Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook Bad taste takes a while to show up, but as soon as it does it’s embarrassing. How to avoid it? Start by keeping it simple. If in doubt, leave it out. The half life of crap In her book The Mesh, Lisa Gansky talks about “the half life of crap” – about cheap manufactured products and how long they last. Or rather don’t last. Her point is that the half life of crap products is way too short. They get boring or they break. They end up at the back of your garage or as land fill. Our poor planet can’t afford To View More >>

All those walls, crying out for affordable, personal art! We’re totally revamping our canvas range and the early response is truly exciting. Small canvases to decorate your child’s room … spectacular pieces to fill your lounge. We have them all, horizontal or vertical, small 10x8s to grand 60x40s. Presented on professional quality, ready-to-hang frames, and with canvas, printing and wrap options to suit your pocket and preferences. Hang some beautiful canvases in your studio, feature them on your site, and start making sales. Choose from: Economy: Polyester canvas; To View More >>

As told to Cate Scaglione - Life As Fine Art Thanks to the digital revolution our culture is by far the most photographed generation in history. Without planning or purpose, people now take pictures simply to share them on a global scale. Sociologists are enjoying a field day over the reasons why, but certainly with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr we have so many ways to broadcast intimate moments with family, friends, pets and our last meal. Which means professional photography is becoming less relevant and less profitable, right? Or is it? The anti-selfie When a client hires a highly To View More >>

Doing their Chicken Little impression, the media say the sky is falling. Some of our clients are worried, but personally I wonder. Here's why. First, Heather and I have been through it before (no, not the great depression! that was our parents and grandparents)... 1. The 1984 New Zealand currency crisis (that might mean nothing to you, but our country almost went broke). 2. The 1987 share market crash. 3. The 1997 Asian financial crisis. 4. The 2001 Tech meltdown. Sure, they probably weren't as bad, but we survived them all. In fact in each of those years except 1984 our sales increased. And we To View More >>

In the context of professional people photography here are a few things that surprise and puzzle us. How often the images are released from the studio before the sale is finalised. How the album planning/sales process can take months, sometimes years. How there's often no attempt to up-sell after the event. How the album is treated as a cost, not a marketing tool. How album planning is treated as an obligation not an opportunity. How studios go with the crowd, instead of standing out from it. None of those maximise your opportunities, and there are probably less of those to go round right now. To View More >>

This post won't mean much to those of you who's knowledge of social media is limited to, "You know, Facebook and Twitter etc". But the rest of us are trying to get good at it without feeling like it consumes all our time. Anyway, I've just been asked my opinions about automation and social media. It's something I feel strongly about, and my advice is to "approach with caution". Here's why. 1. We're in the 'intimacy business', and automation is usually the the enemy of intimacy. If I skype my wife, "Hi darling – love you!", we both feel good about it. It was impulsive and heartfelt. Automate it To View More >>

Four years in, and Suzanne Black could teach a lot of people a lot of things…especially about marketing and surviving when times get tough. I had a chat with her about what she thinks are the keys to success, how she turns 90% of her enquiries into bookings and why albums are so important to her business. Positivity is contagious. Suzanne is feeling positive right now. I haven't heard that response to a question about the state of the economy in a long time, but after chatting I've decided describing her as "positive" is an understatement... She says, “In the current climate I think it's more To View More >>

It's not all bad out there you know! There are plenty of people doing better than ever, even considering the recession. So over the next few weeks we're bringing you a series of interviews with clients who are doing just great. We'll share their advice, ideas and opinions as they give us some insights into how they're successfully running their businesses. Here's the first. He's been recognised as one of the world's best photographers, serviced clients like the New York Times and Apple Computer, photographed celebrities such as Alec Baldwin, Amanda Peet, Isabella Rosselini and Donald Trump,  regularly To View More >>

The trouble with Seth Godin (I linked to him yesterday) is that once you start reading him it's hard to stop. Next day he's talking about how, when you're starting out ... or you're struggling ... or the economy isn't hot, it's very tempting to "take what you can get". And that has consequences. As if that's not enough, his very next post says: "If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do work that matters, this is it. You can't say, 'but I need to make a fortune instead,' because that's not happening right now. So you might as well join the people who can say, 'I love doing this.' To View More >>

I see the Druids are celebrating the sun at Stonehenge, but Down South 21 June is the shortest day. Not that we have much to complain about. We don't even get frosts in Titirangi (loosely "fringe of heaven" in Maori) but it's sure cold in the wind and shade. Early morning I rugged up and took the dogs down to the beach and thought that, even when the tide's out on an overcast day in Winter, life's not too bad. Hopefully it's the shortest day for the economy too. The worst of Winter may still be ahead – the moneymen (and some of us) screwed up, and the consequences are still playing out ... but To View More >>