There's a framed photo of Heather and me that's thirty years old now and been on the wall above my desk for the last fourteen. It was shot by Rod Ellmore in 1994 while our whole family was together in Auckland. When I look at it I think: “Didn’t we look cute thirty years ago? And I had hair! Remember how those Lockwood houses creaked? The bloody dog ruined that couch… Love the Indian parchment — still on the wall… What happened to those Churchill books? The printing is like new… Those shoes were great…” In another thirty To View More >>

Following on from  'Tribe', an exhibition by Tania Niwa (sponsored by Queensberry) in 2017, this album was made for a family who had suffered a tragedy. Tania and Mary Raukawa Newton share how these photographs connect families and cultures. "These fine art images are from a family portrait commission I have been working on," Tania says. "They feature in a custom-made leather album for widower Mary Raukawa Newton and her little boy Leighton. "Mary lost her fiancé Alekh when Leighton was a few weeks old. Her fiancé was of To View More >>

Remember the little domestic drama about how my briefcase and laptop were stolen? And how, to judge from my own buying behaviour, not everyone is going to downgrade to cheap and nasty just because of the recession? Well, yes, I bought the most expensive laptop bag I came across, but... I asked for a discount. You're not to know this but I'm a shrug-and-pay guy. It's my role in life to pay full retail, so for me to ask for, let alone get, 10% off is unusual. But what struck me was how the store projected itself. There wasn't a sale sign anywhere. Nothing to suggest times are tough, or please make To View More >>

What could a shoe shine guy teach a wedding photographer about their business? I just came across the ratty old Youtube video below, which features one of the best salesmen ever. It's short, very funny (I think) and full of insight. RIP Zig Ziglar, who died recently aged 86. We all need to be salespeople if we want to get the prices we deserve Read Secrets of Closing the Sale. Cheers, Ian To View More >>

One of the things I love most about our newest product update, is how tidy and streamlined it appears on our site. If you haven't looked already, have a browse of our new product pages and you'll see our new categories (Pressbooks, Flushmount, Overlay Matted, Classic Matted, Duo, Musee) and within each one we have a breakdown of all the options for that product: pages, sizes, cover styles, cover materials and accessories. Not only do I like it because I think it keeps things simple and tidy for photographers to look at, but I also think it can be a powerful tool for getting your clients (and potential To View More >>