Len + Judy & Seeing Southern

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Two Coots . . . In the beginning  . . .

Juette and Judy, a lifetime ago in the North Georgia Mountains

Judy | My life began in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Clarkesville, Georgia. Mama and daddy, Juette and Kimsey, taught me how to plow a mule, work a sewing machine and shell butter beans until my fingers turned green. I spent every Sunday at Bethlehem Baptist Church. I rode down the country roads propped on the tailgate of my daddy's pea-green Chevy pickup holding onto our mule Besse's rope, watching over her as she kept pace with daddy on our way to the garden. I chased fireflies on warm June evenings and made my own lamp by shoving those luminaries into a mason jar only to release them when mama called. I would wake each morning to the hiccuping sounds of revival preachers over the airwaves of W-CON in Cornelia which still bellows loudly on my Athens dial. I would rock away the day's worries in my front porch rocker moving in rhythm with mama and daddy on either side. I'd cuddle Dopey, my mutt of many colors, each night for he was my best friend - ever.

Neil and Veta, with Veta holding tightly to Arthur and Len (right)

Len | My life began what might as well have been a zillion miles away, in Flemington, New Jersey. Parents, Veta and Neil, taught me how to shovel over a foot of snow without my five layers of clothing slowing him down. I watched dad walk, with lunch box and coffee thermos in hand, to his daily job at the downtown hardware store. Sometimes in the summer, I would join father, shadowing him the entire way. When I wasn't with him, me and my friends were blowing up army men with firecrackers, making rafts, swimming and riding bikes - the cool ones with banana seats, monkey handle bars and tony-the-tiger grips -  as far as the daylight would allow. I would catch the school bus with the neighborhood kids on New Jersey's lesser known Pennsylvania Avenue until I was the last one remaining. Soon, I didn't have to catch the bus, but simply walk across my backyard and I was at the high school. On Sunday, I sat beside my parents at St. Magdalene's, and afterwards, we would make the routine Sunday afternoon drive to find lunch that always included pie.

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Today . . .

Len's search for his family's homeland brings us to Castellemmare del Golfo in Sicily.

"Although our history together is brief, it is no less inspiring. Our union, although late, had perfect timing, and who can say that about many things in life.  We are the best of both worlds - my Southern laid-back charm and Len's Sicilian/Jersey-tude. We like to think we are more than boiled peanuts and gooey lasagna, but I will admit, those are two very good parts.

"I'm a writer, and Len is a master at IT. Years ago, we both fell in love with the power of photography, and this is how we choose to spend the remainder of our lives, behind a lens. In between the professional gigs, we share our spot of land with two horses - Jack and Lolly; two dogs - Cody and Silas; and a cat, Bear. Actually Bear allows us to live in his house for if he really wanted to, he would kick us out. Once at 21+ pounds, his age has crept up on him and now,  he's a bundle of bones and fur. However, his opinion of us has not changed.

"We have five children between us that have gone in as many directions. Taking their lead, we are following our dream to travel and document our world, both past and present. We've met some incredible people, and visited some amazing places. We will bring these to you through our travels, and hopefully, we will inspire your dreams and aspirations. What a wonderful world we have, and
it's just waiting on you."

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 We are Seeing Southern.
We are journalists whose goal is to the tell the real story without rose-colored glasses.
We believe in the importance of photography, to exist in photos as a legacy for the next generation.

We have interviewed and photographed the big names . . .

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. . . Larry Gatlin. Florida-Georgia Line. The Dahli Lama. Luke Bryan. Clint Frazier. Parmalee. Junior Johnson.
Dolly Parton. Andrew McCarthy. The University of Georgia DAWGS.

   . . . and the small ones, too.
. . .  a mother fighting breast cancer, a family swooning over a newborn, a wood splitter demonstrating his craft, a man describing his first love, a family reunion with babies and grandpas, the relics along Route 66, a Southern chef preparing okra for a Northern crowd,
a parade and a festival, the sunset over the Grand Canyon and the sunrise over Lake Chatuge.

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Each person, event or location has a story. We discover its soul - our soul - through photography and words.
We allow every story to be a living, breathing thing.
We hope that you'll allow us to capture and chronicle your moments.

Who are we? We are your storyteller.

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Judy is the editor of Georgia Connector Magazine, a regional magazine serving North Georgia, as well as a freelance writer/photographer/traveler for national/international publications including AARP.org., Deep South Magazine, Interval Magazine, Simply Buckhead, US Airways Magazine, AAA, WHERE, 17th South, BBC Travel, Southern Hospitality Traveler and has a bi-monthly blog in Blue Ridge Country's online edition. Her first book, North Georgia Moonshine: A History of the Lovells and other Liquor Makers, is available on Amazon.com. She and Len are co-owners of  Seeing Southern,L.L.C., a documentary editorial/photography company. They are both members of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA).

For photography or travel writing opportunities,  please contact Judy and Len:

P.O. Box 277
Farmington, Georgia 30638
770.356.1358
info@seeingsouthern.com