Member Avatar for kimmi_baby

Hi,
I'm curious as to what the best CMS to use for a photography site is...

I've had a potential client approach me about having a website made but they would like to update everything themselves including the images in the galleries. I've used Joomla and Wordpress before and I need to find one for the client that will be really easy for them to update.. Especially the gallery. I've seen slide show modules etc for Joomla and they are still far too complicated for a person with no background in coding what so ever... The CMS also needs to be customizable so that I can make a custom template. HTML, PHP and CSS preferred.

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Thread opener described a common requirement: a photography site that the client can fully update (images and galleries) while the designer supplies a custom template. Choosing a system is less about brand and more about matching the admin workflow to a non-technical user and making maintenance safe and repeatable.

Key things to insist on in any solution:

  • Drag‑and‑drop bulk upload and an obvious visual reorder for albums (no manual filename juggling).
  • Automatic generation of derived sizes (web, retina, thumbnail) so the client uploads one master and the system creates web-friendly files.
  • Inline fields for title, caption and alt text in the media UI so SEO/proofing isn’t left to chance.
  • Password/private proofing and simple download/print ordering if the client sells work.
  • Ability to replace an image in-place (keeps URLs and layout intact).
  • Server support for image processing (Imagick/GD), sensible PHP upload limits, and an automated backup strategy.

Practical setup and handoff steps that reduce support calls:

  1. Preconfigure 2–3 album layouts (portrait, landscape, grid) so the client picks rather than builds.
  2. Create a limited editor account that can only manage media/pages — hide plugin/theme settings.
  3. Provide a one‑page cheat sheet and a 3–4 minute screencast showing the exact 4–5 steps to upload, caption, reorder and publish.
  4. Enforce simple naming and metadata habits (no spaces/special chars; fill alt text).
  5. Run end‑to‑end testing: upload, replace an image, check EXIF orientation, and view on mobile/slow connections.

Building on points from , and , the real win is a streamlined, documented workflow and a small set of templates the client can safely use. Those details matter far more than which CMS is chosen.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for chrishea

Gallery is well-rated but I don't have any experience with it in terms of ease of use or customization.

A good list of CMS systems can be found here. Many have demos available.

Member Avatar for drjohn

There are a huge number of free wordpress templates available for portfolio/photography sites. Try searching for them using the obvious keywords wordpress photo gallery template. The choice is massive, and it can be worth paying to have the template designed by bit removed, if you have a client paying you, as they might think "Wait a minute, free cms and free template??? why is he charging me?"

Member Avatar for Pjieter

Considered using Drupal?
I'm using Drupal for a few weeks now, and getting pretty used to it.
I'm pretty sure they have some modules for displaying photo galleries..

Member Avatar for graphicdesigner

Use wordpress, you can get tons of free photogallery themes.

commented: Good to know, I was looking for a way to share my photo's! +0
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