Author Archives: brokawphotoi

Ben and Hanna run the Sunbeam General stores in Frenchtown and New Hope. We crossed paths on the sidewalk and I grabbed a shot. Ben said something about Mona Lisa smile but I wasn’t sure what he meant. I can be slow.…

One building, two owners, two homes. I feel like this was Photoshopped. Someone cleverly merging two photos of different houses. (I must spend too much time behind the computer.).

But no it’s real. I browsed Google Street View and checked the earliest view available (2008). It looked like it was a two tone job, evern back then.

Duplexes are like that. Each owner able to exercise her dominion over her side. What do you do when you neighbor has completely different taste and style? Don’t dwell on it, try not to look at it and use the side door so you don’t have to see it. After a few years you won’t notice.…

Gargoyles usually live on rooftops, crouching above us, surveying the world. But sometimes people capture one and make it a pet. Like most truly wild things, gargoyles can’t be domesticated. (Never keep them inside. ). They aren’t friendly and even the most docile need to be restrained. It’s not comfortable living with a heavy, cold metal chain around your neck. Better to let them free to perch on your roof. …

The coffee’s not cold. It’s nice and hot. The only thing hot outside on a cold, winter morning. Remember when going to the cafe with your laptop felt snuggly? When you could relax into a comfy chair with a latte and escape into your feed, spreadsheets or email? Maybe it’s not so bad outside breathing the crisp winter air. It wakes up your brain. Heated long johns would be nice, though.…

Alex is a mason’s helper. He and his team are building the ArtYard building in Frenchtown. I passed by the construction site often and see Alex hoisting 80 bags of cement, moving around piles of bricks and blocks and shoveling mountains of sand. It doesn’t matter whether it’s zero or 100°, Alex is working. He says he likes it. …

I was rolling down 611 in Nockamixon, PA, one autumn day and there besides the road was a simian salesman beckoning me. He was seeking my attention and I was happy to oblige.

It looked like he was selling a yard. I didn’t really need a yard, plus I figured it wouldn’t fit in my car so I ask for a photo instead.…

The synthetic molecule R2NCHROMACRON was originally formulated to prevent excessive back hair. It was prescribed to men who bordered on being furred animals and were often chased off of beaches by dogs.

Like many drugs it has been prescribed for other ailments beyond what it was designed for.

The cluster arrangement that can be viewed with an electron microscope revealed a bouncey character to the molecule.

…

It started with a Facebook message. A friend sent me a post about a photographer in Tennessee who spent an afternoon photographing her neighbors who were locked down. He suggested it would be a good project for Frenchtown.

I thought it was a great idea and jumped on it, naming it The Porch Portrait Project. The project ran for about a week and 60 families took part, dogs included (and a few cats).

The first step (after coming up with a clever name) was to set up a webpage (https://brokawphotography.com/porch-portraits/) explaining the project and giving people a way to indicate they wanted to be part it. Participation was free and the webpage included a PayPal button so people could donate to support the project and the local food pantry.

After setting up the webpage I headed over to the Frenchtown Facebook Group to announce the project. It was warmly received and people started registering to be photographed.

I grouped people by general locations and gave them a 30 minute window when they could expect me to show up (kind of like the cable guys).

Everything went smoothly. I’d arrive within my predicted window and people would be ready on their porches for me to photograph them from the sidewalk or their front lawn (about 10-15 feet away). I’d coach them into a good group pose and then fire off a few shots.

Everyone was friendly, happy and totally cooperative. It was a wonderful experience being out photographing the community. After shooting I processed the photos and posted them on my website where people could download them for free. https://brokawphotography.com/porch-portrait-photos/

The response was overwhelmingly positive. Some folks had props and some simply had willing happy faces. My little project was a welcomed distraction from being locked down, even if only for a short time.…

Photography is a powerful medium. Good images influence the way people think and act. What is a good image for a business? It’s one that evokes a positive response.

Below are a few questions to help you think through your photos and how they can benefit your business.

Who do you serve?

This of course is the first question every business should answer. Who we serve dictates how we communicate and our photos are all about communicating, sending our messages, telling stories.

We generally know who we serve such as the region and demographics. The more we think about it, the more granular we can be. As we think about our customers we should be able to get a fairly good idea of the types of images they will respond to.

Our photos should be images for the people we want to serve.

What do your clients want and can you put in a photo?

Businesses are in business to solve problems. Don’t have enough milk? A store will solve your problem. Need to get something to the space station? Get in touch with Elon.

How do you solve problems and what are the results? Do you provide products you can show? Or do you perform services?

Ideally you can create and use photos that communicate a sense of satisfaction, security or contentment when your product is used or your service performed. What do your customers value? It it family life, activities, entertainment, productivity, etc.? People should be able to sense themselves in these photos and experience a good feeling. They will associate this good feeling with you.

If you, as a person, are known personally for your expertise and service then good photos of you will tell people who you are and can give them a sense of familiarity.…

Debbie Schaeffer, owner of Mrs G Appliances in Lawrenceville knows how to tell her story. Not just the personal story about this third generation family-owned retail showroom, but also about how it continues to evolve, serve its customers and be an active part of the community.

Every big box hardware store sells appliances but few (if any) offer innovation or a fulfilling customer experience like Mrs G.

Debbie hosts events, offers cooking classes and has business gatherings in addition to selling a wide range of high quality appliances. Debbie is an integral part of the community.

She wanted me to created some images to illustrate her store, so we got together and spent some time taking a few photos to give people insight into some showroom features that Mrs G offers.

My favorite is the Community Kitchen (pictured above) which is fully operational, not just a display. To get some authentic photos, Debbie had her chef cooked up some delicious chilly while I photographed the process. (I wish I could have photographed the aroma, too.)

The staff certainly enjoyed us having done this as can be seen in this panoramic photo grabbing some lunch in the kitchen. This is the view that customers experience upon entering the store.

There are also a wealth of other interesting displays of appliances with features I would never have imagined like the Kitchen Hub which offers a built-in screen connected to the Internet that can be used for cooking tips, photographing what you are cooking and visually communicating with others while you are preparing your meals. Photographing live screens can be tricky but I wasn’t there to fake the experience, but instead to illustrate it. I can just imagine someone watching a football game on the hub or getting live cooking tips from a sibling.…