march{76}

A website used to be a tricky thing to build, even for the simplest of pages. You not only needed the technical skill to build the HTML pages, you also needed the hardware to host the page - a server and network capabilities. All of this came at a considerable cost of time, effort, and money. Fast forward to 2020. We now have numerous online hosting platforms that offer simple solutions for building and deploying a website. All the infrastructure, security, and operations are provided. No coding or expert technical skill are required. If the design and technical requirements are minimal, you can have a live site in less than 30 minutes. Many of these platforms offer basic services for free, as well as paid tiers that offer additional features and more storage. Many small businesses have leveraged these platforms to successfully build and scale their online presence. In addition to these hosting platforms, cloud technology has unlocked the potential to code and deploy more than just a website, but fully functional online applications. Instead of simply displaying text and images, a website can perform automated tasks, communicate and store data, and provide interactive experiences to users. This does require some programming skills and a little more technical savvy than the average internet user. I'm not a programmer by trade, but coding has always interested me and I've taken steps to learn about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I'll never build a social media platform, but I can certainly build a cool portfolio website for my photography. More importantly, I can do it at a cost that is comparable to hosting platforms.

Online Hosting Platforms Are Convenient But Not Always Ideal

Most hosting platforms offer convenient templates to assist with the design of a website. Templates provide a cohesive shell design that allows you to simply fill in the elements that you want to use, drag and drop to adjust the layout, and voila! But, what if you intend to do more with your website than just post pictures and text? What if the design of the template doesn't fit with your brand? Templates provided by these online platforms inherently come with restrictions and constraints that can interfere with the creative design and functionality of a website, especially when the hosting services are free. You may be limited on how much content you can post and how creative you can be with the design. You may not be able to brand your site and possibly have ads placed in your layout. I didn't want to be bound by these constraints. I wanted to create workflows that allow me to connect with potential clients and/or other creatives, i.e models, makeup artists, stylists, creative director, etc. I also wanted an easier way to post content, like this blog, and to create interactive mood boards that I can share with collaborators. All this might be possible with an online platform, but not on a free tier. So if I'm going to have to pay to create my design and build my functionality, I'd rather do it on my own, from scratch, and get exactly what I want from the site. In doing so, I'm no longer subject to any creative or functional compromises.

A Labor of Love

I get that most people couldn't care less how a website is built, especially if you're not a programmer. There are so many aspects to running a small business, such that the technical details of a website are secondary to getting the website up and running. There's nothing wrong with that. I guess I'm the type of person that wants to be involved in the details, especially when it comes to technology. I want to understand all the nuances and inner-workings. In doing so, I believe there's potential to unlock new creative functions that other may miss, whether it's camera technology or a website. It just so happens that I enjoy coding. It's a skill that I've acquired over many years working with software as a career. So when it came time to spin up a website for my photography business, I naturally saw it as an opportunity to merge this skill with my passion for photography. When skill meets passion, you find yourself in a place where the effort doesn't seem like work. I thoroughly enjoyed the process from start to where I am now (notice I didn't use the word "finish"). I've manage to create a site, that does more than just display my portfolio. I've created workflows to connect with potential clients and collaborators. I also built a simple CMS that would facilitate the creation of mood boards as well as create and maintain blog posts. I did all this with no constraints around the design or technology. I'm only limited by my own skill as a programmer. Leveraging the cloud, I'm able to host the site for a relatively inexpensive price tag. As a photographers, I feel like we should incorporate our unique skills into what we do, so that we can differentiate ourselves from others in the industry. We all bring something special to our photography. For whatever reason, we tend to miss the opportunities to showcase those extra talents and use them to our benefit. That's ultimately how I came to the decision to build my own photography website. If I have the capacity and skillset to do so, I plan to continue building more technology to augment my photography, wherever that may be. If you have questions about building a portfolio site, whether it be using a hosted platform or doing it from scratch, feel free to email me any questions. I'm happy to offer any insights or advice to help you get exactly what you need from your portfolio website.