Daily Inspiration: Meet Kendra Wiebke

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendra Wiebke.

Hi Kendra, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started photography as a fun hobby at the age of 11 (might have been 12…somewhere in there). I kept it up through high school, college, and after. During a trip to Grand Teton National Park my mom asked if I wanted to do photography as a job. I said no because paying me for this would ruin it. Fast forward a few years, and I wanted to make a go of photography as my hobby turned side-gig. I’m still very much working on this and in the early stages (still) but I’m taking my time and staying with the feeling of loving photography when I do it because I don’t want to burn out on this thing I love. Slow and steady.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s definitely not been a smooth road. Though I’m not sure I expected it to be. The toughest part was getting over comparing myself to others – I say in the past tense like I’m not actively doing this on a daily basis. There’s a community aspect to photography that I’ve found very hard to fit into and it’s discouraging. And let’s not even begin to talk about the times when my mental health has pulled me away from what I enjoy. That’s another daily struggle, this past year in particular. But I have hope that things will work out and that if I dive back in and stick to it things will work out alright. Or they won’t and that’s ok too because at least I’ll have tried.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I do landscape and travel photography. I love getting that perfect sunrise or sunset photo and taking a hike to reach that epic viewpoint. I love making my photos feel like you’re there. I like keeping them on the more realistic side. Sure, I’ll still edit them, but I don’t want someone to go somewhere and be disappointed because my photo made them think they were getting something else.

Any big plans?
I’m considering doing more prints for my photos. Especially in bigger sizes. Also thinking of trying to do a series for some of my favorite national parks around Colorado/Utah/Wyoming.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.seekoutexplore.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kendraventures/

Image Credits
Kendra Lee Wiebke