The Story Behind Simply Seeking Photography

I’m  so excited to celebrate the launch of my brand new website!  I thought this would the perfect time to share the story behind the business– Simply Seeking Photography.   I’ve always loved taking pictures.  My grandma gave me my very first camera of my own, when I graduated from high school.  A small white Kodak point and shoot, that I used to document my college and early married days.  Fast forward several years,  to having elementary school age-kids , and a friend inspired me by taking “school photos” of her  kids.  I began doing the same and loved the results, so much better than the standard school photos!

Many courses and practice later, I’m thankful I have improved!

A business must have a name

A few more years down the road, and as I stay at home mom I began thinking about what I could do to help generate income for college and remain available to our tween & teen.  Photography seemed like the natural choice.  As I began putting things together for my business, I thought and prayed a lot about what to name my business.  One day it came to me, Simply Seeking Photography, because I am simply seeking to do what God wants me to do.   I fall so far short everyday, but keep trying to follow Him a little more each day.

Once I had a name, I created a Facebook page to share my pictures with the world and in January 2012 Simply Seeking Photography was born.   But they aren’t the pictures you see today!   I actually started out as a nature photographer, and began photographing portraits at the urging of some friends.   So, I began by photographing  their kids along with my own, and learned A TON!!!!  One of the things I learned was I love photographing people, love the connection I make with them.  Love preserving  memories for them.  Love capturing the essence of their personality, as one client said.

 

The inspiration for my logo

I love this part of the story!  So my business was growing, and I needed a logo.  My logo was inspired by the best vacation EVER!  In June 2010 we fulfilled a long time dream of going to Maine.  Needless to say it was AMAZING!!!! We got to do so many things we’d never done before!

• Ride a lobster boat, where our kids got to touch sea creatures and band a lobster

• Go sea kayaking.  Have you ever used a kayak with a rudder?  It’s not as easy as you might think.  My family still jokes about how I went twice the distance of everyone else because I constantly went in a zig-zag pattern.  I could not master the rudder, no matter how hard I tried!

• Watch the first sunrise in the United States from atop Cadillac Mountain.  To say the beautiful show God puts on for us every morning is breathtaking, is a vast understatement!  I cannot think of words to adequately describe the beauty of watching the sky slowly go from gray to pink, purple, blue light while the loons provide a concert to watch by.  This picture does not even begin to do the experience justice!  NOTE:  NOT taken with a professional camera, just regular old vacation pictures.

 

Mountain top moment

We also got to climb a mountain!  As we climbed Mt. Dorr we saw blue paint streaks and piles of rocks to mark the way.

I had never seen piles of rocks used to mark a trail before and found them intriguing.  I didn’t even know what they were for or what they were called.  Thankfully my backpacker husband knew exactly what they were and how to use them!

Definition of cairn

1. :  a heap of stones piled up as a memorial or as a landmark–merriam-webster.com

 

Wow!  We finally made it to the top!  What a monumental moment!  Climbing the mountain was a personal victory for me.  My husband was so sweet, I felt incredibly loved as we arrived at the top of that mountain.

 

For all those wonderful memories, this intriguing pile of rocks that points the way–just as God always points the way for us– was definitely the logo I wanted for my business.  So my sweetie figured out how to make me the logo I wanted.   Top photo is the cairn he modeled the logo after.

 

Now that you’ve heard the story, seen some old family photos and how my logo came to be…  come back next for my new blog series!  I’m so excited about this series!  I’ve paired with some local businesses to help you in planning your wedding!

Art prints and inspiration for your summer travels

Just because you read to the end, I’ll share with you some of my favorite art prints and places we’ve visited!

These are not endorsements simply places we have enjoyed.

Acadia National Park | https://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm

Bar Harbor Maine | http://www.barharbormaine.gov/  

Margarett Todd Schooner | https://downeastwindjammer.com/activities/category/sailing-charters/

Lobster Boat tours | https://www.barharborwhales.com/whale-watching-tours/lobster-whale-watching-tours/

Sea Kayaking | https://acadiamagic.com/kayak-rentals.html

Bodie Island Lighthouse | https://www.nps.gov/places/bodieislandlightstation.htm

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse | https://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/lighthouseclimbs.htm

Whitefish Point Lighthouse | https://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/shipwreck-museum/whitefish-area-resources/

Our wonderful state of Indiana | https://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/

Be sure to check out my new website at https://simplyjulieco.com/