How to Choose a Squarespace Designer for Your Photography Business
Web Design project for Lizzie Sweetman Photographer
For a photographer, a website is more than just a portfolio.
It’s a storefront that either welcomes people in or locks the door. While most designers can make it look pretty, only very few know how to make it book.
So how do you know who's actually right for your photography business?
If you've ever hired someone (or almost hired someone) and ended up with a site that looked fine but felt off, a site that didn't quite reflect your work, made your contact form hard to find, or where it fell apart on mobile, this is for you.
Here's what to actually look for in
Squarespace Web Designers
for your photography biz
Brand and Web Design for Bec Zacher Family Photographer
01/ They specialise in photographers, not just "creatives"
A lot of designers say they work with creatives. That's a big tent. Florists, coaches, calligraphers, photographers, brand designers… you know we all get lumped in together in one umbrella term called “creative.”
But a photography website has specific needs. Your galleries have to load fast and display beautifully. Your portfolio has to be structured so the right clients self-select. Your mobile experience matters more than almost any other industry because that's where the majority of your traffic is coming from.
A designer who understands photographers thinks about all of this before you even have to ask.
02/ They understand how photography clients actually book
Seriously though, your website isn't a portfolio for portfolio's sake. It's actually a booking tool.
The journey from "I love this work" to "let's talk" has to be intentional. Where does someone land first? What do they read next? Where's the call to action?Does it feel natural or does it feel like a trap? Is your inquiry form easy to find, or buried three clicks deep?
A good designer thinks about client psychology, not just layout. They're building a path to work with you, not just a pretty page.
03/ They know Squarespace by heart
Okay, so yes, Squarespace does look simple from the outside. And it really is… until you need it to do something specific like creating custom sections, making mobile adjustments, optimizing loading speed, setting up Image SEO, and troubleshooting fluid engine quirks.
You want someone who lives in Squarespace. Not just someone who also does Squarespace. You need someone who knows exactly what it can do, where its limits are, and how to work around them when needed.
Having a Squarespace Circle membership is good, but also having an actual portfolio of ⊹ ࣪ ˖ standout ⊹ ࣪ ˖ Squarespace work, and not just a generic one, is even better,
04/ They think about strategy alongside aesthetics
Web design is not just about creating pretty pages. Websites should also be rooted in strategy.
A good designer is asking questions like:
Who is your dream client?
What do they need to feel before they reach out?
What's making your current site lose people?
If the discovery process feels more like a vibe check than a strategy session, that's a red flag.
At the end of the day, your website should be working for you. It should be filtering the right clients, building trust before you've even spoken, and making the decision to inquire feel obvious.
Brand and Web Design for Sela Volk Studio by Tides Studio
05/ They've actually worked with photographers like you
This one matters more than people realise.
A designer who has built websites for documentary photographers understands things a generalist doesn't. Like how to present a gallery of real, emotional moments without it looking chaotic, or how to write (or guide the writing of) copy that speaks to families and couples looking for raw, candid, and timeless photographs, not the overly posed portraits we normally see. A designer that actually knows what "clean and editorial" actually means for your specific niche versus someone who shoots products or headshots.
Ask to see relevant work. Not just their best work, but relevant work.
Questions worth asking before you hire a Squarespace Designer
Once you've narrowed it down, here are a few things worth asking any designer before you commit:
Have you worked with documentary or story-driven photographers before? What was that like?
How do you approach the strategy side or is the process mostly design-focused?
What does your process look like from start to finish, and how involved do I need to be?
What happens after the site launches? Is there support, or am I on my own?
The answers will tell you a lot, not just about their experience, but about whether they're someone you'd actually enjoy working with for several weeks.
Oh! And one more thing:
You don't need the most expensive designer. You need the right one.
Someone who gets your work. Who asks good questions. Who can translate what you do, capturing real, unscripted, meaningful moments into a website that actually communicates that.
If that's what you're looking for, I'd love to hear from you. At Tides Studio, I work exclusively with documentary and story-driven photographers who are ready to have a website that works as hard as they do.
Talk soon.x Maria
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