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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...

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’...