The Click-IT Story
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Trevor Hirst started his working life as a photographer back in 1979 BD (before digital) specialising in fashion, fine-art and portraiture. He soon built a working relationship with many of the model agencies in Yorkshire who supplied him with models to photograph and train as part of their induction into the business. Having an abundant supply of willing models to work with was a major advantage, allowing him the luxury to work on frequent creative projects, taking the girls to exotic locations in the Yorkshire Dales and beyond (as far away as Whitby). No expense, and cups of tea, was spared in his pursuit of the perfect picture. |
Fine-Art black & white figure photography was his passion, aspiring to the likes of John Swannel, Robert Farber and Helmut Newton, who were (and still are) his idols. These influences can be seen in some of his early work taken on Olympus OM2 35mm cameras, many of which are still used in his demo galleries on this website.
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After many years of making the rounds visiting clients with the traditional portfolio book, and with the advent of the internet for the masses, he soon realised that there was a better and cheaper way of getting his work seen by potential clients. He decided to publish his portfolio on the web.
The vast majority of websites at that time (early 80’s) were nothing more than on-line brochures using simple html pages, making it impossible to update without coding experience. Then came the onset of website programming languages such as PHP combined with web databases such as mySQL. This offered the perfect solution for creating ‘dynamic’ websites that could be updated instantly via an on-line page editor.
There was still no suitable solution for a website photo gallery other than creating pages and pages of thumbnails in html. The challenge was to make the galleries dynamic just like the web pages, so Trevor designed his own gallery solution in PHP and mySQL, and he soon had his own on-line photo gallery that he could easily update with new photos at any time. Now he could give potential clients his website address and let them view his photos on their own computer. Simples.
As a result of learning all about web languages and databases to build his own website, Trevor had inadvertently acquired a new and highly marketable skill that was in big demand. Businesses were soon knocking on his door wanting him to build a website for them, and in particular, build a bespoke database solution. His new career had taken over from photography.
The following years saw him rise through the ranks from web developer to senior developer and then development manager for different companies. Through this time he continued to expand and improve his own photo gallery system, and market it to other photographers. This eventually grew into a large customer base that allowed him to work full time providing the complete website solution for photographers that is demonstrated on this site.
Now, his time is spent providing a valuable service to other photographers, helping them establish a website exhibition of their work. He continues to practice photography mainly as a hobby, but is available for commissions if the price is right. He also regularly offers snippets of advice on Twitter.
When you buy the Click-IT website system, you are buying into 30 years of photographic experience and enthusiasm, and from a fellow photographer turned web developer who is always available to provide help and personal service, which is the hallmark of his business.
Click to view more photography by Trevor Hirst
