I have a guilty confession to make...here are my top three things I'm loving right now! BH 90210 - The Beverly Hills 90210 reboot series has only aired a few episodes and I'm so thrilled with how they did it!  It's not a typical reboot that picks up almost 30 years after the original series ended.  The original cast play themselves in a distorted reality-based way.  If you were a fan of the original, it's worth checking out this reboot!  "The Art of Racing in the Rain" (Movie Edition) - OK - I'm a "This is Us" fan (Milo 😍).  And, I love dogs (especially golden retrievers)....and well, I love Kevin Costner and Ferraris too!  But, I finally had a chance to watch this in the theater and let's just say I'm so very glad there were only a few other people in the theater as I silently sobbed from the first 30 seconds to the very last 30 seconds.  I have not read the book.  So, I don't know how they compare, but this movie was so beauti

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:

Photography has been a hobby of mine since high school, and although I never planned to open a photography studio at any point in my life, sometimes life throws you a curve and you can catch it or duck out of the way.  I caught my curve ball and opened my studio.   While I've owned several businesses over the years, I still stumbled into problems when I started my photography business.  Most problems were just hiccups, but one was huge: shooting for free. By offering photo sessions with digital images included for free, I found that most people who booked my free session just didn't value my time as much as if they spent their money to hire me.  They would show up late to their session or reschedule several times before cancelling altogether.  This was tough on my ego.  I couldn't understand why people didn't appreciate the value of the photo session and the amount of time I had wrapped up into them! I quickly learned two better options:  giving a clien

Every time I even think about scheduling a family photo session with my family, my husband has excuses before I even finish my thought.  I don't get it either.  He's sexy and photogenic!  He has no reason to avoid a camera.  But, let me share my secrets with you on how I prepare my husband for a photo shoot! Timing Find the best time that works with his schedule.  I know that as the CEO of your family, your schedule it hectic between the mom taxi duty, groceries, getting dinner on the table, and chores around the house.  But, sometimes it is worth giving a little in order to get a lot. If he normally gets off work at 4 pm each weekday, then schedule a weeknight session.  If he works late every night then try a weekend.  The biggest hurdle I have to jump over is finding a time that he already has some down time.  Once I get past this hurdle, it's so much easier to get his cooperation! What To Wear I'm sure there's one nice outfit that will coordinate

I know that you know the obvious answer: I love taking photographs!  And I really do.  I lugged a camera case of 30 rolls of 35 mm film through Italy before digital cameras were available!  But to start a photography business is a labor of love; it's just not taking awesome photos.  So, how did I get where I am today? I've always been strong willed and independent.  For as long as I can remember, I've set my eyes on a goal and put my nose to the grindstone until I reached my goal.  There's been success; there's been heart ache.  So far, I've lived a great life! But, after 10 years of working for "the man", I decided that it was time to gamble and venture out into the world of self employment!  Back then, I was a CPA by day while my photography was a weekend hobby.  I took a calculated risk and opened my first company which was a CPA firm.  And, boy was I busy from the start.  Busy with bookkeeping, taxes and payroll, I quickly got bored with

Being a mom myself, I remember the early days when I stressed over milestone photos and family portraits with perfectly matching clothes!  Please believe me when I say that the stress I put on myself was not worth it!  Here are the three things I wish all moms knew before their family session. Your Session Means As Much to Me as to You! I know how much I treasure my family photos, and I want you to treasure your photos as much as I treasure mine!  Believe me when I say that I am honored to work with you and your family.  You are not just another photo shoot in my calendar!  I am truly blessed for every photo that I am able to shoot.  I hope you are as thrilled as I am about your photos!  I can't wait for you to share them with all of your family and friends! Kids Will Be Kids My favorite photos are the candid moments that just can't be recreated!  I often see adults nervous about having their pictures taken while kids are beyond excited.  Sometimes a little t

Mom Guilt is real.  And, luckily, it has a fun and easy fix! When my kids were 6 & 3, I decided to sit down and organize my family photos.  Let me tell you how that seemingly simple task made me feel like I failed as a mom! I had tens of thousands of digital pictures of my kids that were OK but nothing special.  And, even worse, I noticed how few pictures I had of my whole family with me included.  Any pictures that did include me were selfies that were either out of focus or they cut off half of someone's face. I'll tell you what I did to reclaim my confidence in my mom skills: I booked a session for my family with a professional photographer. Within a week, my home had new portraits of my whole family with me included that I was proudly displaying on my walls! My name is Kelley Brubaker.  I am a professional photographer based in Bath, Ohio and I am looking forward to connecting with you! Let's get you out from behind your cell phone's camera

A picture is worth a thousand words. Hanging pictures on the wall is natural; cavemen and Egyptians were decorating the walls of their caves and pyramids thousands of years ago.  And, although the type of memories hung on a home's walls has evolved with technological advances from hieroglyphics to paintings to photographs, the reason for the pictures is the same: memories. We live in a digital age.  With so many digital devices within reach all day long that help us take more pictures than ever before, we end up with thousands of photos stored on our phones and computers and less photos printed. But, here are 3 reasons that your photos should be printed: (1) Photographs capture a moment in time.  With thousands of photos on our phones and computers, printed photographs hung on the walls of our homes are easily identified by our family and friends as our favorite memories; printed family photographs instantly become heirlooms to our children. (2) Moreover, psychologist

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.”  ― Alexander Pope It can be nerve-wracking to book a photo session - I get it!  I've been there too.  It's an investment of your time and money, both of which are very precious to you. The thing is, I want you to be as excited about our appointment as I am!  I'm not the right photographer for every client; that's OK.  While you've been able to read a little bit about me on my "about" page , I'm sure you are thinking... "what am I really getting into with Kelley????"  Hmm....well, let's see! Overall, I have 3 rules: Have fun. Have more fun. See rules 1 & 2. Seriously though, I love photography!  I have had a "serious" career that burned me out primarily because it wasn't fun.  And after some soul searching, I realized that I had an opportunity with a lifetime hobby that could inject fun back into my daily life. I am a mom