Bloom - Responsive Photography / Portfolio WordPress Theme

**Bloom** is a clean, modern, and high-performance **Photography and Portfolio WordPress Theme** designed for creatives who need an elegant way to showcase visual work. Developed by **cththemes**, it focuses on a "distraction-free" user experience, utilizing smooth AJAX transitions to keep visitors engaged as they browse your galleries. 

In 2026, Bloom is noted for its "timeless" minimalist design that prioritizes high-resolution imagery over heavy UI elements. 

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### 🚀 Key Photography Features 

* **AJAX Page Transitions:** One of Bloom's standout technical features; it allows pages to load without a full browser refresh, creating a seamless, app-like experience for potential clients. 
* **Before/After Image Element:** Includes the "Twenty Twenty" jQuery tool, perfect for photo editors or retouchers to demonstrate the impact of their work visually. 
* **Infinite Scroll:** Galleries and portfolios can be set to load more images automatically as the user scrolls, preventing the friction of "pagination" clicks. 
* **Light and Dark Versions:** Switch between a "clean white" aesthetic for weddings and lifestyle or a "deep dark" mode for cinematic and fine-art photography. 
* **Fullscreen Backgrounds:** Supports high-impact video (YouTube/Vimeo) and image backgrounds to make a strong first impression on the homepage. 

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### 📂 Diverse Portfolio Layouts 

Bloom offers a range of pre-configured "Work" styles to fit different creative specialties: 

* **Slider & Carousel:** Ideal for a curated "Best of" showcase on the home page. 
* **Masonry & Grid:** Flexible layouts for large wedding albums or diverse commercial portfolios. 
* **Vertical & Horizontal Layouts:** Supports unique side-scrolling galleries which are popular in modern art photography. 
* **6 Post Formats:** Specifically styled templates for **Image, Slider, Gallery, Video, Audio, and Quote** posts. 

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### 🛠 Technical Specifications 

* **WPBakery Page Builder:** Bundled for free (saving ~$34), allowing for drag-and-drop customization of internal pages. 
* **Redux Framework:** Provides a powerful backend theme options panel to manage global branding, colors, and typography. 
* **Fully Responsive & Retina Ready:** Optimized for high-DPI displays (like iPhones and MacBooks) to ensure your photos stay sharp and vibrant. 
* **Isotope Gallery Plugin:** Includes a commercial license for professional-grade filtering and sorting of your portfolio items. 
* **WPML & Translation Ready:** Includes `.pot` files and is compatible with multi-language plugins for international photographers. 

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### ⚖️ Is Bloom Right for You? 

| Use Bloom If... | Consider Divi or Ocularus If... | 
| --- | --- | 
| You want **fast, seamless AJAX** transitions. | You want a **traditional, static** page structure. | 
| You need a **Before/After** comparison tool. | You are a **text-focused** blogger. | 
| You prefer **minimalist, spacious** design. | You want a **complex, feature-heavy** UI. | 
| You use **WPBakery** for your workflow. | You are an **Elementor** power user. | 

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### 📋 Setup Tip: Image Optimization 

Because Bloom utilizes fullscreen backgrounds and high-res sliders, performance is key in 2026. 

1. **WebP Format:** Always use WebP images to maintain high quality at a fraction of the file size of traditional JPEGs. 
2. **Lazy Loading:** Ensure "Lazy Load" is active for your infinite-scroll galleries to prevent long initial load times on mobile. 
3. **Contrast:** If using the "Dark Version," ensure your logo has a transparent background (PNG or SVG) to blend perfectly with the deep aesthetics. 

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### 💰 Pricing & Availability 

* **Standard License:** Typically **$49** on ThemeForest. 
* **Includes:** Lifetime updates, 6 months of professional support from **cththemes**, and the bundled premium plugins. 

> **Note:** Do not confuse this theme with "Bloom by Elegant Themes" (which is an email opt-in plugin) or "Blooms by Fuel Themes" (which is a flower shop theme). This Bloom is specifically for **Photography Portfolios**. 

**Would you like me to find the specific guide on how to configure the "Before and After" slider for your latest photo edits?**