Your portfolio is the work.
Not the CMS.
Squarespace downscales your uploads. Format charges 30 percent on prints. Aperture gives you full-resolution galleries, client proofing, and sub-1s load time without the platform tax.
Already a member? See an example booking page
Everything a working photographer needs
Publish the portfolio, proof the shoot, ship the print. One stack, your Stripe, zero commission.
Full-resolution galleries, no hidden downscaling
Squarespace silently resizes uploads above 500 KB and strips your colour profile on export. VeloCMS stores the original file on Cloudflare R2 with no transcoding by default and serves responsive derivatives only where they make sense, so a printed sample and the web gallery start from the same master image.
Password-protected client proofing
Private galleries live behind a client-set passcode. Send a client a URL and the passcode, let them browse the full-resolution set in the same browser, and enable downloads for the images you choose. No PDFs, no screen-share calls, no third-party proofing tool tax.
Aperture theme — built around the frame
Aperture is a photo-first editorial layout with pinned cover frames, generous white space, and a lightbox that opens to full-resolution with keyboard navigation. Captions sit in the margin so they never compete with the image. Presets let you swap from bright editorial to inky noir without rebuilding.
Print and download orders through Stripe
List a 16x20 archival print as a product, set shipping zones, and let Stripe handle the checkout. Digital downloads are delivered with a signed short-lived URL so a buyer cannot casually share the original. You keep every dollar because VeloCMS charges zero platform fee on sales.
EXIF GPS opt-in, not opt-out
Photographers publish one accidental geotag and wake up with a stalker, so we treat it as two separate problems. On the page, location still stays off by default — VeloCMS won't display or store your GPS coordinates unless you switch that setting on. In the file, if you run a photography site or have watermarking turned on, every upload is now stripped of its GPS tag and your camera's make, model and serial number before it ever goes public — server-side, before the published copy exists. Your untouched master sits in private storage the whole time, so nothing about the shot is lost, just the parts a stranger could use to find you.
Contact, contracts, and invoices from one inbox
Built-in contact blocks feed Resend-powered emails, and the e-commerce layer handles booking deposits without any plugin chain. Attach the session contract as a PDF on the confirmation email, tag the client in your members database, and route everything to your existing inbox.
VeloCMS vs Squarespace vs Format
| Feature | VeloCMS | Squarespace | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-resolution original storage | Yes | No | Yes |
| Password-protected galleries | Yes | Paid plan | Yes |
| EXIF GPS strip by default | Yes | No | No |
| Print order e-commerce | 0% fee | 3% fee | Add-on |
| Digital download signed URLs | Yes | No | No |
| Custom domain included | Yes | Paid plan | Paid plan |
| Export all images + metadata | Yes | ZIP only | ZIP only |
| Sub-1s LCP on gallery pages | Yes | No | No |
| Built-in booking inquiry form | Yes | Add-on | No |
Print store
Sell prints with one click — straight from the post
- ✓Upload the master once — VeloCMS strips GPS and camera identity from the copy that lists as a print and applies your watermark automatically, then keeps the untouched original private on your own R2 storage
- ✓5-minute setup from photo to live print store — name it, add sizes, hit publish
- ✓Buyers pick size and paper finish; Stripe handles checkout with your own keys
- ✓Limited edition? Set the run size and VeloCMS tracks copies sold automatically
- ✓Zero platform fee on sales — Format charges 8–15%. VeloCMS charges nothing
Admin dashboard preview
Golden Hour at Yosemite
4 sizes · $45 – $220
Blue Ridge Autumn
3 sizes · $35 – $165
Pacific Storm (Ed. 25)
2 sizes · $180 – $320
Manage at /admin/print-products · Stripe sync in one click
Frequently asked questions
What CMS is best for photographers in 2026?
VeloCMS is built specifically for photographers who need full-resolution storage, client proofing, and print sales without platform commissions. It stores your original file on Cloudflare R2, strips GPS coordinates and camera identity from every image before it publishes, and loads gallery pages in under one second — things Squarespace and Format don't offer out of the box.
Does VeloCMS preserve EXIF and color profiles?
Yes for colour, always. Your original lands on Cloudflare R2 exactly as your editor wrote it — AdobeRGB, ProPhoto and sRGB profiles all survive the upload — so the print sample and the web gallery start from the same master. If you run a photography site or have watermarking on, that master is kept in private storage and the copy the world sees is processed on the way out: GPS and camera-identity tags stripped before it ever publishes, so a downloaded JPEG carries your colour work and none of your camera's paper trail.
Can I sell prints directly from my blog?
Absolutely. Add a print product with sizes and paper finishes, connect your own Stripe account, and buyers check out without leaving your site. VeloCMS takes zero commission — Format charges 8–15%. Digital downloads use signed short-lived URLs so buyers can't casually share originals.
How does it compare to Squarespace for photo portfolios?
Squarespace silently downscales uploads above 500 KB and strips color profiles. VeloCMS stores the full-resolution master and generates responsive derivatives only for web display. You also get EXIF GPS controls, client proofing behind a magic-link, and print e-commerce with zero platform fee — none of which Squarespace offers natively.
Does it support client proofing galleries?
Yes. Private galleries live behind a client-set passcode — send the client a URL and the passcode, and they can browse and download the images you've enabled. No third-party proofing tool required, no Dropbox sharing, no screen-share calls. Works on mobile too.
Will my Lightroom-exported files upload cleanly?
Yes. VeloCMS accepts JPEG, TIFF, and WebP exports from Lightroom without transcoding the original. The media library shows a thumbnail for browsing while the full-res master sits in private storage. If you run a photography site or have watermarking on, the copy that actually publishes is processed on the way out — GPS and camera identity stripped, your watermark applied — while your untouched export stays put behind the scenes. See the privacy question below for exactly what that covers.
Can I migrate from SmugMug?
You can export your SmugMug gallery as a ZIP and bulk-import the images into VeloCMS Media. Post content migrates via the WordPress importer (SmugMug supports WordPress-format export). Your custom domain points to VeloCMS with a CNAME update — no SEO loss from slug changes if you keep the same URL structure.
Does it strip GPS data by default for privacy?
Yes — out of the file itself now, not just off the page. If you run a photography site or have watermarking enabled, VeloCMS strips the GPS tag and your camera's make, model and serial number from the copy that publishes, server-side, before it's ever public. Your original stays in private storage untouched, so nothing about the shot is lost, just the coordinates a stranger could lift from the file. Neither setting on yet? Turn on watermarking in Admin > Settings > Photography and every future upload gets the same treatment.
The file. The frame. The fee.
Keep full resolution, keep client proofing private, keep every dollar on print orders. 14-day trial, cancel anytime, full export on day one.
Start 14-day trial