My Photography Website

Built From Scratch

I started building this photography website more than a decade ago, around the time I began my professional portrait photography journey. Back then, I simply needed a place to showcase my photographs, explain my services and help potential clients learn more about me.

I didn't begin with a grand plan to build hundreds of pages. I've always believed that getting something useful online is better than spending forever planning the perfect website, so I started with the essentials and continued developing it piece by piece.

As my photography experience grew, so did the website. Questions from clients inspired new explanations, experiences from photoshoots became articles, and new photography genres required their own portfolios and service pages. What began as a relatively simple portfolio gradually developed into a much larger collection of photographs, photography services, articles, guides, photoshoot locations and other resources.

The website has changed considerably since its early days, both in appearance and content. Some older pages have been completely rewritten, while others have been reorganised or replaced as my experience and working methods evolved. I'm proud of how far it has come, especially because I've built and maintained it while running my photography business independently.

How I Build the Website

I'm an independent photographer, and almost everything you see here is managed by me. Besides taking photographs, I handle the website's design, coding, written content, organisation and ongoing maintenance. I don't have a team of web developers, designers, writers or marketing professionals working behind the scenes, and hiring specialists for every aspect of the website would require a budget that I simply don't have.

Fortunately, my background in information technology and interest in web development allow me to handle many of these tasks myself. More recently, generative AI has also become an important tool in helping me work more efficiently, although the responsibility for reviewing and maintaining the website remains mine.

1. Design

   My priorities are simplicity, readability and usability. A photography website should make the photographs enjoyable to view while helping visitors find the information they need without unnecessary distractions.
   
   As the website has grown, its design has become more challenging. New services, articles, portfolios and features must fit into an increasingly large structure without making navigation confusing. I therefore revisit the layout, typography, navigation and organisation regularly, aiming to make the website both attractive and practical.
   
   I also experiment with different design approaches, including ideas suggested by AI. However, not every suggestion suits the website, so I still need to consider how each change affects the overall appearance, consistency and user experience. I've also developed a colour palette generator to help explore and compare colour combinations for websites and photoshoots.

2. Coding

   I began learning web development during my secondary school days, when I wrote code manually using Windows Notepad. That hands-on approach eventually carried over to this photography website, which I continue developing using technologies such as PHP, HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
   
   PHP helps me reuse common elements and manage information across multiple pages, while HTML, CSS and JavaScript handle the structure, presentation and interactive features. Building the website myself gives me the freedom to create features that suit my photography business rather than relying entirely on ready-made templates.
   
   Although AI now assists me with coding, I still need to understand how the generated code fits into my existing website. This is particularly important because the website has evolved over many years, and changes to one component can sometimes affect other pages or features.

3. Writing & Content Creation

   The articles, explanations and resources on this website are largely based on my own photography experience, observations, research, opinions and ideas. Writing allows me to explain the thinking, preparation, decisions and challenges behind my photographs, including details that may not be obvious from viewing a portfolio alone.
   
   One difficulty I face is having more ideas than I can comfortably organise. While I'm still developing one topic, I may think of several related subjects worth discussing, and before I can finish organising those thoughts, even more ideas may come to mind. Without a proper structure, everything can become messy, repetitive or difficult to turn into useful articles.
   
   I also try to make my explanations understandable to readers who may have little or no photography experience. This sometimes requires revisiting the same subject from different perspectives, particularly when an issue affects several photography genres or involves different considerations for clients and photographers.

4. Photography & Portfolio

   The website and my photography work develop together. New projects may become part of my portfolio, while experiences from actual photoshoots often inspire new articles, guides or improvements to my service pages. I've also written about how I create and organise my photography portfolio pages.
   
   Having my own website allows me to organise different photography genres properly. Portraits, events, interiors and other types of photography can each be presented with relevant examples and information instead of being mixed together in a single social media feed. Where appropriate, I also use photographs from actual projects to support my explanations.
   
   However, preparing photographs for the website involves additional work, including selecting suitable images, editing them, organising galleries, preparing descriptions and updating the relevant pages. Even after completing a photoshoot, it may take considerable time before the work appears in my online portfolio.

5. Ongoing Development

   I continue working on the website almost every day. Some days involve writing or updating content, while others are spent improving the design, adjusting code, organising photographs or troubleshooting technical problems. Some improvements are barely noticeable to visitors, while others involve restructuring entire sections or introducing new features.
   
   The work doesn't end when a page is published. As my experience grows and circumstances change, I may return to earlier content to revise my explanations, recommendations or working practices. Because I manage everything myself, website development also has to compete with photography assignments, consultations, planning, post-production and other business responsibilities. These are some of the challenges of working as a freelance photographer.

How I Use Generative AI

Since the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI), I've increasingly relied on it to assist with my website's writing, coding, design and content organisation. I don't hide the fact that AI has become an important part of my workflow, especially because I'm running a photography business independently without the budget to hire professionals for every task.

AI has made a considerable difference to how quickly I can develop ideas and complete certain tasks. However, my experience has also taught me that using AI effectively requires patience, clear instructions, careful checking and sometimes a surprising amount of additional work.

How AI Helps Me

For writing, I generally provide the ideas, experiences, observations and information I want to communicate. AI helps me organise those thoughts, develop a clearer structure, refine the wording and identify areas that may need further explanation. This is particularly useful when I have many interconnected ideas and struggle to organise them before even more ideas come to mind.

For coding and design, AI helps me explore possible solutions, develop features, troubleshoot problems and experiment with approaches that might otherwise require extensive research and trial and error. It can also explain unfamiliar techniques, helping me understand possible solutions before deciding how to implement them.

The time savings can be substantial. Although I haven't measured them, I sometimes feel that certain tasks can be completed perhaps 10 or even 20 times faster with AI assistance than if I had to work through everything myself. This varies considerably depending on the task, and the time saved on one part of the process may still be followed by extensive reviewing, testing and corrections.

As someone who handles photography, client communication, post-production and website development independently, these improvements have been extremely valuable. Without AI, many of the articles, features and improvements I want to create would take considerably longer, and some ideas might remain unfinished simply because I couldn't find enough time to develop them.

Challenges of Using AI

Despite its advantages, AI isn't always reliable or consistent. It can misunderstand my intentions, introduce incorrect information, make unsupported assumptions or produce results that don't fit the way I want my website to work. Sometimes the problem comes from the AI itself, while at other times I may not have provided sufficiently clear or specific instructions.

One recurring challenge is that AI doesn't always follow or retain my preferences consistently. For example, I prefer natural writing with connected ideas and paragraphs that flow smoothly, but AI sometimes produces excessive one-sentence paragraphs or changes its writing tone between different sections. Even when I've explained my preferences previously, I may need to remind it or request further revisions to maintain a consistent style.

I've also encountered problems with AI-generated links. Sometimes it assumes that a particular page exists and creates a URL without verifying it. This has resulted in incorrect links appearing on my website, which I later discovered were leading visitors to non-existent pages. It's a useful reminder that even seemingly simple details need checking.

Coding presents its own challenges. AI can sometimes be overly elaborate, generating much more HTML or CSS than necessary to achieve a relatively simple result. Excessive or duplicated code can increase page sizes and make future maintenance more complicated. It may also use different indentation, spacing or coding conventions from those already established on my website, leaving me to clean up the formatting and restore consistency.

Another difficulty is that AI doesn't always understand the full context of my existing website. A solution may work perfectly in isolation but conflict with my current structure, styles or functions. I therefore have to review the suggested changes carefully, test them and sometimes spend additional time correcting unexpected problems.

Writing long articles can be particularly demanding. I may need to read through an entire draft, identify problems, provide further instructions and review the revised version repeatedly. Some articles can take 10 or 20 rounds of discussion and correction before I'm satisfied with the result. This is especially true when I'm trying to communicate complicated experiences or opinions accurately without making the writing unnecessarily lengthy or repetitive.

AI can also produce convincing explanations that aren't entirely accurate. I therefore need to distinguish between information based on my actual experience and suggestions or assumptions introduced by AI. When dealing with technical details, factual claims or matters outside my expertise, additional verification may be necessary.

These challenges mean that using AI isn't as simple as entering a prompt and publishing whatever it produces. Although it can greatly accelerate certain tasks, I still have to invest considerable time in reviewing the output, correcting mistakes, checking links, testing code and ensuring that the final result reflects what I actually want to communicate. Sometimes, I do overlook new errors.

Nevertheless, I remain grateful for how much AI has helped me. I regard it as a powerful assistant rather than a replacement for experience, judgement or responsibility. The photography experiences, personal opinions and working practices I share are intended to reflect my own, and I remain responsible for deciding what belongs on this website.

Keeping the Website Accurate

After more than a decade of development, this website has grown far beyond what I originally imagined. Maintaining such a large collection of content while continuing my photography work has become an ongoing challenge, especially because I cannot review every page as frequently as I would like.

Some older information may no longer reflect my latest experience, practices or recommendations. External websites may change, links may stop working, and technical or formatting problems may occasionally go unnoticed. Despite the time I spend checking and improving the website, mistakes can still happen.

Another challenge is that my approach to photography has evolved over time. Through experience, I've found better ways to plan photoshoots, communicate with clients, solve problems and explain my working practices. When I improve a policy, recommendation or explanation, I try to update the relevant information throughout the website.

However, some subjects are discussed on multiple pages because they're relevant to different photography services or articles. As a result, I may occasionally overlook an older explanation or miss a page that needs updating. This can lead to repeated information that isn't entirely consistent, even though I've already revised my approach elsewhere.

I continue reviewing and improving the content to make it clearer, more transparent and less likely to cause misunderstandings. Given the size of the website and the fact that I manage it independently, I cannot guarantee that every detail is always complete, current or free from errors. For information that may change, such as service availability, pricing, policies or venue conditions, please refer to the relevant current pages and contact me if anything requires clarification.

Help Me Improve the Website

If you notice outdated information, factual errors, inconsistent explanations, broken links, confusing wording, display problems or anything else that doesn't seem right, I'd genuinely appreciate it if you could let me know. Constructive feedback is welcome, whether you're a potential client, fellow photographer, model, makeup artist or someone who happened to discover the website while searching for information.

You can contact me with the page URL and a brief description of the issue. For visual or technical problems, a screenshot would be particularly helpful. I may not be able to address every issue immediately, but useful feedback helps me identify problems that I might otherwise miss and improve the website for future visitors.

Why I Maintain My Own Website

Social media is useful for sharing photographs and connecting with people, but I don't want my entire photography presence to depend on platforms that I don't control. Social media platforms determine how content is displayed, discovered and distributed, while their algorithms, features and policies can change over time.

My own website gives me more control over how I present my work and organise information. Visitors can explore specific photography genres, read detailed explanations, compare services and find resources without having to scroll through years of unrelated social media posts.

It also allows potential clients to learn about my working style before making an enquiry. They can browse my portfolio, explore my photography services, review my rates, understand what it's like working with me and read my photography articles and guides.

Most importantly, having my own website allows me to explain things in my own way and at whatever level of detail I believe is useful. For me, the website is more than an advertising platform; it's a portfolio, information centre, knowledge base and an ongoing record of my photography journey.

What I Want the Website to Achieve

Although this website began primarily as a photography portfolio, its purpose has gradually expanded. I want it to help visitors understand photography, make informed decisions and find information that may be useful even if they never become my clients.

1. Showcase My Photography

   The original and most important purpose of this website is to showcase my work. Potential clients should be able to see what I actually photograph rather than relying solely on claims about what I can do.
   
   My portfolio includes different types of photography and real projects, allowing visitors to decide whether my style and approach suit their needs. I also try to organise the photographs meaningfully so that visitors can explore the genres, subjects and examples most relevant to them.

2. Help Clients Understand How I Work

   Choosing a photographer involves more than looking at attractive photographs. Clients may also want to understand pricing, preparation, communication, lighting, editing, delivery, privacy and what actually happens during a photoshoot.
   
   I try to explain these matters openly through my service pages and other resources. This allows potential clients to understand my working methods, expectations and limitations before deciding whether to engage me. It also helps make communication more productive because we can spend less time repeating basic information and more time discussing the specific requirements of a photoshoot.

3. Help People Make Informed Decisions

   Photography can look deceptively simple from the outside. Pressing the shutter may take only a fraction of a second, but professional photography involves considerable time and effort, including consultation, planning, equipment preparation, travel, lighting, problem-solving, image selection and post-production.
   
   By explaining these less-visible parts of the work, I hope visitors can better understand photography pricing, compare services meaningfully and make decisions based on more than just the lowest quotation. I've also written about common misconceptions and myths in professional photography to help readers develop more realistic expectations.

4. Share Practical Photography Knowledge

   Over the years, I've learned a great deal through actual photoshoots, experimentation, mistakes and problem-solving. Some lessons came from successful projects, while others came from situations that didn't go as expected.
   
   Rather than keeping everything to myself, I use my photography articles and guides to share useful observations, explanations and recommendations. Some articles help clients prepare for photoshoots, while others explore photography techniques, working practices, common problems and considerations that may interest photographers and enthusiasts.
   
   I don't expect everyone to agree with every opinion I share. However, I hope that explaining my reasoning and experiences will give readers something useful to consider.

5. Support Models, Makeup Artists & Other Creatives

   Photography often involves people from different creative disciplines. Models, makeup artists and hairstylists, stylists, videographers and other professionals may all contribute to a successful project.
   
   I hope this website can also become a useful resource for people interested in these related industries, whether they're exploring opportunities, preparing for their first collaboration or trying to understand how different creative professionals work together. For example, I've shared modelling portfolio tips and advice about TFP/TFCD collaborations.
   
   I've already shared information about collaboration opportunities and TFCD/TFP photography, including the importance of communication, expectations, responsibilities and mutual respect. There are many more topics I would like to explore, particularly those that may help people avoid misunderstandings, prepare more effectively and develop better working relationships.

6. Share Singapore as a Photoshoot Destination

   Singapore offers a wide variety of environments for photography, from modern architecture and city streets to parks, beaches, heritage areas and quieter neighbourhoods.
   
   I've created a growing guide to photoshoot locations in Singapore to help clients and other visitors explore possible settings. Where available, I use photographs from actual shoots to demonstrate how these places can look through the camera. Besides showing attractive locations, I also hope to share practical considerations such as lighting, accessibility, privacy, space and suitability for different photography styles. I've also written a guide to portrait photography locations in Singapore.

7. Connect With People

   The website allows people to discover my work without first meeting me or finding me through social media. Some visitors arrive because they're looking for a photographer, while others discover an article, portfolio or resource through a search.
   
   By sharing my work alongside the thinking behind it, I hope visitors can develop a better understanding of who I am and how I approach photography before they contact me. It has also helped me connect with models, creatives and others interested in photography, including opportunities for creative collaboration.

8. Keep a Record of My Photography Journey

   As the years pass, this website has become an informal record of my development as a photographer. Older projects, articles and ideas remind me how my photography and business have changed, while newer pages reflect lessons learned from working with different people, locations and situations. I've also reflected on how my photography has evolved with meaning over time.
   
   Some of my opinions and practices have evolved as I've gained experience. I don't see that as a problem because learning, reconsidering earlier decisions and finding better ways to work are natural parts of professional development. By documenting these experiences, I also create something I can look back on and learn from myself.

A Website That Keeps Evolving

I don't expect this website to ever be completely finished. I still have many ideas, experiences and subjects that I want to turn into useful content, including topics related to photography services, photoshoot preparation, modelling, makeup, creative collaboration and the wider photography industry.

The challenge isn't simply coming up with topics. It's finding the time to organise my thoughts, research where necessary, write meaningful explanations, select suitable photographs and present everything in a way that readers can understand. Sometimes new ideas arrive faster than I can finish developing the previous ones, leaving me with many photographs, experiences and thoughts that I haven't yet had the opportunity to share.

This can be frustrating because I'm proud of the work I've created and want more of it to be available on my website. Yet, as someone who works independently, I have to balance website development with photography assignments and the responsibilities that keep my business running. AI has helped me make progress much faster, but it cannot take over every task or make every decision for me.

Nevertheless, I continue working on the website almost every day, adding new information and revisiting existing content to improve its clarity, accuracy and transparency. I want visitors to understand not only what I do, but also why I do things in certain ways, so that unnecessary misunderstandings can be avoided.

Photography changes, technology changes, and my experience and opinions may change too. As long as I continue practising photography, there will probably be another photograph to share, another article to write or another part of the website I want to improve.

If you've spent time exploring beyond my portfolio and ended up reading this page, thank you. I hope you've found something useful, whether you're considering a photoshoot, working in a related creative field or simply interested in learning more about photography.