Katerina Volkova shot fine-art portraits and editorial commissions, and her website was quietly costing her work. Built on Flash, it did not exist on an iPhone — which is where art directors and magazine editors first look at a photographer. Images loaded slowly, nothing was shareable, and client proofing happened over email with numbered JPEG attachments and week-long confusion about which frames the client had chosen.
The brief was precise. First, a portfolio where the image is the interface: no chrome, no clutter, a masonry grid that respects different aspect ratios and loads progressively on slow connections. Second, technical credibility — she wanted EXIF data visible for the editors who care about craft. Third, password-protected client galleries where a sitter could view proofs, mark favourites, and download finals — replacing the email-attachment workflow entirely. Everything hand-built; she explicitly did not want a template site that looked like every other photographer's.
A hand-written JavaScript masonry layout that streams images progressively, respects native aspect ratios, and keeps first paint under 400KB even with 60+ portfolio images on the page.
Camera, lens, aperture and film-stock notes surfaced in an unobtrusive overlay — a small detail that signalled craft to editors and fellow photographers.
Per-client proofing galleries with a favourites system: clients star their selections, the photographer receives a structured selection list, and final retouched files are delivered through the same private space.
A minimal enquiry path separating commission requests from print sales, so editorial leads and fine-art print buyers each reached the right inbox with the right context.
First-paint page weight despite a full portfolio grid — the site scored faster than 95% of photographer sites built on template platforms that year.
Average client selection turnaround, down from roughly two weeks of email ping-pong over numbered JPEG attachments.
Year-on-year increase in commission enquiries after launch, with mobile traffic — previously zero — becoming the largest single source of new contacts.
// results vary by project — ask us how we measured this one
“Editors stopped asking if I had a portfolio they could actually open. Clients stopped losing their selections in email. The site simply removed every small friction I had stopped noticing.”
Katerina Volkova, Photographer// the photographer has since relocated — archived screenshots preserved as delivered
Editorial portfolios and presentation sites for studios whose reputation is visual. Send us the three projects you are proudest of — we will show you how they should look online.