonry grid recent posts section on the homepage and a simple but elegant centered layout. It also takes the images from the featured images and automatically links to posts making this another good choice for photobloggers with something to say.

11. Arven

Another great photography theme is Arven. Created with studios and independent photographers in mind, the Arven theme has tons to offer. So whether you want to create a landing page to advertise yourself, or build a full fledged photography business site you can.

The theme comes with easy options, especially when it comes to site design. Not only are there a plethora of pre-designed pages but the WPBakery page builder is included for even more flexibility. Plus you can choose from 500 gallery styles and 15+ slider elements to make your portfolio stand out. This means you have a lot of creative control over how your website will look, even if you don’t know a single line of code. It also supports WooCommerce, so again, creating an online store is an option with this theme.

12. dk

dk is another very popular alternative. The default homepage has a fullscreen slider with a slight pixelation effect on the pictures. As well as the option of background music, adding another layer of visitor experience to experiment with for those who are interested. It offers 10 different page templates, several gallery templates, and support for videos.

13. Pineapple (Free)

If you want a minimalistic website design then Pineapple is the perfect free theme for you. Pineapple is a simple blog that can be used as a gallery, as the main feature of the theme design is your posts’ featured images. Pineapple also support video, audio and quote post formats so you can add all of your creative works.

14. Photocrati Framework

Rather than selling a single theme for photographers, Photocrati is more of a framework approach, similar to Elegant themes, only focused solely on photographers. For one price, you get the main framework, as well as access to lots of different templates to choose from. It was specially created for photographers to showcase their personal and professional portfolios online.

Photocrati is not just a WordPress theme – it’s a framework. It’s 15 photography WordPress themes plus tons of features all wrapped up into one. Currently there are 15 unique photography themes to choose from. On top of that there are a total of 60 homepage layouts, 4 homepage gallery styles and 5 gallery layouts to choose from. Plus you can create an unlimited number of posts and pages to ensure you include each and every photo on your website.

This is an all-in-one theme framework, so Photocrati has even integrated e-commerce options for you. That’s right – you can sell your own original artwork and prints right from your website without having to share any profits with a third party. Options for PayPal, taxes, shipping and handling have all been built into the framework.

All of the Photocrati themes are customizable, include brilliant gallery management, lovely blogs, and include loads of the other fantastic features! For example built-in e-commerce. If you’re in the business of selling prints or other things and want to move that online, Photocrati makes it easy.

15. Tracks (Free)

Tracks is a beautiful free theme that is ideal for photo blogging. If you like to tell stories or add poetry to the pictures you share, this is a great choice. Just use the built-in options for columns, customizer settings, author widget and more.

16. Armada

A powerful theme with many customizations, without compromising on page speed. The default homepage features a beautiful animated fullscreen slider. And in addition to other included templates, Armada also offers a drag and drop builder to help you create your own design. Armada also supports WooCommerce, so again, creating an online store is an option with this theme.

17. Thumbs Portfolio (Free)

This is another grid-style theme that functions in the same way. The difference is that the Thumbs Portfolio a little more minimalistic, perhaps with a little more focus on the visual content thanks to the clean gallery grid.

18. Core

The bestselling Photography theme on Themeforest. There are three different homepage templates, and you have the option to add background music if you want. It has 4 different portfolio styles to choose from, and a few key animated effects that add a certain flow and feel to the website. The core selling point of Core is the minimalistic approach, how the theme gets out of the way and lets the content do the heavy lifting.

19. Fluxus

Another minimalistic theme, the default homepage here is a slider, with a discreet topside menu. It features a flexible grid portfolio layout that adapts to the dimensions of the pictures you choose to include. Video support in portfolio and elsewhere. As well as a range of customization options among other things.

20. Border

With a unique and very sleek design, Border stands out from the bunch. Instead of having the menu to one side, above or below, Border has a thin white border around the image where the header and menu options are evenly spread out.

I has nice animated transitions for the menu and when you opt to go to a new page. You can also opt to overlay animated text on pictures where needed. It also has project pages that would be perfect to showcase individual standout projects, video support along with tons of customization options.

21. Andra

Andra is a minimal portfolio theme with retina support, as well as a night mode to better showcase your work in the dark. Simply bulk upload your images to create galleries, design pages with the builder, set color options, add Ajax page transitions and more to build out your site.

22. Oyster

The default homepage is a full-screen slider with a menu at the top. There are also other template options, along with light and dark skins. You have several designs to choose from for portfolios and galleries, and features an auto load function for visitors who are scrolling through your galleries. It has a drag and drop page builder, and even a coming soon page function

23. Evoke

Evoke is a dynamic responsive WordPress theme has numerous features like a widgetized homepage, 7 layouts for displaying articles, live customization, unlimited color options, etc. Plus it is compatible with all major browsers and devices. So you can focus more on creating beautiful quality content. It is a wonderful WordPress theme specially created for people with an artistic flair who wants to share their experience in words.

The fully responsive layout and other additional features enables the user to upload write-ups and images even from their field areas. You can customize the theme using the WordPress theme Customizer in just a few clicks, and watch the preview in real time. The exclusive author page will have a record of all your details for viewers to read and contact you.

Evoke is child ready with full localization support for your translations. The Live Customizer is feature-rich and you can edit the layouts, style, color, and design even after it goes live. Express yourself by writing captivating articles with beautiful typography along with your photo uploads, that can be read on a full-screen image.

24. Blacksilver

Blacksilver is a clean and modern photography premium WordPress theme and is the perfect way to showcase your photoshoots with your followers online. After each and every photoshoot, you probably have a ton of awesome images you want to share. But using Instagram, or even Flickr, isn’t the best route. Why not start your own website so you can take credit for your work?

One of the best features of this theme is the clean and minimal design that still offers what you need for your photography site. There are easy layout options, vertical or horizontal menu, sticky footer, fullscreen slideshows, lightbox (with transition, title and link options), filterables, lazy loading galleries, built-in password protected proofing, client management, WooCommerce integration, translation support and more.

25. CleanPortfolio (Free)

The CleanPortfolio free theme is a cleanly designed portfolio theme. There are easy options in the for creating your portfolio, adding your social media links, including header media text, and more. It’s a quick and simple way to showcase your photography fast.

26. Mira

Mira is a mesmerizing photo-series WordPress theme for bloggers, writers, designers, photographers, and travelers. This clean and fully-responsive theme has more than 15 article layouts to select from. If you want a perfectly customized website such as travel journal blog, magazine, photography blog, portfolio or food blog you can select from a collection of amazing features and your site is done in just a few clicks.

The Customer Live Preview enables users to take complete charge of their website when it goes live. You can change the colors, typography, logo, or any shortfalls that become prominent after the website becomes functional. This amazing WordPress theme provides powerful connectivity features so that you can easily share your posts to all social media networks. Users can select layouts, headers, and custom styles from the theme options panel to make their website attractive, productive, and user-friendly.

The responsive layout and seamless user-experience draws the audience back to your website. They can access the blog from different devices and browse through it with complete ease. A demo content installer provides all ‘help’ functions to allow the user smooth installation of the website in just a few minutes. Moreover, the robust customer support is available to answer all user queries. The admin panel is equipped with dynamic features that give you complete control and provides ease of handling the website all under a single dashboard. Having access to 700+ Google fonts, the SEO-friendly Mira is truly a bloggers delight.

27. Ichiban

Ichiban is an elegant and refined photography premium WordPress theme. With a unique split-screen layout, it’s a surefire way to impress potential clientele. Show your portfolio in a way that is as creative as you are with Ichiban. This lovely little theme has a unique split screen layout that lets you really showcase what’s important – your photography.

This theme has great features like customizable galleries (you can choose your image sizes), multiple header designs (you can even add images, videos and sliders to the background), and plenty of post formats. This gives you the option to set up your site how you want.

Ichiban is also really great for new WordPress users since it comes with great documentation – there are even easy to follow videos to help get you started. And if you have any other questions you can also take advantage of the included support.

28. Inspiro

Inspiro is a responsive fullscreen photography premium WordPress theme developed by WPZoom. This lovely and minimal theme is perfect for any online portfolio or gallery. The theme is a quick and easy way to create a personal website to share your photos, and even sell theme online. Just install the theme and use the built-in features and pages templates to finish your site in no time at all.

Because this is a photography theme it of course has awesome image options. The theme features a stunning homepage fullscreen slider to showoff your favorite images. Plus there is an awesome full gallery where you can add all your pics from your photo-shoots, live events or your phone.

Other great features of Inspiro include a social widget so your readers can tweet and follow you, custom logo and background image support to make the theme more personalized, a full blog to share your latest news and helpful tips and so much more.

29. Photoreactive

Photoreactive is a full-screen photography premium WordPress theme available on ThemeForest. This stunning theme makes a wonderful online portfolio or gallery for photographers, designers and other creatives.

This theme was built to showcase lots of images, so it’s easy to include your entire body of work or just a sampling – whichever works for you. Add a massive full-screen homepage slider, full-screen background images to any page, and create gorgeous portfolios to showcase your works. Plus there are tons of portfolio options for columns, filters, grid layout, AJAX and more.

The theme is also e-commerce ready. Photoreactive includes support and styling for the popular WooCommerce plugin. The elegant and minimal store and product pages look great with the custom backgrounds supported by the theme. Photoreactive is also compatible with the WPML multilingual plugin, so you can add translation options to your entire website (portfolio,  blog, store and all of your other pages) in a snap.

30. Photographer

The Photographer WordPress Theme is a premium theme created by Organic Themes, that features a fully responsive layout perfect not only for sharing digital photography but also for selling your stock photos. It comes with WooCommerce support so you can sell your photos online using that plugin, custom header options, custom background options, featured images/videos, multiple homepage layouts, gravity form styling and more!

Created with the Photographer in mind, this theme will allow you to setup a portfolio using various template options (1,2 or 3 column options), there are several color change options so you can customize the theme to match your brand, its responsive so it will look good no matter your user’s screen size and of course the minimal design makes it ideal for sharing photos.

Conclusion

There are three main approaches to visual portfolio themes; showing a few select photos, with discrete links to further images/information, or showcasing a single photo (or video or other piece of visual artwork) on the homepage, or having a slider on the homepage to showcase one piece at a time. Which one of these you prefer might dictate your choice of theme… however, many of the themes on this list have all three as options, regardless of the default.

So if you spotted a design you liked, but would rather it had a grid or full-screen style homepage, take a second to check the features. It just might be the theme you’ve been looking for.

Did we miss some? What’s your favorite theme of 2023 so far? Let us know in the comments.