Introduction

Workshop In The Woods is a web application designed to showcase a photography workshop in Lake Tahoe. This project utilizes modern web development tools and frameworks to create a static site that highlights the beauty of Lake Tahoe while providing information about the photography workshop. The site is built using Gatsby, a powerful static site generator, and integrates with Contentful for content management and Netlify for deployment.

Main Features

1. Static site built with Gatsby for fast loading and optimal performance
2. Content management through Contentful for easy updates and maintenance
3. Seamless deployment using Netlify
4. Responsive design for various device sizes
5. React-based components for a dynamic user interface
6. Showcases photography from Lake Tahoe
7. Provides information about the photography workshop

Installation Steps

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/ryanwiemer/workshop.git
   

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd workshop
   

3. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

4. Set up Contentful:

   • Create a Contentful account and set up a new space
   • Copy .contentful.json.sample to .contentful.json
   • Fill in your Contentful space ID and access token in .contentful.json

5. Start the development server:

   gatsby develop
   

6. Open your browser and visit http://localhost:8000 to see the site.

Usage Instructions

1. Content Management:

   • Use Contentful to manage and update the workshop content
   • Changes made in Contentful will automatically reflect on the site

2. Development:

   • Modify React components in the src directory to customize the site's appearance and functionality
   • Use Gatsby's GraphQL layer to query and display content from Contentful

3. Styling:

   • Update styles using the project's chosen CSS methodology (likely CSS modules or styled-components)

4. Building for Production:

   • Run gatsby build to create an optimized production build
   • The built files will be in the public directory

5. Deployment:

   • Set up a Netlify account and connect it to your GitHub repository
   • Configure Netlify to use the gatsby build command for deployment
   • Netlify will automatically deploy changes when you push to the main branch

Important Notes

1. This project is primarily intended for personal use by the creator. For a more general-purpose starter template, consider using the gatsby-starter-gcn mentioned in the README.

2. Ensure you have a good understanding of Gatsby, React, and Contentful before making significant changes to the project structure.

3. Keep your Contentful space ID and access tokens secure. Do not commit the .contentful.json file to version control.

4. Regularly update dependencies to ensure you have the latest features and security patches.

5. Use Netlify's continuous deployment feature to automatically update the live site when changes are pushed to the repository.

6. Optimize images and other assets for web to ensure fast loading times, especially important for a photography-focused site.

7. Consider implementing SEO best practices to improve the site's visibility in search engines.

8. Test the site on various devices and browsers to ensure a consistent experience across platforms.

9. If you fork or use this project, make sure to update the content to reflect your own photography workshop details.

10. Respect the creator's note that this repository is mostly for personal use, and consider using the recommended starter template for your own projects.