The hidden "About DSP" page: No photography allowed! (The Story of DSP)

A new DSP website without an "About" page? What's up with that?

Please allow me to tell you a story about telling a story about a storyteller...

Back in early 2021, when I embarked on the new DSP website project, essentially redesigning my business strategy and associated web presence from the ground up (I hope that this makeover effort is obvious to my long-time followers), I had latched on to the concept of "storytelling" after reading a fascinating marketing book by one of my favorite authors, Donald Miller ("Building A Story Brand").

And, so began how I started looking at myself not as a mere photographer, but as a "visual storyteller" (hence the new tag line on the DSP logo, and focus on "storytelling" on the new site). After all, don't I do more than just take pretty pictures? Aren't my photos used by my clients and customers to tell their own stories?

Though it became obvious to me that my fancy self-anointed title was a perfect fit for my re-invented business aspirations, it caused me to pause and to think about my own story -- the story of David Simchock Photography.

As I write this blog post, I am celebrating my 19th anniversary in the professional photography businesses. It all start on a professional level in early March 2003. Nineteen years. Whoa. But, the story actually kicks off decades before that, when I was a teenager. And, as a folk-rock icon named Bob Weir once sang (and still sings on occasion), "What a long strange trip it's been." In my case, without the chemical enhancements that Bobby et al employed, I'm pleased to say.

Thinking of my own story, I decided to map out exactly what that story was, where it began, what the milestones have been, the trials and tribulations, as well as the anticipated path that lies ahead. It was the first time in 19 years that I had actually put all of this down on paper. Yeah, I've written and updated my fair share of bios over the years, but this was more than a bio -- this was a documentation of a life journey. A story. The DSP story. My story. And, it's not over yet!

I originally intended this story, in the form of an "About" page, to be an integral part of the new DSP website, more or less as an expanded extension to my brief bio on the home page. But, as I continued to work on the site, and to refine my own message to my website visitors, I became a little uneasy about its wordiness, and that it could become a distraction to visitors, diverting them from actual services as a photographer, instructor, and artist. As a result, I made the executive decision to "hide" the page from the site, while keeping it live on the internet and accessible when needed (for this blog post, as an example), or, even, found via SEO / Google searches.

In many ways, I am proud of my story, and would love to share it with others. It may fill in a few gaps for you in my timeline as a professional photographer. It may inspire you. Or, it may prompt you to think that I was crazy to leave a successful corporate career, and to embark on what has proven to be a rather uncertain adventure as an artist. In any event, I present to you, the hidden DSP About Page:

"The Story of DSP"