Learn how you can grow your photography business by integrating Zenfolio and Bay Photo into your workflow.
A major challenge many photographers can relate to is the stress of setting up and managing an online presence. These days capturing the perfect images isn't enough–you also need a place to showcase your work and brand to attract clients.
Then again, there's the part of finding a reliable printing service to transform your work into high-quality print. With the creativity that goes into shooting quality images, it's only befitting that your work is presented excellently.
In this article, you'll learn everything you need to know about maximizing your photography business using Zenfolio and Bay Photo.
What is Zenfolio, and why should you use it?
Zenfolio is an all-in-one platform designed specifically for photographers, allowing you to manage your photography business from one place. Whether you're showcasing your portfolio, sharing your latest work, booking sessions, or selling your photos, Zenfolio has you covered.
One of Zenfolio's standout features is its easy-to-use website builder. With an array of customizable templates to get you started, you can create a beautiful site that reflects your unique style—no web design experience required.
But Zenfolio is more than just a platform; it's a community of over 500,000 photographers who love how it simplifies their workflow. It's tailored to fit your needs, whether you're just starting out or looking to enhance your existing business.
Among the many features Zenfolio offers are galleries with client proofing tools, making it simple for clients to view, select, and purchase their photos. This means less back and forth for you—and more satisfied customers.
When it comes to selling, Zenfolio excels with its e-commerce capabilities. The features and integrated tools simplify selling for photographers, especially those who are new to selling their work online. From pricing your work to managing orders and processing payments to handling coupons and shipping, everything is streamlined to help you run your business smoothly.
5 game-changing benefits of combining Zenfolio and Bay Photo
Here's where it gets even better: combining Zenfolio with Bay Photo. This powerful duo helps you focus on what you do best—creating amazing photos—while taking care of the rest.
Zenfolio gives you a complete package for showcasing, selling, and managing your photography. Using the integrated products from Bay Photo in your price lists and online store allows you to transform your stellar work into high-quality print format, from framed wall art to standard photo sizes to stunning metal prints.
This powerful combination eliminates the stress of managing multiple platforms, allowing you to focus on delivering exceptional service and quality to your clients.
Let's explore some of these benefits in detail:
1. Streamlined Workflow
Think about how much smoother your photography workflow could be if tasks were easier and faster to complete.
Automated workflows simplify everything, including client ordering and fulfillment processes. They streamline the steps you and your clients need to take, making your work more efficient and less time-consuming.
2. Professional Online Presence
Keeping an online presence as a photographer is just as important as mastering your craft. It’s the perfect opportunity to present your best work to potential clients and possibly attract and retain them.
With Zenfolio, you don’t have to be a web design guru to create professional-looking websites. The platform offers several customizable website templates to suit your design needs and help get you started.
And the best part? These websites come with integrated galleries that allow you to organize, show, share, and sell your work to clients. Think of it as your very own storefront that clients can stroll through virtually.
3. Enhanced Client Experience
Like any business, you want your clients to feel special and valued. This means offering excellent service from the moment they book with you until they receive their photos.
From an integrated online scheduling tool that allows clients to book and pay for sessions within your available time slots to proofing tools that let clients review, select, comment, and purchase photos in their galleries, Zenfolio helps you create a clear process from start to finish for your clients. And by utilizing the features, you can tailor a personalized experience for each one of them.
With the integrated lab products in your price lists, you can rest assured that your clients’ print orders are handled professionally with Bay Photo. The straightforward ordering process allows clients to make purchases quickly and securely online.
4. Time and Cost Efficiency
Saving time and reducing costs are welcome opportunities for every photographer. With Zenfolio’s integrated print products from Bay Photo, you can set up a price list and show your online store in any gallery within your website for automated fulfillment. The time you save on dealing with client orders allows you to focus more on your creative work, expanding your business, or even just relaxing with friends and family–while still delivering exceptional quality to your clients.
Beyond the quality, Bay Photo prints and ships orders in record time, minimizing the wait time for clients. This integration can also reduce expenses on packaging and administrative work, boosting your operational efficiency.
5. Sales and Marketing Tools
Zenfolio is more than just a website for photographers; it offers marketing tools to drive traffic and boost sales. With built-in tools like SEO, automated email campaigns, cart reminders, and social media integration, you can take charge of your promotional efforts all in one place.
These features help you engage more easily with your clients, keeping you at the top of their minds with greater consistency and impact.
What photographers have to say:
Fine art nature and outdoor photographer Mathew Nichols goes to extreme lengths to fulfill his vision and discover the spectacular things in nature, often disregarding his personal comfort in favor of creative freedom. Mathew spoke to us about expanding his online presence and his photography business:
“When I realized I desperately needed a website, my business manager knew just the place. She chose Zenfolio for building it, because of their user friendly interface, and good reviews on excellent customer service. They had the exact layout I wanted.
"I had used a different company for so long that I was hesitant to switch to Bay Photo for order fulfillment. But their pricing was fair, and easy to navigate, so we decided to give it a shot, and I was so shocked at the very fast turnover time. Usually it took my first printing company at least 4 weeks to deliver a product. The average time it takes now seems to be around 4 days. That alone helps create customer satisfaction and returning customers.
"People love to say I'm extremely lucky, and perhaps I am, in a sense. I'm lucky to be able to see opportunities, and expand on them by meticulously forecasting, planning, and executing. It is not easy to chase the spectacular–a lot of the time I struggle throughout the process.
"But I do it because when I finally get to experience and then share that moment with people, I am overcome with a sense of satisfaction and pride knowing that I am inspiring people to enjoy nature like they never have before–and that my shared information helped them fulfill that newfound desire.”
Browse Mathew’s online store here: https://mathewnicholsphotographyshop.com/
Multi-award winning fine art landscape and motorsports photographer and photo educator James Harris began his professional career in photography in 1978 with an assignment for the National Park Service in Utah. Although originally he primarily shot with a Linhof Technika 4x5 view camera for about a decade, James transitioned to 35mm and then joined the digital revolution–a Nikon D850 camera body is his current go-to. James has used a several website and print labs throughout his career before building his site with Zenfolio, and shared a little with us about his reasons for sticking with Zenfolio and Bay Photo:
“Zenfolio has allowed me to create a unique and modern identity with their web design tools. This has been a huge boost for my business. I have tried other photo websites in the past, but only Zenfolio has made this so easy that I can spend more time traveling to create new photographs around the world. And with Zenfolio’s partnership with Bay Photo Lab, I now have all the tools to create a seamless store for my photography sales.
"The variety of products that Bay Photo Lab has allows me to meet my customer’s demands for almost any job. From metal prints and vinyl wraps to matted and framed products, I can provide nearly any sized product for my fine art photography.
"Custom prices lists, packages, and discount coupon codes are just the icing on the cake. And that’s not all! My clients can directly access the store, choose what they want, and have their order shipped directly to them… all without my involvement!
"One of the best things about going with Zenfolio is that they are always innovating with modern web technologies that make everything more customizable, allowing me to create the perfect look for my website.”
Shop James’ website here: https://www.jamesharrisphotography.com/shop-wall-art
Ready to get the most out of your photography business?
Every photographer looking to grow their business needs the right platform—one that simplifies their work and enhances their clients’ experience. With an integrated platform created for photographers, you get it all–one place where you can both share and sell your photographs and where clients will get a great experience and high-quality products.
With Zenfolio and Bay Photo, your photography website becomes a one-stop shop for clients and a centralized place for you to manage your photography business.
To learn more about Zenfolio, visit
Images by:
Mathew Nichols Photography, James Harris Photography