ParkLens.org

Showcasing the US National Parks with user-submitted photography, community voting, photographer recognition, and integrated fundraising!

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Inspiration

Our inspiration came from our shared love of national parks and a passion for capturing the fleeting, awe-inspiring moments nature offers. From towering redwoods to quiet canyon rivers, we’ve found that photography is one of the most powerful ways to preserve and share the beauty of these protected spaces.

We wanted to create something that not only highlights this beauty but also supports the parks themselves. That’s how the idea for our website was born — a platform where photographers can share their national park photos while contributing to conservation efforts.

What it does

ParkLens.org is a photo submission platform where photographers can upload photos they’ve taken at U.S. national parks. These submissions are displayed in an online gallery and connected to donation campaigns. Funds raised from these campaigns go directly toward the conservation and maintenance of the national parks featured.

How we built it

We built the platform using a no-code/low-code tool called Bolt, with prompting guiding much of our development and logic scaffolding. As a design-first team, we started by mapping out the user journey — from photo submission to donation.

  1. Frontend: Created using visual tools and components, focused on accessibility and ease of navigation.
  2. Backend: Built in Bolt, where we learned to set up file upload handling, basic database structures, and connections to external services.
  3. Prompt-driven coding: We used prompting techniques to generate and customize code snippets and logic where needed.
  4. Campaign system: Each photo submission can be linked to a campaign page where users can learn about and support specific parks.

Challenges we ran into

  • Learning Bolt: As newcomers to Bolt, we had to spend time understanding how to structure data and workflows in a no-code environment.
  • Debugging: Without a traditional development background, resolving bugs—especially those involving database connections and form logic—was difficult.
  • Backend Design: As a design-focused team, we had a steep learning curve when it came to connecting UI elements to backend logic.
  • Starting Over: Several times we needed to scrap and rebuild sections of the platform after learning better approaches.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Successfully launched a working platform that allows users to upload, browse, and engage with national park photography.
  • Designed a full user experience from the ground up that aligns with conservation goals.
  • Bridged our design skillset into a functioning tech product by learning and applying new tools and workflows.
  • Created the foundation for what we hope will become a nonprofit initiative supporting the U.S. national parks.

What we learned

  • How to use prompting as a development methodology, turning our ideas into working components step-by-step.
  • How to navigate Bolt, a no-code backend tool, to create structured workflows and handle data.
  • The value of iteration: we learned to embrace scrapping and rebuilding with what we’d learned along the way.
  • Better collaboration as a team across design and development roles, especially under time pressure and unfamiliar tools.

What's next for ParkLens.org

We are currently waiting on nonprofit confirmation from the federal government. Once that’s approved, we plan to open a nonprofit bank account and begin launching our first official fundraising campaigns.

We’re also exploring partnerships with conservation groups and national park foundations to expand the reach and impact of the platform.

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