Pinterest isn’t just a place for recipes or DIY crafts—it’s a powerful search engine and marketing tool for photographers. Pinterest offers a visual-first platform that’s tailor-made for showcasing your photography, attracting dream clients, and driving traffic back to your website. Think of Pinterest as a visual search engine Pinterest works more like Google than Instagram. When people search for ideas like “outdoor engagement shoot” or “newborn photo ideas,” Pinterest shows them curated results based on keywords and visuals. If your content is optimised, To View More >>

Selling printed products doesn’t have to feel awkward or pushy. When you believe in the value of what you’re offering, that confidence naturally transfers to your clients. The key is to make products an expected and effortless part of your process — not a last-minute add-on. When you position prints, albums, and frames as a meaningful part of the photography experience, clients will begin to see them as essential, not optional. Here are a few simple ways to make product sales feel natural and genuine: 1. Show, Don’t Just Tell Always have stunning samples on hand. Let clients To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook I would not sabotage my long-term business in order to survive a panic attack or a short-term crisis. Panic attacks — we all have them “My bookings are down.” “I’ve gotta cut my prices.” “I’ve gotta slash my costs.” We all have anxiety attacks, so maybe this chapter’s for you. Anxiety is worrying in advance, worrying without a plan, psychological rather than rational. And the actions you take while you’ve got the cold sweats could affect your business for a long, long To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook If the first time you think about me is when you realise I’m blocking the sale, too late! Some years back there was a young man called Nigel working at Queensberry. He was about to get married, and that's how the following exchange got started. It prompted me to write a post in which I said that, to hear people talk, you’d think that only two people are involved in buying a wedding album – the bride and her mother. Same with portrait shoots, I was sure. I couldn't imagine To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next  Download the eBook Be yourself. Everyone else is taken. Be yourself Heather and I have been friends with a particular couple since our kids were pre-schoolers, which is some time ago. She’s got progressive musical tastes. He likes Simon and Garfunkel. She’s been complaining for forty years about Neil Young’s whiny voice. He’s been complaining that Bob Dylan can’t sing at all. I don’t care. What would they know? Not everyone likes Neil’s voice, or Bob’s, or what they have to say, but everyone knows them, To View More >>

"Micro-Weddings/Elopements/Minimony(s)." Whatever you like to call them, it appears smaller weddings are here to stay — at least for the foreseeable future.  How things used to be Many wedding photography businesses have been built on the premise that a wedding shoot lasts all day, that there will be "getting-ready" shots needed of at least one half of the couple, that after the ceremony there'll be family photos and a celebration to cover, and that in many cases a second photographer will be needed to fully capture the day’s events. Many photographers have built a career based To View More >>

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.” – Oscar Wilde In this series we shine a light on artists expressing their individuality, documenting what they love, working hard on their craft, and sharing it with the world. We spoke to Joel McDowell, a Taupo based photographer who aims to evoke emotion in people through his work, and capture the hidden gems our beautiful country has to offer. How do you stay inspired?  That is a good question. Surrounding myself with other creatives, in all mediums and experience levels, is a good way to bounce To View More >>

Selling albums online is now common, and for very good reason. If you’re shooting destination or out-of-town weddings, chances are you’ll never see clients except on the big day. Even people who live on the other side of the city can face a big commute every time they come to see you. This becomes more of an issue the more successful you are, as people will be booking you as a result of referrals and your reputation—not because you’re handy and don’t charge too much! But selling online can be more difficult than in the studio. First, it’s harder to get people To View More >>

Evocative, adjective: bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind.  When we released our Vintage leathers last month they clearly struck a chord. Were we surprised? Not really, because when we first saw them we fell in love. And to Heather, in particular, they felt like a return to our beginnings. So ... what’s to love? The beautiful colours first caught our eye, but beyond that, they evoke such powerful feelings of nature, authenticity and, for Heather, who's our founder, memories. Natural because of their earthy tones, evocative To View More >>

What is "aspect ratio", and why can it be a problem? The aspect ratio of an image is the ratio of its width to its height. Unless the aspect ratio of a print or frame matches that of the camera image from which it is made, the original image will need to be cropped. What to do When shooting, bear in mind the finished print that you want to sell. If you frame the subject tightly (with important content out to the edges of the image) you won't be able to crop — you'll need to order prints with the same aspect ratio as the camera. Since most digital camerals have an To View More >>