What started out as a hobby for Johnathan Hale has quickly turned into a successful business that provides a photographic history for San Diego’s GLBT community and beyond.

“I was known for having a little digital camera with me everywhere I went,” Hale told the Gay and Lesbian Times. “I already put photos online for friends using other resources and I always had an interest in philanthropy and working for charities.”

That’s how the idea for SDPix was born. Working with a friend who was a web designer Hale came up with the idea for the site and signed on a printing partner who could produce everything from standard prints to t-shirts, coffee mugs and mouse pads with images from the site on them.

The site has gone from generating 100 hits a day to a thousand hits a day in just one year, and with sponsors signing on to make sure that their events are photographed it has even become a profitable business for Hale. Most recently, Budweiser sponsored an online photo album for The Center’s 2003 Nightmare on Normal Street event.

To celebrate its anniversary SDPix.com held a party this past Friday at Bourbon Street that showcased pictures from the past year as well as performances by Chad Michaels and Ladonna Monroe. For more information about SDPix, go to gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to their site.