I managed to set up and deploy a landing page for my freelance work.
My previous site, hosted on www.janodetzel.com, was a simple but quite nice-looking static webpage showcasing my freelance photography and videography work. However, its lack of optimization resulted in painfully slow rendering times. In hindsight, the initial deployment of this site in 2019 marked the beginning of an entirely new chapter in my life.
My deep interest in photography and filmmaking led me to gain experience in doing professional client work and eventually join a local startup media agency. It was at the agency where I had my first real gigs as a freelance photographer and videographer, filming short videos for events, restaurants, smaller businesses, and racing teams..
Later on, my clients started requesting websites and online shops, prompting me to shift my focus to software development. I began building basic landing pages using plain HTML, CSS, and JS. These projects taught me the fundamentals of web development, hosting, and working with clients.
One by one, the projects became more complex and required a CMS. Reluctantly, I turned to WordPress and created multiple landing pages and e-commerce sites on the platform. While I was not a fan of WordPress due to its tedious development process and limited possibilities without premium plugins, it was the best option to meet my clients' requirements.
In addition to client work, I embarked on various side projects to explore new technologies. I delved into web application development with ReactJS and instantly became hooked. One of my first web apps, "WatchlistApp," allowed users to find information about movies and TV series and save them to watchlists. The app fetched data from TMDB (The Movie Database) and implemented and to manage state and persist wishlists in local storage. This project was significant for me as it required applying all the knowledge I had about web development, including code structure, atomic design patterns, versioning with Git and Github, ENV variables, and working with APIs. Furthermore, it was the first project I deployed to production using Netlify. Since then, my passion for learning and exploring the world of software engineering has only grown.
zustand
pmndrs • Updated Nov 12, 2023
immer
immerjs • Updated Nov 12, 2023
Since my early days as a freelance photographer and videographer, my journey in the world of web development has been an exciting one. Today, I am proud to call myself a full stack developer. I have expanded my skills and now specialize in developing apps with React Native and building robust backend infrastructures using GraphQL. This combination allows me to create powerful and seamless mobile applications that leverage the latest technologies. I am constantly broadening my knowledge and exploring new possibilities in the ever-evolving realm of software development. As I continue to push the boundaries of my expertise, I look forward to delivering innovative solutions and making a positive impact in the digital landscape.
- Jano