I run a photography business in San Diego and would like to get a more "custom" layout coded for it. Really want I want is just a different header and display of links and a more uniform appearance to showcasing my "investment" page. Most photography template layouts are just white and I'd like some soft color on my site to combat the total minimalistic approach.

Do you use wordpress or something similar for it? Your best bet might be to find a theme that you like for it, there are a lot of cheap ones that are pretty simple to install and modify.