Some of you may have noticed, many of you probably not, but the last time I actually updated my website under its previous design was 2012. That’s right, it has been four years since I did anything with my website, and that is just not a good sign. So the real question there is, why the delay?

Well, there were a few reasons, to be honest.

The biggest issue was getting over my own pride. I taught myself almost all the coding I know, and some of the more advanced stuff I was coached through by friends who are far more masterful in that department than I. So having done all the coding, all the graphic design, and all the hours of troubleshooting to make my website what it was, it was hard to abandon that. Being stuck in such a mindset though is a big part of why the website remained static and dormant for so long.

On top of the pride, there was the efficiency of making an update. When you’ve done everything in Adobe Dreamweaver (or similar) to code out a website by hand, there is no cute little “upload now” button like you have on social media websites to add content. All new content has to be coded in by hand, all over again. It’s a time-consuming process, and honestly, it’s not terribly enjoyable after a while. So with a lack of desire or motivation, and a lack of time, things just weren’t getting done.

More on a personal level, I was going through a rough period in my young adulthood. The relationship I was in at the time was starting to become less and less healthy, and that drain on my personal well-being caused for me to loose interest in my photography as a whole. I didn’t even go out and take many photographs during my dormant website time, and I wasn’t taking on new work very often, either.

I’ve moved beyond these things though, I am happy to say. Lucky for me, the time away has also allowed me to take a step back, re-evaluate myself as a photographer, and refresh the way I view things. It’s allowing me to break old habits. Having moved to a WordPress platform (finally), I now don’t feel daunted by updating my website. It’s all very simple, and I’m actually excited to get back to it again. I just had to let myself come to terms with what needed to happen, in my own time.

Hopefully the website is easy to navigate, and everything displays nicely on other screens as it does on mine. Hard to test it out. I’m very excited that the theme I use allows for mobile integration as well, so I no longer have to worry about people who use a phone or tablet. That’s handy. And the re-captcha on the contact page should keep spam at bay, something I’ve struggle with for a while. All signs are pointing to it being a very good change to overhaul the website in the manner I’ve selected.

I’ve definitely got more to do yet, but there’s a decent amount up and going. I have yet to add all the photos that ought to be on here though, and I still need to put up the products and services I offer. Worry not though, I haven’t forgotten those. Looking forward to bringing this to a completed state!