Sandvox User Profile: Pat D. Hemlepp

I wanted a website to showcase my photography and the stories behind the photos, but I needed something that was easy to maintain. I'm a photo hobbyist and writer, not a web designer.

I planned to have different elements of the site that would be updated frequently - a photo of the week with the story behind the photo, a new featured gallery each month with information on the gallery, and a blog with frequent additions. I would be adding photos to my gallery of recent images several times a week. And I would have a standing gallery of my favorite images and standing galleries by subject.

For this to work I needed software and a design that would all but automate the updating process.

I was looking for a replacement for iWeb and my son recommended I try Sandvox.

The previous version of my site was designed using iWeb. It was functional, but updating and maintaining the site was extremely time consuming.

I tested several design applications before selecting Sandvox. The ease of use and the availability of third-party design templates made it an easy decision.

At first I found Sandvox to be a bit limiting. I was accustomed to a more free-form design approach that I used in iWeb, with photos and text placed where I wanted.

But after working with Sandvox I found ways to be creative within the parameters of the design, which led to a much better, more attractive and more functional site than I had in iWeb.

An added benefit is that the site is much quicker to update and easier to maintain. I spend my rather limited free time doing photography and not making web design decisions.

I am impressed with the support and responsiveness of Sandvox employees, either through the online forum or when I emailed questions directly to support. It eased the transition from iWeb.