Used on a local server, this open-source content management system is a great way to develop and test your ideas for a photography website

PART 5 OF 6

Photo website building 101

Last issue, we showed how to build a photography website from scratch in WordPress, a popular content management system (CMS). It’s a straightforward alternative to enlisting the services of a dedicated website-builder platform like SmugMug, Squarespace or Wix.

Websites built on a CMS are more sophisticated than those consisting of ‘static’ pages of text, and are essential for the display of photos. Images are stored in a database and ‘served’ to site users as required; the website’s host CMS accepts requests from a remote computer and instructs the server to send the data. Site development using WordPress favours tech-familiar folk who don’t mind the idea of getting under the hood of websites, although being able to write computer code isn’t a prerequisite.

But for anyone who wants to take things to the next level, the Drupal CMS is a sensible step. Although 37% of the web is built using WordPress (source: wordpress.com), Drupal’s share is in the low single digits. This makes sites built in Drupal less appealing for hackers, for whom targeting the most popular platforms is more worthwhile. Add to that the fact that Drupal is renowned for its security - this is vital for anyone looking to use their photography website for selling images or prints. Drupal is a general-purpose CMS, meaning that it is highly customisable. Once Drupal’s ‘Core’ has been installed, the addition of modules (features that offer functionality) and themes (how the site looks) deliver this customisation.