Offering products in your photography business doesn’t mean turning into a pushy salesperson. (Oh, I've said that before!) Done well, selling is just another form of great service. Here’s how to make it feel effortless and truly valuable — for both you and your clients :) 1. Start with the why Don’t jump straight into product talk. In your interactions with clients, help them understand why printing matters. Share stories, examples, and your own philosophy. Be the person who loves their products! Explain how an album becomes a family heirloom. How a framed To View More >>

When we think about "client experience" we can concentrate too much on logistics — timely communication, smooth booking, on-time delivery. Those things matter — a lot — but the real magic happens when we focus on how our clients feel at every stage of the journey. Because at the heart of photography is emotion. People book us to capture something meaningful: a moment, a milestone, a memory. And long after they’ve forgotten what they paid or how many images they received, they’ll remember what it was like working with us. So, what do you 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 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 >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook "Me me me! My favourite word." — Seth Godin The people paying Here’s the key thing about social photography. Those people in your viewfinder are paying your bills. All of your bills. And the images you take are more or less worthless to anyone else. What are your customers after? Why do they want their photographs taken? Actually, do they want their photographs taken? In social photography the trick is to understand that it’s not about the print, or the album, or the photography, or Photoshop, or what your peers think To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook Model yourselves on people who’ve built long, profitable careers — those who get as much fun out of making a sale as taking a picture. Predictions Here are some predictions for you: Over the course of your career new cameras and technology will continue to make it ever easier for anyone to take a half-decent picture and share it with their friends and family. Even so, many people will continue to make a good living using skills that they share with most people on the planet (not just photography — writing, cooking, To View More >>

Previous | Contents | Next Download the eBook The quickest way to go out of business is to be romantic about how you make your money. — Gary Vaynerchuk These posts lay out lessons from 50 years listening to successful social photographers — in other words, those who’re paid by the people in their viewfinder —  not by their boss, or by newspaper editors, book publishers, corporations or advertisers. Not art or decor sold in online stores either. We used to say that Queensberry’s clients were mid- to high-end photographers and those who aspire To View More >>

We're glad to announce that Afterpay (known as Clearpay in the UK) is now supported in Workspace Client Galleries and Print Shop. Afterpay is a payment method that allows your customers to "buy now and pay later". It's particularly popular among ecommerce businesses, and, according to Afterpay, the buy now, pay later approach maximises customer purchasing power. Their retailers report as much as a 50% increase in average order value, and 2-3x more units per transaction. Read on to learn more! What is Afterpay (Clearpay)? Afterpay gives your customers a way to pay for their purchases 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 >>

When we first launched Print Shop in Workspace people asked, “How do I know which images will sell? And which products?” They're excellent questions — and yes we do have ideas about what works, because we print and create the products! But we can't generalise. Every photographer is different and so is every photographer's work and audience. You need to find what works for you. Let's be clear, this is not expensive. It's not like you're stocking a shop with stuff that might or might not sell. In Print Shop everything will be printed and handmade To View More >>