Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Kellar.
Hi Lauren, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
To tell my story and the start of my business, I have to talk about four significant loves in my life: art – in many forms, nature, telling stories, and people.
I’ve been artistic for as long as I can remember. Whether it was drawing, painting, crafting, coming up with recipes, writing plays, taking pictures — it was always something. In early high school, I got my first digital camera and through art class and my personal social media, I began taking pictures and found that it was something I really enjoyed doing. I would hang out with friends after school and have mini photography sessions all the time.
Another part of life that has always brought me joy is nature. Particularly the woods. The woods are where I go to find peace and to think and to relax. No matter what mood I am in when I start, after spending some time in the woods I always walk out refreshed. I live quite a ways north of the city and so the woods have been all around me for my whole life.
So, you have a girl who loves to be artistic, who loves the woods, and who loves stories – words. I’ve always collected quotes and underlined phrases in books that made me happy. I love when you read something and it evokes a strong emotional reaction in you. If words can get you to understand something or feel something, then it’s a work well done. Especially stories about people. People are complex and beautiful. You can’t ever describe the entirety of a person in words, but you can certainly describe aspects of their character or their history through words. It can help you know and understand them just a little bit better.
These three things about me were foundational to what came next.
So, while I didn’t know where it would go at the time, I remember a moment in high school where the name “The Northern Story” popped into my head and I immediately loved it. It embodied the idea of living in the north and loving nature and also the idea of telling stories. I knew I needed to claim the name while I could because freshman me just had a feeling, I was going to use it someday. So, I changed my name on Instagram to The Northern Story and started sketching up logos for a brand that I had no idea what I was going to do with. At the time, I planned on going to college to be an English major and thought I might look into graphic design as a career.
Fast forward some years and I’m a junior in college. Without really seeking it out, I ended up being called to a staff position at a local church in Michigan. Through this job, I was able to get a taste of marketing and social media among many other things. My boss wanted our campus to work on their social media and photography presence and so we bought a real DSLR camera and it was up to me to get the ball rolling on capturing life at the church through photography and get it on social media. This was a hugely important moment because it’s the first time I really had to learn how to both use a professional camera and portray the spirit and life of a place and a people through photos. Over those first couple years, I discovered that I have a much bigger heart for people than I do for marketing and graphic design. I also discovered how much I loved professional photography and how much of a challenge and a joy it is to capture emotion and personality on camera. You can take a lot of pictures, but to tell a story through a photo is something different. Something more.
Like the founders of Voyage talk about in their bios, when you find yourself in a place where you’re doing a job but it’s not your passion, it’s hard. And so, when you begin to realize where you’re being called to plant your roots and do the work that really stirs your heart, it’s incredible. I’m grateful to still be working in ministry, caring for those complex and beautiful people we have all around us. I’m also thankful that being there helped me realize what I am passionate about and spring boarded me into my business.
Because of my job, I often had a camera in my hands when people saw me. I would get the questions “do you take pictures outside of here too?” or “would you happen to take family photos also?” The wheels started turning. Then about three years ago, I reached out to some family and friends and told them that I was interested in starting a photography business and asked if could do some practice sessions with them. I took the pictures, started deep diving into editing photos professionally, made a Facebook page, and from there things just took off on their own. Because word of mouth is SUCH a powerful thing, through people talking, posting my pictures, recommending me, hopping on local city pages and getting the word out — the business really began effortlessly.
Since that first year, The Northern Story has grown a ton. Last year we (somewhat unexpectedly) launched into weddings and wedding photography which has been a really fun part of the business to branch into. My husband is a photographer also and so we often go to sessions and shoot together. It is such a privilege for us to meet some really cool people, to hear their stories, and to try to capture the spirit of them and the moments that make life beautiful through our photos. Along with lifestyle photography, we also travel often and have been fortunate enough to have some fun encounters and meet locals from other cities through those travels. We love to capture other towns and communities wherever we go. We ALWAYS ask around and seek out the small businesses and one-of-a-kind shops in those places. It’s through locally owned, small businesses that you’re really able discover a place. I hope for my business to portray people and places that way as well. Our heart will always be to capture the true ethos of a person or a couple or a city. To freeze a moment of time and tell the story of it. I care a lot about keeping The Northern Story a very genuine and candid business. I want it to celebrate life and life’s moments and for the people who make it possible to be the focus more than the business itself. I love the community that a local business like mine creates and it’s powerful to see the connections it weaves all around us.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Sharpening a skill and learning how to run your own small business well is always going to be hard at times. I am always learning more about lighting and the technical end of things. I’m always learning more about how to better communicate with people so they feel valued and well cared for throughout the process, from the first time they reach out to you until you’re delivering their gallery.
I’m thankful that many things about my business fell naturally into place. The plan was set into motion before I even had realized it myself. So, in many ways, it’s been a smooth road so far. However, there have been times where I’ve doubted myself and my abilities. We are always our harshest critics. It’s easy for me to look at my work and pick it apart or to compare my business to others and feel less than or to think back on a session and see all the ways I could have done better. But I have to remind myself to stay confident because this business would not have grown on its own if I was bad at what I do. I have to use those times of being hard on myself to encourage me to grow and learn more and always be after how to accomplish what my heart is for The Northern Story better.
In this business, we’re working with people. People are not perfect and especially when people are trying to wrangle together a million family members for a family session or are feeling the stress of a wedding day, there can be tough moments where the worst side of everyone comes out. But we’ve been pretty blessed to have had wonderful experiences with our clients. Even in the moments where they are feeling stressed or are self-conscious or nervous, I love to take a moment to just stop worrying about the photos and be present with them and help them to feel more peace and joy in their special moments. At the end of the day, their joy in these special moments of their lives is the most important thing.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Without a doubt, what sets me apart and what I’m known for is my love for people. Like I’ve said before, this business is so important and exciting to me, but what makes it so is that I get to work with people. I get to be with them and their families and experience their lives, their homes, their milestones. That’s huge! I mean think about it, on a wedding day, me as the photographer spends more time with the couple than almost anyone else that whole day. It never stops being special to have a backseat to these moments. I think as a small business owner, that joy that I have in being there for those moments and capturing those times really comes through in my work and defines my business. Most of my reviews or comments made about me involve how I related to the people and how encouraging I was on that day and how I made them feel comfortable like we’ve known each other for a long time. How I saw something in them they didn’t see. I love to hear that. That should be the goal. I’m most proud of my work when I hear comments like that.
A small example. One of my husband and I’s favorite sessions was a family over Labor Day weekend. They were all getting together in the family cottage for the weekend and because it’s so hard for them to get together like that often, they reached out to see if there was any chance, we’d be willing to drive up north to the cottage for a session. We were geeked! Not only were we willing, but we were excited to go up there and spend some time with their family on the beach. We got there, hung out for a minute talking while everyone finished getting dressed and preparing, and then we did the session. Afterwards, they basically insisted that we come in for a bit to have a drink and some food and relax before driving home. They welcomed us right in and made us feel like a part of their family for a moment. Because of that, we were able to learn a lot more about the fam and create a deeper connection. We absolutely loved that and we’re glad that they felt comfortable enough with us to do that. We’ve done multiple sessions with this family by now — both happy moments and moments of grief, capturing all stages of life — and to hear them talk about us fills our hearts. They are always so grateful and tell us how beautifully we captured the moment and how willing and excited we always are to change plans or be flexible in order to do what’s best for the family.
Connections like this one that we’ve built with families is what I am most proud of. People are what’s important and so I desire for my business to be about people and making them feel loved.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Some people may not know how nervous I get! I’m an extrovert, surely, but I’d call myself a nervous extrovert. Driving to a session, my stomach is all in knots. It’s a mix of anticipation and running through everything in my head and worrying. It’s only in the car though. As soon as I walk in and say hello to everyone, I’m totally fine and as chatty and content as ever.
Something people might not know about my brand is what I mentioned earlier in my story of origin. As a young high schooler, the name of my business popped into my head out of the blue and I felt like I should grab the name and draw up logos for it. I had no idea what for or what I would do with the business. I just had a feel that it would become something. That’s how the name “The Northern Story” came to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: thenorthernstory.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/thenorthernstory
- Facebook: facebook.com/thenorthernstory
Image Credits
Nate Kellar
