Gary Vaynerchuk said something about the worst thing you can do in business is to be romantic about how you make your money. But show me a photographer who doesn't love taking pictures.  In fact I just wrote two rather emotional posts myself about professional photography. So I thought I'd set out the unromantic business reasons to sell products. Not how to sell or what to sell, but why.  And yes, we make the products, so of course we’d love you to sell them, but this is what's in it for you. We call them the three Ps. 1. You benefit from the sale of the To View More >>

This week's album is Evagoras Mandrides Photography of the UK. This is a traditional Greek wedding, something Evagoras is very familiar with. His clients often take part in the standard, pre-wedding preparations at their homes, then have a Greek Orthodox church service followed by an evening full of dancing — and further traditions too many to list! According to 'Greek Wedding Traditions', it's traditional for family members to tie a red scarf, as a blessing, around the bride and groom's waists. "When the bride is dressed and ready, her parents, grandparents and other To View More >>

You've seen Amanda King's By the Horns photographs in large format prints, but they look so dramatic in albums too! This is a 15x12 vertical Q-Book Medium with offset printing on Tintoretto to give that textured, watercolour look.  The creamy, 'Eggshell' cover is a vegan-friendly micro leather, appropriate considering the subject matter. ( Amanda, who's based in Canterbury, New Zealand, says anybody who knows her will tell you of her love for animals. "If only I could keep them all as pets.") A full bleed image in this 15x12 vertical album creates To View More >>

What can we learn from A Day of Bliss? Gorgeous brides. Striking grooms. Exquisite venues. Enticing food. Charming families and friends. Alluring music, and dancing.  These phrases describe the events that Wolfgang Freithof and Chiaki Sato photograph. And imagine — A Day of Bliss Photography Studio shoots up to 70 such weddings each year. They certainly enjoy the high-level of success that most wedding photographers aspire to, so what can we learn from them? 1. Experience Matters As you might expect, you must first work hard to earn this kind of success. Combined, Wolfgang To View More >>

This weeks 'Share of the Week' goes to Richard Perry Photography based in England , who shared his latest Queensberry's on Twitter .  Thanks for sharing, Richard. There’s a wee thank you on its way to you. "My latest @queensberrynz album has arrived... I love the classic elegance. Beautiful way to store your memories! #weddingalbum #weddinghour" Be sure to tag us when you share your Queensberry products on Instagram, Facebook or your blog. It doesn’t just make us feel good, it’s a nice way to promote your products and services too. See more from Richard Perry To View More >>

Here’s how to get instant answers to urgent questions like these (oh, and read on for our special offer!): Have you received my order? Is my album in production? When will it be shipped? How can I track it in transit? How do I make a payment? We’ve added a MY QUEENSBERRY ACCOUNT button to your Workspace Dashboard that gives you direct access to all that information and more. It’s the same live data our staff have access to, but you won’t have to wait for us to receive your enquiry and reply. Especially if we’re in way different time zones! Why not check it out To View More >>

Sarah Brookes’ first boudoir shoot was for a friend getting married. She shot some beautiful images of her friend in her bridal lingerie and found the experience captivating. Now she wonders if it’s the best job in the world, working one-to-one with her clients on something so important to them, and witnessing their personal transformations. “I get lots of lovely comments from the husband/ fiancé too, thanking me for capturing their partner in such a beautiful way. What a privilege!” Sarah enjoys the technical challenges as well. Every booking is different, and To View More >>

I got a little reminder about walking in our customers' shoes this week. We ran a survey asking regular users about twelve Workspace functions and features, from ordering albums to hosting to shopping cart sales — how important they were to people, how often they used them in Workspace, and how easy they were to use. The thing is we (OK, I) focused on how photographers experience Workspace, but not on how it works for your customers. That’s pretty bad, but in a sense understandable … because although at Queensberry we use Workspace heavily every day (in fact the entire To View More >>

That recent New York Times article caused a kerfuffle by highlighting the impact of digital imaging, photo sharing, stock photography etc. In a nutshell, how does a professional photographer survive and thrive when imagery is everywhere, and generally free or nearly so? Or as Seth Godin put it, how are "average photographers" going to make a living shooting weddings "when the guests can do almost as well and all the photos are going on flickr anyway"? Case in point... Our own Danny married Natalie recently. Needless to say they hired a photographer ... but if they hadn't? They have heaps of photos To View More >>

Why are some photographers more successful than others? In part it's their level of confidence. Or anxiety. Picture the anxious photographer preparing for a pre-wedding consult. Setting out coffee and cakes in the studio. Grateful someone got past the email stage. Anxious to finalise the booking … And not wanting to push their luck! They know the bride's looking for a cheap photographer and a cheap album … or a good photographer and a DVD! The most important thing to her is her BUDGET. The confident photographer starts by assuming the most important thing to the bride is her WEDDING. She sets To View More >>