HELLO! (NAY HO!)

The mission is simple:

create an experience through visual storytelling that will turn heads, make days, and melt faces.

Hey there!

I'm Johnny.

A few things unrelated to photography about myself, I'm a (MOS: 68W) healthcare specialist in the United States Army RESERVE. I’ve deployed once but I’m still pretty new. I've also worked in the coffee industry for over a decade between various cafes ranging from Different cities like Berkeley, Martinez and Livermore.

For a time, I was also a reserve firefighter for the city of livermore-pleasanton. IT was pretty swell. When I'm not nerding out on coffee, fire or battlefield medicine, I'm a cinematographer for Matter Video.

ON top of all of that, I’ve got my hands full being a husband and a father of two kiddos. I REALLY enjoy sushi, cooking, video games, rock climbing and cycling.

my interest in photography began when I was a BUT A WEE LITTLE CHILD.

I remember my mom loading up film in the metal camera bodies, and the satisfying sound it made to manually load each exposure. I was completely fascinated by it.

Fast forward a few years later, we’re finally able to afford a 90’s era Canon POWER-SHOT that was eventually passed down to me and that’s when I started taking pictures of everything.

I mean everything.

From food, to faces, to pimples, to toys and nature. I just loved taking photos of things. I eventually set my eyes on photographing people and The Nuances of life. My desire for capturing meaningful, heartfelt moments and cool looking places never stopped growing.

Heart & Seeker Photography was created during a year I had spent taking chances on dreamS. I had a ton of different things going on; Between enlisting in the Army, doing coffee events for my coffee start-up, exploring a career in firefighting, and photography, I found myself Running full speed at Everything life and God Presented me to see where Each Path would take me. In my pursuit of happiness, i discovered something unrivaled.

After photographing my first wedding, I realized that Photography is a powerful way to capture emotion.

To dOcument what was felt, the moments of overwhelming joy, the way someone holds you, thaT deep love that is needed to help you to drivE forward when Life gets Difficult. PHOTOGRAPHY can represent why you chose to unite your love with someone else or who you were in that moment.

Through the ebb and flow of life, sometimes we need those reminderS and representations of love to ground us through thick and thin.

There are many uncertainties in life, but I recognized that BecomiNg a Photographer was never been one of them. The saying of “there is more to life than just working, but living” is so true, and I think I’ve found that immeasurable living spirit and love in Documenting beautiful moments i am allowed to witness.

It is not only an amazing privilege, but there is such gravity and importance in my work. There could not have been more confirmation that i was doing exactly What I was meant to be doing.

I’m telling a story about the merging of two families, the union between two people and documenting their mark in history. In the end, it doesn’t matter how gorgeous the location or how high-end the details. That’s all surface. It’s about the love between two people and all those around them In support of their marriage.

it is to stop time itself, for an instance, to get a glimpse and snapshot of the beautiful people, emotional nuances found in the gentle touching of hands, and genuine smiles, that make this Medium anD craft so special And something I strive so deeply to master.

So here I am today: ready to work hard, provide excellence, and offer nothing short of a phenomenal experience from beginning to end.

I understand THat the EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE ON YOUR WEDDING DAY is monumental.

AS YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER, I FEEL THAT QUALITY IS EQUALLY AS PARAMOUNT AS THE EXPERIENCE. THAT’S WHY I WANT YOU TO BE SMILING, LAUGHING, AND FEELING AT EASE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS. MY GOAL IS TO TELL YOUR STORY FROM AN INSIDER’S PERSPECTIVE – NOT AS A service venmdor BUT AS FRIENDS, and maybe, EVEN AS FAMILY.

my aim is to CAPTURe THE RAW EMOTIONS, AND DOCUMENT momentS AS THEY NATURALLY UNFOLD.

I HOPE TO TELL A GENUINE VISUAL RECOLLECTION OF your life. To fulfill the role of dOCUMENTarian in YOUR STORY FOR ALL THAT IT IS – THE RAW EMOTIONS, THE WARM FUZZY FEELINGS, THOSE SMALL INTIMATE DETAILS — SOMETHING ONLY FRIENDS CAN DO FOR FRIENDS.

I hope my team and I get the privilege of capturing your most memorable and heartfelt moments. After all, that’s what we’re seeking.

SQUAD OVERVIEW

Thanks for checking out the fine folks here at Heart & Seeker! Below are the handsome and beautiful photographers that could potentially partner with Johnny to capture all of the amazing moments and details your big day has to offer.

TOM REINKE // FILM + DIGITAL Photographer

Tom has been interested in the 'classic' style of shooting photos for over ten years now. He primarily shoots film and has enjoyed countless hours in the darkroom working on prints. Check out more on his website linked below:

DEBORAH JONES // DIGITAL Photographer + CINEMATOGRAPHER

Deborah is a photo ninja. Originally a Canon photographer, she has recently made the jump to Sony and hasn’t looked back. She is based out of the Modesto-Turlock area. Check out more of her work by clicking the link below:

kirsten way // overall badass + photographer

This is the Way. The Kirsten Way. An overall great human, she’s also got an expert eye and is highly adept at guiding you through all your posing woes and uninitiated paparazzi attention you’ll be receiving during your amazing photo session with us. Check out more of her work with the link to her personal instagram handle. Cool. Beans. Right?