How to set up a custom domain for your photography gallery

Direct answer

Setting up a custom domain for a photography gallery means adding one DNS record at your domain registrar, then verifying it on the platform side — usually a five-minute task once you know where to look, though DNS propagation can take longer to fully settle. It's the difference between clients seeing yourstudio.grainissue.com (or another vendor's subdomain) and clients.yourstudio.com.

See white label client portal for photographers for the broader branding picture — this page is just the DNS mechanics.

Why the platform's default domain undermines your brand

A branded subdomain (yourstudio.platformname.com) already carries your studio name, which covers most of the branding job. A custom domain matters more once you're sending the portal link in printed materials, want the URL to match your marketing site exactly, or want zero visible trace of the platform name in the address bar. It's a refinement, not a requirement — don't feel behind if you're still on a subdomain.

Step 1: Choose a subdomain pattern

Common patterns: clients.yourstudio.com, gallery.yourstudio.com, portal.yourstudio.com. Any of these work — pick one and use it consistently across your booking confirmations, contracts, and marketing site so clients don't see two different addresses for the same thing.

Step 2: Add a CNAME record at your DNS provider

  1. Log into wherever your domain's DNS is managed (your registrar, or a separate DNS host like Cloudflare)
  2. Add a CNAME record: your chosen subdomain (e.g. clients) pointing to the target the platform gives you
  3. Save — most DNS providers propagate a new CNAME within minutes, though it can occasionally take longer depending on your provider's TTL settings

This is the only DNS change required for most platforms, Grain Issue included — no separate SSL certificate to generate or upload yourself.

Step 3: Verify and enable SSL

Once the CNAME is added, the platform checks for it and provisions SSL automatically — you generally don't manage a certificate manually. Look for a "connect domain" or "custom domain" setting, then a verify/check-status action once the DNS record is live. If verification fails immediately after adding the record, that's usually DNS propagation lag, not a misconfiguration — wait a few minutes and retry before assuming something's wrong.

Common issues

  • DNS propagation delay — the most common cause of a failed first verification attempt; retry after a few minutes rather than re-entering the record
  • SSL certificate errors — almost always resolve once the CNAME is correctly propagated; a cert generated against a not-yet-live DNS record will fail and needs to be re-triggered after propagation completes
  • Subdomain vs root domain confusion — pointing the CNAME at your root domain (yourstudio.com) instead of a subdomain (clients.yourstudio.com) can conflict with existing website DNS records; use a subdomain unless you specifically know how to handle root-domain CNAME/ALIAS records

What still shows the platform's name even after a custom domain

A custom domain changes the URL bar, not everything else. Check separately:

  • Email footers — transactional emails (proofing notifications, invoice receipts) sometimes still show the platform's name in the sender or footer even after the domain is connected
  • Receipts and invoices — payment receipts may route through the payment processor's own branding depending on how it's configured
  • Login/error pages — some platforms show their own branding on password-reset or error states even when the main gallery is fully custom-domained

Test the full client journey once, end to end, after connecting a custom domain — the domain change is instant, but full brand consistency across every touchpoint sometimes isn't.

FAQ

Do I need a developer to set up a custom domain?

No. Adding a CNAME record is a copy-paste task in your DNS provider's dashboard — no coding involved. The most common blocker is not knowing where your domain's DNS is managed, not the technical step itself.

How long does DNS propagation actually take?

Often minutes, occasionally longer depending on your DNS provider and existing record TTLs. If verification fails right after adding the record, wait 15-30 minutes before troubleshooting further.

What if I don't own a domain yet?

Register one first (through any domain registrar), point its nameservers or DNS records appropriately, then follow the same CNAME steps. A branded subdomain on the platform's own domain works fine in the meantime — a custom domain isn't required to look professional.