Servers

My adventure with Linux started from Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) at the end of 2007. Shortly I can sum it up: it was a passion from the very beginning. Learning curve wasn't easy though: two wrecked laptops, late nigh hours spent installing, and learning - every day learning - and that was just the beginning of a long journey to where I'm now. I've always looked for faster, better optimized and custom build lighter distributions.
Honestly, I've tested and used so many different Linux distributions since then - that it is hard just to say, that I know a thing or two. I went further and further.. main distributions, forks, simpler, leaner distr.. and finally I landed with Gentoo. On Gentoo and LFS I've learnt how to compile kernel, modify system internals ( Gentoo!), how to live without GUI - with the console only, how to work around bugs, and resolve problems I meet. All of that hard-learned experience and knowledge I fall back on on daily basis. But nowadays I lean more and more towards Funtoo due to its un-compromised stability and leaner configuration.

My choice of distribution for servers was Ubuntu (LTS) - mostly due to the 100% AWS, Docker, OpenStack compatibility, it was also faster with security updates than CentOS.
However, a while ago I set up out of curiosity a Gentoo based server (thanks to Linode). Don't get me wrong - this is just sad, because all those wise guys out there writing about 'DO NOT INSTALL GENTOO ON SERVER' bad press don't know a thing. I modified it with ease and tuned to use 1/10 of resources of what typical same size Ubuntu is using. Yes, really. I guess this is a reason why Google uses modified Gentoo for some of their projects. Plus maintenance takes 'almost' the same amount of time compared to other distributions. I don't use one server to serve all, that is why believe I can afford to spend a bit more time working with the servers to make them faster, secure, more robust for websites and applications I host.

I try to use strictly Europe based IaaS providers to set up cloud servers I work with, but the needs be across ocean I actually have a good experience with two solid and not overpriced IaaS operators out there too.

Websites

I do websites development based only on HTML5, CSS3 & JS. If you insist that you really, really want CMS-like website - I can recommend and setup some nice ready-to-use tool to just do that.

I like to dive into modern web technology. That is why I don't do PHP, sql and things like that - I've found my way to live without those monstrosities. While I wont claim that I'm some sort of a magician that can write website code on a plain paper, I can say that I don't copy and paste code from google search either. I write all my CSS and HTML by hand or with the use of small non intrusive libraries. I rarely feel the urge to try to use any of those big javascript frameworks so popular these days - as websites I build are usually small-scale and uncomplicated. I'm not fixed on any tools though, they just represent temporary status quo – I constantly try new technologies, frameworks and if I find something that is better suited to get the job done, I will go ahead and use it. To build websites I use mostly Open Source tools. Because of that I am familiar with the newest, cutting edge technologies, systems and tools out there.

Websites I build are responsive and mobile ready by default. I like to keep design simple. My goals are to focus on the actual content and convey the message to be seen without unnecessary distractions.

I love working for people who have a mutual appreciation for good looking websites and have something to say. My customers are small businesses and creative individuals wanting to present their work online.

Photography

I grew up in the photographic studio founded by my grandfather. My entire childhood was filled with time spent observing my grandfather using photo equipment and analog films in darkrooms. I guess that how it started - as a curious kid I spent my time in a family photo studio learning all I know about photography.
As there was a lot of old, broken and unused equipment around to play with - I began my first attempts at repairing things on my own (some even successful) and I learnt how cameras & optics work.
But my true photography story started with my very own old Lubitel camera grandpa gave me. When I learnt some basics I laid my hands on the 35mm film Fujica STX1-N - and that was my main camera until I grew up. Hundreds of pictures later, during my studies at the university, I had an opportunity to change my old, beloved Fujica to Canon AE-1 Program and A-1. The last analog camera I bought was a sweet T-90.
I stopped studying philosophy around that time (yep, this is not a metaphor or a joke - I did study Philosophy) and I moved out to England, where I finally caught up with digital age using Nikon d70s (brilliant camera) and D2H. By now I have been using happily a bulky, solid D2Xs (old but gold ;-) ).

Photography for me is catching a motion in that one particular moment. I'm experimenting with multiple exposures, long shutter speed, etc.. - just to get the effects I wanted to have on a picture. Results vary and you can see them by yourself here.