From photographing weddings and creating Santa experiences to developing a patented modular mounting system, our journey has taken us places we never expected.

If someone had told us years ago that we'd eventually be creating and manufacturing mounting solutions for photographers, we probably would have laughed. We were photographers, after all. Our days were filled with cameras, clients, backdrops, lighting, and whatever creative idea we were trying to bring to life next. Manufacturing wasn't something we'd ever pictured ourselves doing.

But looking back, it's interesting how the experiences we had along the way prepared us for something we didn't even know was coming.

We're Gary and Elaine Jones, the husband-and-wife team behind TogDrop Solutions, and our story really begins with Gary's love for photography.

Where It All Began

Gary's interest in photography goes all the way back to the 1980s. He enjoyed capturing moments through a camera, but life and a career in construction took him in another direction, and photography remained something he loved rather than something he pursued professionally.

That changed years later when he attended a wedding and started taking candid photographs. What began as simply enjoying the moment with his camera caught the attention of a family member, who later asked him to be the main photographer for another wedding. That invitation brought his passion back to the surface, and before long, Gary was photographing more weddings and exploring what he could do behind the camera.

In 2011, we officially started Gary and Elaine's Photography. Gary was our main photographer, and Elaine worked alongside him as his second shooter while also handling much of the business side. With more than 30 years of experience in insurance and compliance, Elaine was comfortable managing the details that keep a business running. Networking, marketing, customer relationships, consultations, in-person sales sessions, and administrative responsibilities became part of her everyday role.

We make a pretty good team, and over the years, that combination of creativity and business experience allowed us to grow in directions we hadn't originally anticipated.

What began with weddings expanded into newborn and family photography, schools, sports, events, headshots, awards ceremonies, photo booths, commercial photography and video production. We enjoyed the variety, and with each new opportunity came something different to learn. Eventually, our original name no longer seemed to fit everything we were doing, so Gary and Elaine's Photography became G and E Studios.

Through all those years, one thing remained constant. We loved creating experiences for our clients, not just taking photographs. We wanted to capture those little moments that become part of a family's story, the images that bring back memories and make someone smile years later.

And if there's one area of photography that's always been especially close to our hearts, it's Santa experiences.

There's something pretty special about creating an environment where children can interact with Santa, where families get caught up in the experience, and where we're able to capture those expressions and moments that can't always be planned. We love bringing those settings to life, creating something that feels like more than just a backdrop and a chair.

Of course, anyone who has built a photography set knows that what looks wonderful in a finished photograph doesn't always come together quite so easily behind the scenes.

We spent years arranging backdrops, positioning lighting, moving equipment, and figuring out how to make our creative ideas work within the space available. In fact, our first studio was a 400-square-foot garage, and we learned pretty quickly that every square foot mattered. By the time we had our backdrops, lights, stands, props, and clients in place, there wasn't always much room left to work.

We made it work, though. Like so many photographers, we learned to be resourceful, adapt our setups, and find creative ways to use the space we had. At the time, we simply accepted many of those challenges as part of running a photography studio.

We had no idea how much those experiences would influence what came later.

The Workshop That Changed Our Direction

Years later, while attending a Santa workshop, we ran into a familiar kind of frustration. We were helping to set up a demonstration that required two backdrops to come together to create a corner, and getting everything positioned the way we wanted was proving more complicated than it should have been.

It wasn't an unusual setup. Photographers create corners for all kinds of reasons, from holiday environments to portrait sets. But making two backdrops work together while managing the equipment supporting them can be a challenge, especially when you're trying to create a finished environment that looks natural through the camera.

As we talked with other photographers, we discovered they were experiencing the same frustrations. It wasn't just a Santa workshop problem. Creating corners was something photographers struggled with in all kinds of studio setups.

That conversation stayed with us.

Gary has spent more than 35 years in construction, where finding practical solutions to problems is part of everyday life. He has always enjoyed designing, building, and figuring out how things work, and his experience with CAD design and 3D printing gave him a way to turn ideas into something tangible.

So we started experimenting with a better way to bring those backdrops together.

At first, that's all we were trying to accomplish. We weren't thinking about creating a manufacturing company or developing an entire line of products. We simply wanted to solve a problem we'd experienced ourselves and heard other photographers talking about.

But as Gary worked through different designs, we started looking beyond the corner itself. We began questioning why photographers had to rely so heavily on traditional support systems and whether the structures already available in a studio could be used differently.

And those questions weren't coming from just the two of us. As we shared what we were working on, other photographers began telling us about their own studios, the challenges they faced, and the things they wished they could do differently. Some struggled with limited floor space, while others wanted easier ways to change backdrops, create different sets, or incorporate lighting. Every conversation gave us another perspective, and many of those conversations helped shape the system we were developing.

We began to realize that we weren't simply solving our original corner problem anymore. We were building something around the real needs of photographers, including challenges we hadn't experienced in our own studio.

A metal wall, an upright tension pole, a light stand, or a ceiling might already be part of the environment. What if we could create mounting components that worked with those structures? And what if those components could be connected and reconfigured so a photographer wasn't limited to one particular setup?

The more we listened, the more possibilities we discovered. What began as one solution was growing into a modular system shaped not only by our own photography experience, but by the experiences and ideas of the photographers we were hoping to help.

One idea led to another, and in May 2023, we began developing what would become TogDrop Solutions. By January 2024, we had officially launched our new business.

Somewhere along the way, two photographers who were trying to solve a backdrop problem had become manufacturers.

Seeing Our Old Studio Through New Eyes

As TogDrop Solutions developed, we found ourselves thinking more and more about that little 400-square-foot garage where we'd started our photography business.

We remembered how carefully we had to arrange everything, how often equipment needed to be moved, and how some creative ideas had to be adjusted simply because we didn't have the room to make them work.

And we couldn't help wondering what we could have done differently if we'd had the mounting options we were now developing.

Imagine walking into a small studio where more of the floor is available for photographing instead of supporting equipment. Where multiple backdrops can be ready without requiring a separate stand for each one. Where creating a corner doesn't mean rearranging half the room, and where lighting can be positioned without always needing another stand on the floor.

We would have loved having those possibilities in our garage studio.

That realization helped us understand that what we were creating could be useful far beyond the original Santa workshop. Photographers working in spare bedrooms, garages, shared spaces, and commercial studios all face decisions about how to use the space they have. The size and layout may be different, but the challenge of balancing creativity with a practical working environment is something we can all relate to.

We began thinking less about individual mounting components and more about how a photographer might use an entire studio.

Today, TogDrop Solutions manufactures patented modular mounting solutions that turn the space in and around a studio into adaptable mounting space for backdrops, lighting, and other gear. Rather than requiring one fixed arrangement, the system is designed to change as a photographer's needs change.

Someone might begin with a simple single-backdrop setup and later decide to create a corner or even a full room. Another photographer might want to incorporate lighting or make use of a ceiling or wall that wasn't previously being used for mounting equipment. The same modular concept allows photographers to build configurations around the way they work instead of trying to make every studio fit one predetermined arrangement.

And that's what excites us about what we're manufacturing. It's not simply that we've developed a different way to hang a backdrop. It's that photographers can begin looking at their studios and seeing possibilities they may not have considered before.

Along the way, we've been fortunate to have TogDrop Solutions recognized with three consecutive PPA Hot One selections. For two photographers who never imagined becoming manufacturers, that recognition has been especially meaningful. What started with a frustrating backdrop setup at a Santa workshop has grown into something being recognized within the photography industry we love. And while we're proud of that recognition, what means even more to us is knowing that the ideas and challenges shared by fellow photographers have helped shape what TogDrop Solutions has become.

Still Learning From the Other Side of the Camera

Although manufacturing has become a big part of our lives, we haven't completely left photography behind. We still operate G and E Studios, and those years of working with clients continue to influence how we approach TogDrop Solutions.

When we're designing a new component or helping someone plan a setup, we're thinking about more than whether everything will fit together. We're thinking about what happens when the photographer is actually working.

What happens when a family arrives and the set isn't quite ready? How easily can the photographer move between different looks? Is there enough room for the client, the lighting, and the props? Can the setup change without interrupting the flow of the session?

We've been on that side of the camera, and we understand how those little frustrations can add up throughout the day.

That's also why we enjoy talking directly with other photographers. Some have small studios and want to make better use of every inch. Others have larger spaces but are tired of moving equipment or want more flexibility in how they create their sets. Often, they come to us with an idea of what they'd like to accomplish but aren't quite sure how to make it happen.

Those conversations are some of our favorites because they remind us of the questions we were asking when TogDrop first began. We listen, look at their space, and work through the possibilities together. Sometimes the answer is a configuration we already manufacture. Other times, a photographer's challenge gives us something new to think about.

We never want to lose that connection with the people who actually use what we create. After all, it was a conversation with other photographers that helped us realize our original corner problem wasn't ours alone.

A Different Way to Think About What's Possible

Looking back, there's a certain irony in the fact that we spent so many years working around the limitations of our own studio, only to eventually develop a system that might have changed the way we used that space entirely.

Gary's love for photography, his years of experience in construction and design, Elaine's background in business and customer relationships, and the experiences we shared building G and E Studios all played a part in bringing TogDrop Solutions to life.

None of it happened according to some grand plan. We followed our interests, learned from the challenges we encountered, and kept asking whether there might be a better way to do things.

Today, we're proud to manufacture solutions for the same photography community we've been part of for so many years. But what we enjoy most isn't simply seeing our components installed in another studio. It's seeing what photographers are able to create once they begin using their space differently.

We know that feeling of having an idea in your head and trying to figure out how to bring it to life. We also know how frustrating it can be when the setup itself becomes the obstacle.

Our hope is that TogDrop Solutions helps remove some of those obstacles and gives photographers more freedom to create the environments they envision.

We often think about what we could have done with our little garage studio if we'd had these options back then. We can't go back and change that experience, but we can take everything we learned from it and use it to help other photographers today.

And to think, this whole journey started because we were trying to create a corner for a Santa workshop.

Schedule a complimentary TogTalk Zoom Call with Gary or Elaine.  https://togdrop.com/TogTalk    

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