# Gabe Key: full text Source: https://gabekey.co/ . Last updated: 2026-10-19. > Gabe Key (Gabriel Key) is a photographer and operator in Apex, North Carolina. He runs GKeyPhoto, founded Firmkit, and works as Director of Business Development at Secur-Tek, Inc. GKeyPhoto reports serving 400+ clients. He is a former Visual Arts Editor of The East Carolinian and has won two North Carolina College Media Association awards. GKeyPhoto reports 400+ clients by Gabe’s own count, not independently audited. # Home (https://gabekey.co/) Gabe Key (Gabriel Key) is a photographer and operator in Apex, North Carolina. He runs GKeyPhoto, founded Firmkit, and works as Director of Business Development at Secur-Tek, Inc. GKeyPhoto reports serving 400+ clients. He is a former Visual Arts Editor of The East Carolinian and has won two North Carolina College Media Association awards. GKeyPhoto reports 400+ clients by Gabe’s own count, not independently audited. The record. Every number links to its source: 400+ clients (self-reported), two NCCMA awards, 27 stories and 5 galleries on Pirate Media 1 (September 2024 to February 2026), Visual Arts Editor of The East Carolinian until January 2026, founder of Firmkit, and Director of Business Development at Secur-Tek, Inc. # About Gabe Key (https://gabekey.co/about/) Gabe Key (Gabriel Key) is a photographer and operator in Apex, North Carolina. He runs GKeyPhoto, founded Firmkit, and works as Director of Business Development at Secur-Tek, Inc. GKeyPhoto reports serving 400+ clients. He is a former Visual Arts Editor of The East Carolinian and has won two North Carolina College Media Association awards. ### Who is Gabe Key? Gabe Key (Gabriel Key) is a photographer and operator in Apex, North Carolina. He runs GKeyPhoto, founded Firmkit, and works as Director of Business Development at Secur-Tek, Inc. GKeyPhoto reports serving 400+ clients. He is a former Visual Arts Editor of The East Carolinian and has won two North Carolina College Media Association awards. GKeyPhoto reports 400+ clients by Gabe’s own count, not independently audited. ### Is Gabe Key the same person as Gabriel Key, Gabe Keys and Baboosh? Yes. Gabriel Key is his formal name. Gabe Keys and Key Gabe are common misspellings. Baboosh is the name he used on Mixer, on Twitch and on the Eminent Podcast. Every one of these names points to the same person. If a page uses any of them, it means the photographer from Apex, North Carolina. ### What does Gabe Key do? He has three jobs. GKeyPhoto is his photography business in Apex, and GKeyPhoto reports serving 400+ clients, by his own count. Firmkit is the software company he founded in Cary. At Secur-Tek, Inc., a security company in Apex, he runs business development. Each one has its own website. ### Where is Gabe Key based? Apex, North Carolina, in the Triangle. GKeyPhoto sessions in Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, Morrisville and New Hill include travel. Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and other towns add a travel fee. He is also a marketing student at East Carolina University and expects to graduate in 2028. ### What did Gabe Key do at The East Carolinian? He was Visual Arts Editor of The East Carolinian, the student paper of East Carolina University, until January 2026. His photos ran in 27 stories and 5 galleries on Pirate Media 1 from September 2024 to February 2026. The Hook, its sister magazine, ran his work too. ### How many clients has Gabe Key photographed? The 400+ figure is GKeyPhoto’s own count. Nobody has audited it, and it is current as of October 2026. Sessions include families, graduates, headshots, sports, events and weddings around the Triangle. A few clients were abroad, in England, France and Germany. Prices and booking are on gkeyphoto.com. ### Has Gabe Key photographed public figures? Yes, at events. His photos of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump ran in The East Carolinian in October 2024. This site also shows his frames of Bill Clinton and Josh Stein from 2024 campaign stops in Greenville. The press page links each source. None of it means an endorsement or special access. ### How do I book or contact Gabe Key? Photography sessions are booked through GKeyPhoto. Website and intake work for trade companies goes to Firmkit. Press and podcast hosts should start with the fact sheet, then write through the contact page. That page lists each route with its own link, so a message lands with the right business. ### What is GKeyPhoto? GKeyPhoto is Gabe Key’s photography business. It books family, graduation, headshot, sports and event sessions in Apex, Cary, Raleigh and the rest of the Triangle. As of October 2026 it has 24 Google reviews. Prices, galleries and booking are on gkeyphoto.com, not on this site. ### Who founded Firmkit? Gabe Key founded Firmkit. Firmkit is a software company in Cary, North Carolina. It builds the systems small companies run on. It is a separate business from Secur-Tek and from GKeyPhoto. Its products, prices and contact details are on firmkit.co, and this site only links there. ### Does Gabe Key work at Secur-Tek? Yes. He is Director of Business Development at Secur-Tek, Inc., a security and low-voltage company in Apex, North Carolina. He works there as an employee. Secur-Tek is not a Firmkit client, and the work he did for the company is described on its own page on this site. ### Who is Baboosh, the streamer behind Team Eminent? Baboosh is the stream name of Gabe Key. He started streaming on an Xbox at 13, first on Mixer and then on Twitch. He founded and managed Team Eminent, ran its Minecraft server and co-hosted the Eminent Podcast with Archie. The archive page keeps the record and links its sources. ### What awards has Gabe Key won? Two second-place awards from the North Carolina College Media Association. The first, for Photography in 2024, was for his coverage of Kamala Harris’s visit to East Carolina University. The second, for Magazine Photography/Art in 2025, was for photos of the Greenville band Seb & Newt. The press page links both results. ### Where can I see Gabe Key’s photography? The photo page on this site holds a short set of his frames. The full portfolio is at gkeyphoto.com. His published news photos are linked on the press page, each with its outlet and date. Campaign coverage, with Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Josh Stein, is on the Rooms, not names page. ### Where are the official Gabe Key profiles? His official profiles are on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitch and YouTube. The Twitch account uses the stream name Baboosh, and the YouTube channel is named Gabe Key. The GKeyPhoto Instagram belongs to the business, not to him. The fact sheet lists every handle, and the same links sit in this site’s code for search engines. # Fact sheet (https://gabekey.co/facts/) ## Bios Gabe Key is a photographer and operator in Apex, North Carolina. He runs GKeyPhoto, founded Firmkit, and works at Secur-Tek, Inc. Gabe Key (Gabriel Key) is a photographer and operator in Apex, North Carolina. He runs GKeyPhoto, founded Firmkit, and works as Director of Business Development at Secur-Tek, Inc. GKeyPhoto reports serving 400+ clients. He is a former Visual Arts Editor of The East Carolinian and has won two North Carolina College Media Association awards. Gabe Key (Gabriel Key) is a photographer and operator in Apex, North Carolina. He runs GKeyPhoto, founded Firmkit, and works as Director of Business Development at Secur-Tek, Inc. GKeyPhoto reports serving 400+ clients. He is a former Visual Arts Editor of The East Carolinian and has won two North Carolina College Media Association awards. He streamed as Baboosh on Mixer and Twitch, founded Team Eminent and co-hosted the Eminent Podcast. He picked up a camera at 15. He is a marketing student at East Carolina University, expected to graduate in 2028. Firmkit is a software company in Cary, North Carolina. ## Name variants - Gabe Key: The person, and the name on every credit. Preferred. Use this name in captions and bylines. - Gabriel Key: The formal form of the name. Use where a formal name is required. - Baboosh: The stream name on Mixer and Twitch. Use only for the streaming years and the Eminent Podcast. - GKeyPhoto: The photography practice, also written GKPhoto. One word. Use for photography bookings and work. - Firmkit: The software company he founded. Use for the software company in Cary, North Carolina. - Secur-Tek, Inc.: The Apex company where he works. Use for his employer. It is a separate company. - Gabe Keys and Key Gabe are common misspellings of the same name. ## Roles GKeyPhoto, Firmkit and Secur-Tek, Inc. are three separate organizations with separate sites. - GKeyPhoto: Owner and photographer. Current. Photography business in Apex. - Firmkit: Founder. Current. Company he founded. - Secur-Tek, Inc.: Director of Business Development. Current. Employee. - The East Carolinian: Visual Arts Editor. Past. Until January 2026. - East Carolina University: Marketing student. Current. Expected graduation 2028. ## Profiles - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabekey - Instagram (personal): https://www.instagram.com/imgabekey/ - Twitch (Baboosh): https://www.twitch.tv/baboosh - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@imgabekey # Press (https://gabekey.co/press/) - [NCCMA 2024 awards: Photography, second place](https://nccma.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/13336/2025/02/PressRelease24.pdf): North Carolina College Media Association, February 2025. Award results (Kamala Harris ECU visit). - [NCCMA 2025 awards: Magazine Photography/Art, second place](https://nccma.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/13336/2026/02/PressRelease25.docx): North Carolina College Media Association, February 2026. Award results (Seb & Newt). - [Making Headlines: Conferences and Awards](https://studentaffairs.ecu.edu/2026/03/01/headlines-2/): East Carolina University Student Affairs, March 2026. University note on the awards. - [Kamala Harris makes her mark in ECU visit](https://www.piratemedia1.com/theeastcarolinian/article_e64e17aa-8b2d-11ef-bcd8-43075f18b328.html): The East Carolinian, October 2024. Photo credit. - [Trump evens out the debate field in ECU rally](https://www.piratemedia1.com/article_43c2fa72-9182-11ef-8e21-434603d0d07b.html): The East Carolinian, October 2024. Photo credit. - [Harris's late-game run secures Military Bowl over NC State 26-21](https://www.piratemedia1.com/theeastcarolinian/article_f093e900-c59e-11ef-8172-7751ecf235d9.html): The East Carolinian, December 2024. Photo credit. - [The last Dreamville](https://www.piratemedia1.com/theeastcarolinian/article_fbcfe7b1-546d-4f57-aaff-18274e30a343.html): The East Carolinian, April 2025. Photo credit. - [GloRilla at Dreamville](https://www.piratemedia1.com/image_99e63ccc-f78f-4d31-b172-1e1a280eda07.html): Pirate Media 1, April 2025. Photo credit. - [Local band Seb & Newt brings unique sound to Greenville](https://www.piratemedia1.com/thehook/article_a6465c22-ccb6-4224-b69e-6698e42100b8.html): The Hook, April 2025. Photo credit. - [The Hook: Letter from the Editor](https://www.piratemedia1.com/thehook/article_b079d238-bcca-4c79-aa4b-7b971769b236.html): The Hook. Staff photo caption names Gabe Key. - [The East Carolinian celebrates a century of student news](https://www.reflector.com/news/local/the-east-carolinian-celebrates-a-century-of-student-news/article_fcdc3838-16df-47e6-b8cf-051a54763cde.html): The Daily Reflector, May 2025. Photographs ran in the feature. - [A journalism journey](https://east.ecu.edu/2025/06/27/a-journalism-journey/): ECU East Magazine, June 2025. Staff photo caption names Gabe Key. - [Old School](https://alumni.unc.edu/news/old-school/): Carolina Alumni Review, July 2026. Photograph ran in the feature. # The Triangle, in frame. (https://gabekey.co/work/triangle-sessions/) Gabe Key’s photography practice, GKeyPhoto, reports serving 400+ clients in Apex, Cary, Raleigh and the Triangle: families, graduations, headshots, sports. ## The job Gabe Key picked up a camera at 15 and built GKeyPhoto from there. It works across Apex, Cary, Raleigh and the rest of the Triangle. ## The sessions Families, graduates, headshots, sports, events and weddings. He has also covered college football, including ECU against NC State in Annapolis. ## What a client gets Booking starts with a short form and a quick planning call. Every session includes posing help, edited digital files and a print release. The gallery usually arrives in two to three weeks. The client count is self-reported. It covers every kind of session together, not one type. ## Book See the [photography page](/photo/) or go to [GKeyPhoto](https://www.gkeyphoto.com/) for session types, prices, the full portfolio and booking. # Secur-Tek (https://gabekey.co/work/secur-tek/) Gabe Key works as Director of Business Development at Secur-Tek, Inc., an Apex security company. Employee work: website, profile and CRM. > Disclosure, up front. Gabe Key works at Secur-Tek as Director of Business Development. This work was done as an employee, on the company's own systems. Secur-Tek is not a Firmkit client, did not pay Firmkit, and has not endorsed Firmkit or this site. ## The job His work covers marketing, sales and brand. Secur-Tek is locally owned and based in Apex. It has handled security and low-voltage work for homes and businesses across the Triangle since 1990. ## What he built - A 65-page website, with 13 town pages and full schema. - A corrected Google Business Profile. - A rebuilt CRM: eight pipelines, 45 workflows, and website forms that send each request to the right person. - A written operating standard for a team of more than 20. That is the list. This page makes no claims about revenue, new customers, search rank or conversion rates, and internal records stay private. ## See it The website is live at [mysecurtek.com](https://mysecurtek.com/). For Secur-Tek questions, email Gabe at [gkey@secur-tek.com](mailto:gkey@secur-tek.com). The [longer note](/writing/rebuilding-a-company-from-the-inside/) covers the same work in his own words. # The East Carolinian (https://gabekey.co/work/east-carolinian/) Gabe Key was Visual Arts Editor of The East Carolinian until January 2026. He won two NCCMA photo awards, one for his Kamala Harris rally coverage. ## The job Gabe Key was Visual Arts Editor of The East Carolinian, the student newspaper of East Carolina University, until January 2026. His photos also ran in The Hook, its sister magazine at Pirate Media 1. ## Two NCCMA awards - **Photography, second place**, in the North Carolina College Media Association's 2024 awards, for [Kamala Harris makes her mark in ECU visit](https://www.piratemedia1.com/theeastcarolinian/article_e64e17aa-8b2d-11ef-bcd8-43075f18b328.html). See the [official results](https://nccma.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/13336/2025/02/PressRelease24.pdf). - **Magazine Photography/Art, second place**, in NCCMA's 2025 awards, for [Local band Seb & Newt brings unique sound to Greenville](https://www.piratemedia1.com/thehook/article_a6465c22-ccb6-4224-b69e-6698e42100b8.html) in The Hook. See the [results archive](https://nccma.unc.edu/contest-forms/past-years/) and [East Carolina University's note](https://studentaffairs.ecu.edu/2026/03/01/headlines-2/). ## Selected coverage - [Trump evens out the debate field in ECU rally](https://www.piratemedia1.com/article_43c2fa72-9182-11ef-8e21-434603d0d07b.html), October 2024. - [Harris's late-game run secures Military Bowl over NC State 26-21](https://www.piratemedia1.com/theeastcarolinian/article_f093e900-c59e-11ef-8172-7751ecf235d9.html), December 2024, in Annapolis. - [The last Dreamville](https://www.piratemedia1.com/theeastcarolinian/article_fbcfe7b1-546d-4f57-aaff-18274e30a343.html), April 2025. ## Beyond campus His photographs ran in The Daily Reflector's [feature on The East Carolinian's first century](https://www.reflector.com/news/local/the-east-carolinian-celebrates-a-century-of-student-news/article_fcdc3838-16df-47e6-b8cf-051a54763cde.html) in May 2025, and in [Carolina Alumni Review](https://alumni.unc.edu/news/old-school/) in July 2026. Every source is listed on the [press page](/press/). [Read more about Gabe Key](/about/) or explore [the photography practice](https://www.gkeyphoto.com/). # Firmkit (https://gabekey.co/work/firmkit/) Gabe Key founded Firmkit, a software company in Cary, North Carolina that builds the systems small companies run on. Offers and terms live at firmkit.co. ## The job Gabe Key founded [Firmkit](https://firmkit.co/). Firmkit is a software company in Cary, North Carolina. It builds the systems small companies run on, starting with trade companies. ## What a client gets A hand-coded website. A cleaned-up Google Business Profile. A CRM. A text back to any caller within 60 seconds when nobody answers. A clear path from the first call to the follow-up. It is one install on one 12-month contract, with setup included. The client owns the code, the domain, the profile, the data and the phone number. Prices, terms and guarantees are on [Firmkit's pricing page](https://firmkit.co/pricing/). ## Where the camera fits Firmkit clients get real photos of their own jobs, taken by Gabe, instead of stock photos. That is where his two kinds of work meet. ## What this page does not claim No client results, testimonials or revenue. His Secur-Tek work was done as an employee and has its own page. [Visit Firmkit](https://firmkit.co/) or read [The site is not the business. The missed call is.](/writing/the-missed-call-is-the-business/) # Rooms, not names. (https://gabekey.co/work/presidents/) Gabe Key's photos of Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Josh Stein at 2024 campaign events in Greenville, North Carolina. Event coverage, no endorsement. ## The job Gabe Key photographed the 2024 campaign as it came through eastern North Carolina. The four frames below show Bill Clinton at a Harris Walz stop in Greenville in October, Donald Trump at Minges Coliseum in October, a speaker at a Harris Walz rally, and Josh Stein in downtown Greenville on November 1. His Trump and Kamala Harris photos ran in The East Carolinian. Those credits are linked on the [press page](/press/). The Clinton and Stein frames have no published link yet. They are shown here only. ## The context These are event photos. They do not mean an endorsement, a personal tie or special access. Clinton and Trump were not in office when these were taken. ## What the photograph carries A famous name gets a photo looked at. The frame still has to show the room: the crowd, the light, the moment. Read [A photograph is a room you cannot get back into](/writing/a-photograph-is-a-room/) or visit [GKeyPhoto](https://www.gkeyphoto.com/). # Sponsored streams. (https://gabekey.co/work/sponsored-streams/) As Baboosh, Gabe Key streamed on Mixer and Twitch with sponsors including NordVPN, HelloFresh, Factor75, HBO Max and RAID: Shadow Legends. ## The job As Baboosh, Gabe Key streamed on Mixer and then Twitch, starting at 13. His streams were sponsored by NordVPN, HelloFresh, Factor75, MCProHosting, HBO Max and RAID: Shadow Legends. ## What it was These were stream sponsorships. None of these brands were photography clients. The photography practice is separate and lives at [GKeyPhoto](https://www.gkeyphoto.com/). ## The rest of the record The [archive](/archive/) covers the streaming years in full: Team Eminent, the Minecraft server, the Eminent Podcast and the public sources behind each fact. The channel is still up at [twitch.tv/baboosh](https://www.twitch.tv/baboosh). # How I want Google to understand my name (https://gabekey.co/writing/how-google-should-understand-gabe-key/) Modified 2026-10-20. Gabe Key and Gabriel Key are the same person: me, a photographer and operator in Apex, North Carolina. I run GKeyPhoto, I founded Firmkit, and I am Director of Business Development at Secur-Tek, Inc. This page sorts out which name goes with which business. ## One person, three jobs My photography lives at [GKeyPhoto](https://www.gkeyphoto.com/). That is where the galleries, session details and booking are. If you want family photos, you should not have to read about a CRM to find them. [Firmkit](https://firmkit.co/) is a software company in Cary, North Carolina. It builds the systems small companies run on. Its own site explains the offer. This site only says who started it. Secur-Tek is my employer. My work there covers marketing, sales and brand. Anything I built on its systems is Secur-Tek's work, not a Firmkit job. The [Secur-Tek page](/work/secur-tek/) spells that out. ## What a searcher wants to know Most people who search a name want four answers. Is this the person I met? What does he do? Where is the work? Where do I go next? The [About page](/about/) has the bio. [Selected work](/work/) has the projects. The contact page sends photography and company work to different places. No site can promise a spot in Google. This one tries to be clear enough that nobody has to piece me together from scraps. ## The names, once - **Gabe Key** is the name I use. - **Gabriel Key** is my formal name. - **Baboosh** is the name I streamed under on Mixer and Twitch. The [archive](/archive/) keeps that record. - **GKeyPhoto** is the photography business. Some people know it as GKPhoto. - **Apex, North Carolina** is home base. The same facts should match on my [LinkedIn profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabekey), the photography site and [Firmkit's About page](https://firmkit.co/about/). A job title should stay the same from one platform to the next. If you searched my name, you found me. Next step: pick the link above that matches what you came for. # The site is not the business. The missed call is. (https://gabekey.co/writing/the-missed-call-is-the-business/) Modified 2026-10-20. A website gets a customer to reach out. After that, the site is done. Whether you get the job depends on what happens next: who sees the request, how fast the customer hears back, and who calls them. ## Start at the other end Before you argue about the homepage headline, follow one request. Where does the form go? Who can see it? What happens when that person is up on a roof? How does anyone else know a reply is still owed? None of this is a dig at whoever answers the phone. Trade work happens away from a desk. The system has to plan for that. Write down the next step for each request. Call back? Ask for photos? Book a visit? A list of names with no next step is still just a list. ## A quick reply is a start, not an answer A short automatic text can tell the customer their request arrived. It should say what happens next. It should not promise an appointment nobody has booked, and it should not pretend to be a person. When someone calls back, they need the details the customer already gave. Asking them to explain the whole job again throws away what the website collected. ## Where Firmkit fits This is the idea behind [Firmkit](https://firmkit.co/). The website, the Google profile, the CRM and the follow-up belong together. One piece of the kit texts a caller back within 60 seconds when nobody picks up. That describes the product. It is not a client result. Firmkit clients also get real photos of their own jobs, taken by me, instead of stock photos. A customer can see the actual work before they call. ## Test it yourself Send one test request through your own site. Find it in your system. Check who got it. Read the reply the customer would get. Make sure the next step is clear. Then delete the test so nobody chases a fake job. The [Firmkit work page](/work/firmkit/) explains the scope. Prices and details are on Firmkit's own site. # What to specify in a prewire before the drywall goes up (https://gabekey.co/writing/what-to-specify-in-a-prewire/) Modified 2026-10-20. Before the drywall goes up, decide three things with your builder and low-voltage installer. What devices you plan to use. Where each one goes. Where all the wires meet. Then get it written down and labeled, so the next person who opens a wall knows what they are looking at. ## Start with the room, not the gadget Think about what each room needs to do. A home office needs a solid network connection at the desk. A TV wall needs a clean path for its cables. A camera needs a clear view of the spot you want to watch. Put those on the plan. A mark that only says "wire here" leaves too much to guesswork. The room, what it is for and the exact spot give your installer something real to check with you. ## Pick where everything meets Ask your installer where the wires will end up, usually a cabinet or panel. Talk about how big it needs to be and how someone will get to it once you live there. A spot that is reachable on paper can still be a pain to work on. Cable type, power, fire blocking and code rules are for licensed pros and your local inspector. A blog post cannot decide those for your house. ## Walk the plan room by room For cameras, talk about what each one should see. For Wi-Fi and network jacks, talk about where people will work and plug in. For audio, name the rooms and how you want to control the sound. A symbol on a drawing does not answer those questions. The drawing should record what you agreed on. ## Keep a record Before the walls close, ask for labels on every cable and photos of where the wires run. Keep them with your house papers. A label should make sense at both ends. A photo should show enough of the room that you can tell which wall it is. If you think you will add something later, ask what can be done now to make that easier. Let the installer pick the method instead of guessing a path after the walls are done. ## Do one last walk-through Walk the plan with your builder and installer. Check each spot, what it is for, where it ends up and what records you will get. Fix open questions while the walls are still open. I am Director of Business Development at [Secur-Tek](https://mysecurtek.com/), a security and low-voltage company in Apex. This is a planning checklist, not a description of any customer's house. The [About page](/about/) explains my role. # A photograph is a room you cannot get back into (https://gabekey.co/writing/a-photograph-is-a-room/) Modified 2026-10-20. The second after the shutter clicks, the room has already changed. People turn. The light moves. The speaker steps back. A good event photo holds on to that one arrangement so someone who was not there can see what it felt like. ## The face is not the whole story A famous face makes a photo easy to name. It does not explain the room. The crowd, the stage, where everyone is looking: those tell you what kind of day it was. So I never pick only the tightest portrait. A wide frame shows the event. A small gesture can change how the main frame reads. Put together, they should show more than one picture taken at three distances. ## Coverage is not endorsement I have photographed Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and Josh Stein at campaign events. The published credits are on the [press page](/press/). Being in the room with a candidate does not mean I support them, know them or had special access. The [campaign page](/work/presidents/) follows a simple rule. A caption says only what is known about the frame. If I cannot prove the event or the date, I leave it out instead of guessing. ## Ordinary frames work the same way A family session has relationships in it. A sports photo has the game around the player. A stage photo has a performer reacting to a crowd. I keep enough of that in the final set that the photos make sense together. They do not all need to be loud. One shows where you are. One carries the action. One gives you a reason to look again. ## What is left A photo cannot save the whole day. It can save proof of one part of it. That is why picking the frame matters so much. My full portfolio is on [GKeyPhoto](https://www.gkeyphoto.com/). A smaller set sits in [selected work](/work/) on this site. # 400 clients later, what matters to the next one (https://gabekey.co/writing/400-sessions-later/) Modified 2026-10-20. GKeyPhoto reports serving 400+ clients, by my own count. That number tells you the business has been busy. It does not tell you what your session will be like. Three things do: what the session includes, how you get ready for it, and when your photos show up. ## A number is not a plan 400+ is a count of clients. It is not a count of weddings, and it does not mean every client booked twice. I keep it that plain on purpose. If you are booking, your questions are smaller and better. What photos do you need? Who is in them? Where will they end up: a wall, a LinkedIn profile, a team website? Start there. ## Get ready before the day Booking starts with a short form on [GKeyPhoto](https://www.gkeyphoto.com/). Then we talk for a few minutes, by phone or over coffee, and pick the look, the place and the clothes. By the day of the shoot, the big choices are already made. Bring a reference photo if you have one. Tell me what you like about it: how close the people are, the setting, how formal it feels. I can match the feel. I cannot promise the same weather or the same moment. ## Know what you get back Every session is all-inclusive. You get edited digital files and a print release. The gallery usually arrives in two to three weeks. You should know all of that before you book, not after. A print release is a real thing you can hold me to. "An amazing experience" is not. ## You are still the next client Families, graduates, headshots, sports, events and weddings all need different plans. Being busy does not change that. Your inquiry gets an answer about your shoot. The [photography page](/photo/) shows the session types and starting prices. The full portfolio and booking are on GKeyPhoto. # Apex, Cary, and the ugly middle of a growing town (https://gabekey.co/writing/apex-cary-ugly-middle/) Modified 2026-10-20. The interesting part of a growing town is the stuff that is not finished yet. A house going up. A business figuring out how to explain what it sells. A family deciding where to take their photos. Apex and Cary are where I do most of that work. ## The ugly middle A finished photo is a choice. So is a finished website. Both leave things out so you can see what is in. The ugly middle is the stretch before those choices are made. The words are not settled. The photos are not picked. The plan still has open questions. That is normal work. It does not mean anyone is failing. ## Local should mean something [GKeyPhoto](https://www.gkeyphoto.com/) works across Apex, Cary, Raleigh and the rest of the Triangle. [Firmkit](https://firmkit.co/) is based in Cary. Those facts tell you where the work happens. That is all they need to do. A town name on a page should not be decoration. A photographer can say which towns he covers. A company can say where it works. Neither needs a made-up neighborhood story to sound local. ## Two kinds of work, two doors For a photo session, the details that matter are the type of shoot, the place and the date. For company work, they are the offer, the job and how to get in touch. Those are different questions. So this site keeps them apart. A family looking for portraits should never have to read a software pitch to find a session. ## No made-up numbers This is not a population report or a ranking of towns. There are no invented growth figures here. The plain version: I am a photographer and operator in Apex, North Carolina, working across the Triangle. The [About page](/about/) and the [work index](/work/) have the rest. # Notes from rebuilding a company website from the inside (https://gabekey.co/writing/rebuilding-a-company-from-the-inside/) Modified 2026-10-20. > Disclosure, up front. Gabe Key works at Secur-Tek as Director of Business Development. This work was done as an employee, on the company's own systems. Secur-Tek is not a Firmkit client, did not pay Firmkit, and has not endorsed Firmkit or this site. Here is what I built at Secur-Tek, and nothing more. There are no revenue or lead numbers in this post, because I am not publishing any. ## The website I rebuilt the site: 65 pages, including 13 town pages, with full schema so search engines can read it. Those numbers describe the size of the job. They do not prove more traffic or more sales. The site is live at [mysecurtek.com](https://mysecurtek.com/). Secur-Tek is a locally owned security and low-voltage company in Apex. It has served homes and businesses across the Triangle since 1990. ## The Google profile I corrected the company's Google Business Profile. That is the whole public claim. No before-and-after story, no promise about search rank. ## The CRM and the team standard I rebuilt the CRM with eight pipelines, 45 automated workflows and website forms that send each request to the right person. I also wrote an operating standard for a team of more than 20. The workflow designs, customer records and staff details stay private. This post does not fill that gap with a made-up story. ## Who did what I did this as an employee, on Secur-Tek's systems. That is why it sits under my company work, with the disclosure first. The [Secur-Tek work page](/work/secur-tek/) carries the same disclosure. The [Firmkit page](/work/firmkit/) covers a separate business and does not borrow this project as a client result. # How I deliver a session so nobody waits three months (https://gabekey.co/writing/how-i-deliver-a-session/) Modified 2026-10-20. You fill out a short form. We talk for 15 minutes. We shoot for an hour or two. Your gallery usually lands in two to three weeks, with a print release. Here is each step. ## 1. Fill out the short form The form on [GKeyPhoto](https://www.gkeyphoto.com/) takes about two minutes. Tell me the kind of session, the feel you want and a few dates that work. It does not need to be a polished creative brief. If you know where the photos will be used, say so. A headshot for a company profile and a family photo for the living room are both portraits, but they get planned differently. ## 2. Plan it together Next is a 15-minute call or coffee. We settle the look, the place and what to wear. Your reference photos turn into a real plan here. The point is to get the decisions out of the way, so on the day you only have to show up. ## 3. Show up for the shoot A session runs one to two hours, and I handle the posing. You do not need to practice anything. If you are booking an event or a wedding, we confirm the exact coverage first, because it is longer than a portrait session. ## 4. Get your gallery Your online gallery usually arrives in two to three weeks. It has edited, full-resolution photos you can download, share and print, and the print release is included. Every session is all-inclusive. "Usually" is the honest word. If you need the photos by a certain date, tell me when you book and we will confirm it then. ## About the title The title sets an expectation for my own work. It is not a claim about any other photographer. The [photography page](/photo/) lists the session types and starting prices. To book, go to GKeyPhoto.