As I work on the business plan for my photography studio, I am stuck on defining my target client.  Which has me thinking: do I completely write off Generation Z as a bad fit for my studio?   The fact that Gen Z has always owned electronic devices with cameras installed and their devices are always "connected" so their photos and videos can easily be shared with family and friends on a variety of social media accounts with one touch, leads me to conclude that these are not my target clients.  But, it's hard to write off a potential 73 million clients that easily! Surely, the easier and cheaper it has become to take photos in the digital age, we seem to take more photos than the film generations before us did.  The very nature of the film age of photography required photographs to be printed to be shared!  And even in the early days of digital photography, photographs were still being routinely printed for albums and wall art.  Combined with cheap storage options (eg,

Off (photography) topic post today! What Event in History Would I Have Wanted to Witness and Why? Hmmm.... I have so many moments that I'm going to cheat a little (OK, cheat a lot!) and say that I would want to have been 10 years old in 1960.  The entire decade of the '60s has always excited me!!! Had I been 10 in 1960, it would have let me experience the following events throughout the decade, i n no particular order: JFK's assassination Woodstock Beatles Mania Vietnam Landing on the Moon Telephones and TVs were introduced into many households MLK, Jr Cuyahoga River caught fire Hippies Title IX Detroit muscle cars The Graduate, Breakfast at Tiffany's and the 007 franchise The pop culture, social and political climates and women's rights were ever changing (revolution or evolution?) throughout the '60s faster than most decades had ever changed before then.  I'm awestruck by how much positively changed in these 10 years:  men and women be

I don't know about you, but my kids are still young enough that EVERY birthday is still an event.  And, we do two parties per kid for each birthday: one for family and one for friends.  So, what have I learned?  A lot!  But, when it comes to taking pictures, here's my top 3 tips: Designate a Photographer This is usually a great job for Dad, Grandpa, Uncle Joe or an older sibling!  Ask one person to focus on taking photos for you.  It is one thing that is easy to delegate and get off Momma's plate because you have enough to juggle from planning to hosting the party! DIY Photo Booth Find one small area in your home or yard where you can create a photo booth.  You don't need much space and you won't spend a lot of money either!   If you are indoors, head to your local dollar store and buy a plastic table cloth to use as the background.  Grab some color matching balloons and streamers to finish the setting. If you are outdoors, pick up a helium balloo

After booking a session, the biggest issue I hear from my clients is deciding what to wear or bring to their session.  Well, here's some of my top tips to fix that dilemma! What To Wear Keep clothing simple. Try to choose solid colors for your photo session. Make sure you coordinate clothing from head to toe with everyone in your group. Darker clothing slims. Choose shades of black, brown, blue, dark green and other jewel-toned colors. Scoops or v-necks flatter shorter necks and full faces. Turtlenecks or high-necked garments flatter longer necks and slender faces. Keep clothing consistent. Dress everyone in your group in the same style. Don't mix casual and formal clothing in photos. Add accents. Show your style in small accents. Save stronger colors and patterns for accessories like scarves and neckties. Consider the background of your photos especially for indoor photos.  For example: Wear light on white. Light pastel or white clothing looks best aga

Photography sessions may be routine for models and actors but for the rest of us, it is usually a purchase the requires a little bit of research.  But, where to start?  What questions should you ask before hiring a photographer?   I'm glad you asked!  Here's my top four questions that I think you should ask: Who will be my photographer?  You may love  the photographer you spoke with on the phone or read about on their website, but this won't matter if that isn't the same photographer who shows up for your photo shoot.   Now and for the foreseeable future, Broken Road Images, is a one-woman show.  I (Kelley) do it all from scheduling to editing to social media management to website maintenance in addition to being the only professional photographer.  Can I review your written contract? Never hire a photographer that doesn’t supply a written contract.  Without a contract, a seemingly simple issue that may come up can land you in a huge argument (or e

Heads Up: This post contains affiliate links!  If you buy something through one of these links, you won't pay a penny more (in fact in this circumstance, you'll get a 20% discount), but I'll get a small commission, which helps keep the lights on.  Please note that I have not been given any free products, services or anything else by this company in exchange for mentioning them on my site.  The only consideration is in the form of affiliate commissions.  Thanks! As my photography business has been growing, I've started to feel unorganized and out of control.  I have been using an app called Remember The Milk for my to do list for the last few years, but I felt that I needed to step up my game and try out something that includes some automation: HoneyBook .   I signed up for the HoneyBook 7-day free trial.  No credit card needed - that's a huge plus!  I was sold in the first day on HoneyBook and didn't waste time signing up! My initial reaction: