Bunty Studio: A Premium Photography Website That Actually Converts

How we built a high-end portfolio site for a BC-based photography studio — from scratch to launch in under a week.

Client: Bunty Studio (British Columbia, Canada)

Industry: Photography — Weddings, Maternity, Baby, Lifestyle

Services: Web Design, Development, Database Setup, Hosting Configuration

Timeline: 5 days

The Challenge

Bunty Studio is a photography business based in British Columbia that specializes in weddings, maternity shoots, baby photography, and lifestyle portraits. They had a problem many photographers face: their work was stunning, but their online presence didn't reflect that.

The client came to us with a clear goal — they needed a website that looked as premium as the photos they take. Not a cookie-cutter template. Not something that screamed "I built this myself over the weekend." They wanted something that would make potential clients stop scrolling and actually book a session.

What they needed:

· A gallery that could handle 500+ high-resolution images without slowing down

· An admin panel to manage content, pricing, and leads without touching code

· Mobile-first design (most of their traffic comes from Instagram)

· Fast load times despite image-heavy pages

· Professional look that builds trust with couples planning their wedding

Our Approach

We didn't start with code. We started with questions. Who visits this site? What are they looking for? What makes them choose one photographer over another?

For wedding and baby photography, the answer is almost always emotional connection. People want to feel something when they land on your site. They want to trust that you'll capture their most important moments with care.

So we designed around that feeling.

Design Philosophy

We went with what we call "luxury minimal" — lots of whitespace, elegant typography, and a warm champagne gold accent color that feels premium without being flashy. The photos do most of the talking. Everything else just gets out of the way.

The homepage opens with a full-screen hero section that cycles through the studio's best work. No sliders with tiny arrows. No autoplay videos. Just beautiful images that fill the screen and immediately tell visitors: these people know what they're doing.

Technical Build

Under the hood, we built a custom PHP application with MySQL database integration. Here's why that matters:

Gallery System

With 500+ images, we couldn't just dump everything on one page. We built a paginated gallery that loads 24 images at a time, with category filters for Wedding, Maternity, Baby, and Lifestyle. The images lazy-load as you scroll, so the initial page load stays fast.

Image Compression

Every image uploaded through the admin panel gets automatically compressed. We're talking 60-70% file size reduction with no visible quality loss. This keeps the site fast even on slower mobile connections.

Admin Panel

The client can update everything themselves:

· Upload and organize gallery images by category

· Change pricing packages and features

· Update testimonials

· Manage hero images on the homepage

· View and respond to contact form submissions

· Track leads with status updates (New, Contacted, Booked, Closed)

[Screenshot: Admin Dashboard]
Add screenshot of the admin panel (with any sensitive data hidden)

Clean URLs & SEO

We set up proper URL rewriting so pages show up as /gallery/ instead of /gallery/index.php. We also added meta descriptions, Open Graph tags for social sharing, and made sure the site structure made sense for search engines.

Hosting Setup

We configured everything on Hostinger with MySQL database, SSL certificate, and proper caching headers. The site loads in under 2 seconds on desktop and around 3 seconds on mobile — solid numbers for an image-heavy photography site.

Key Features

What makes this site work:

· Full-screen hero with image slideshow — First impressions matter. Visitors see the best work immediately.

· Paginated gallery with 24 images per page — Fast loading, easy browsing.

· Category filtering — Couples looking at wedding photos don't need to scroll past baby pictures.

· Transparent pricing — Three clear packages. No "contact us for pricing" games.

· WhatsApp integration — Floating button for instant contact (huge in this market).

· Mobile-optimized everything — Responsive design that actually works on phones.

· Lead management system — Every contact form submission is tracked and organized.

The Results

The site launched and the client was able to start directing Instagram followers to a website that actually represents their brand. The admin panel means they're not dependent on us for every small update — they can upload new photos, change prices, and manage leads on their own.

"This is exactly what I wanted. It looks premium, it's fast, and I can actually update it myself. My clients have already commented on how professional the new site looks."
— Bunty Studio

What We Learned

Photography websites live or die by their imagery. The code, the design system, the database — none of it matters if the photos don't look good. Our job was to build a frame that makes the work shine without competing with it.

We also learned (again) that photographers need simple tools. A complicated CMS with fifty menu options is worse than useless. The admin panel we built has exactly what they need and nothing more.

Tech Stack

· Frontend: HTML5, CSS3 (custom, no frameworks), Vanilla JavaScript

· Backend: PHP 8

· Database: MySQL

· Hosting: Hostinger

· Other: Apache with mod_rewrite, GD Library for image compression

Ready to Build Something Like This?

If you're a photographer, creative professional, or small business owner who needs a website that actually works — not just exists — we should talk.

We build custom websites that look premium, load fast, and give you control over your own content. No templates. No page builders. No monthly fees for basic updates.