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When you’ve been in business for more than 10 or 20 or 30 years, you need to reassess your marketing and/or your brand. Our company went through this process this past year and did a total redesign – logo, copy, website etc. Our business had totally changed but our branding didn’t reflect those changes. While we had always been two photographers shooting both independently and as a team, our branding was never clear that there were two of us. Many thought  Kelly   Mooney  was one person. We hired a graphic designer to come up with a logo that not only reflected the partnership but also reflected that fact that our business was more than just still photography. We were no longer two photographers shooting still imagery, but a  small production company  offering integrated still and  motion  solutions for buyers with multi media needs. Do start by asking yourself the following questions: Has your business changed? How? Do...

It’s a Business – You may catch some lucky breaks in your career or you may be an incredibly gifted photographer – but if you want to make a living taking pictures and sustain yourself financially, you will need to manage your art and your career as a business. That means find a way to make a profit in pursuing your craft. It’s Not Personal – Keep emotions out of your business decisions. This is a tough thing to manage because it’s usually at odds with the passion that energizes the creative side of you. I think my best work is very personal but I try to avoid the pitfalls of letting my emotions cloud my business decisions that are in my best interests. That could mean walking away from a job or a bad contract. You’re Selling Value – If want to make money and stay in business, you need to understand your value or your photography’s value in the marketplace. Are you unique, have special skills or access to places other don’t...

Be optimistic – I’m going to start with the hardest one of all, because it’s really difficult to be optimistic these days.  But I find that if I can maintain a positive attitude and turn my thoughts to what is possible, I actually open myself up to more opportunities in my life, instead of creating more roadblocks. Be open to possibilities . – Be more flexible in how you perceive things and who you are. Change is always happening, but it’s usually gradual.  Most people don’t take notice until “change” forces their hand to act.  It’s always better to be proactive than reactive so embrace “change” as an ever-present fact of life that creates opportunities for those who are open to seeing them. Collaborate – Photographers are very independent creatures and collaboration is not part of their norm. As the “photography” business continues to change, photographers will find that collaborating...

For as long as I can remember, in my professional life as a photographer, I’ve always had a personal project that I was working on. I’d either be thinking about an idea that I wanted to explore or I’d be actively producing and shooting something. I never felt that I had to do personal projects . I did them because I wanted to. Taking/making photographs has never been just a job for me. It’s not something that I look forward to retiring from. It’s something that makes me feel like I am “on purpose” and living the life I am meant to live. It’s also how I communicate and connect with people. That brings me joy especially when my imagery creates awareness or provokes thought. One summer, early in our careers, my husband/partner and I decided to photograph the Jersey Shore. Wildwood, NJ   ©Kelly/Mooney We shot every weekend that summer, from the perspective of a bicycle, as we peddled our way through different towns ...

People who have been to my home/office in Brookside, NJ: Are surprised they are in New Jersey They think they’ve gone back in time Can’t believe they are only 38 miles from New York City I live in a small semi-rural town in Morris County, NJ. There were more people living there in the 18 th century than there are now. We don’t get mail delivery, but we (about 120 homes/addresses) have our own zip code, 07926 . Our big event of the year is our 4 th of July parade. On a good day, I’m 40 minutes to EWR and 75 minutes from Manhattan. If it weren’t so expensive to live in New Jersey, I’d be here forever. I came across an old blog I wrote in 2006 about my town. Written July 5, 2006 I live in Brookside, New Jersey 07926. Brookside is a small town of about 1100 people located approximately 35 miles due west of New York City – or as some may say “the greater New York area”. But when you’re in my town, you not only feel like you’...

When my daughter Erin, and I were planning our 99-day adventure around the world, we built in some buffer time, between our scheduled times with our subjects.  We needed flexibility, in the event things didn’t go perfectly according to plan, which had a high probability, considering the scope of our trip. Ultimately we had very few glitches and that buffer time gave us the opportunity to get more involved with the culture we were.  It also gave us time to shoot still images. We spent 5 days in Moscow.  It was June and the days were long.  One Saturday, everywhere we went, there were weddings.  It was amazing because each bride and groom seemed to have his or her own style – everything from a pirate theme to pure “glam”. Click here to see other still images from our journey. Weddings in Moscow