[caption id="attachment_7717" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Click to view image full-size"][/caption] It's been said that the first rule of online social media is, Invest your time, not your money. Which is why it's so hard to do. Let's face it – who has the time? So how about a marketing opportunity that requires just a button-click? We've just snuck (if that's a word) a new feature into Queensberry's Photojunction Resources, and judging by the emails already coming in it's going to be a popular idea. If we're printing and assembling your album, you'll see a question asking if you'd To View More >>

I recently held a small workshop in the UK at the studio of Zoe Richards just out of Liverpool. It was intimate (there were only nine of us). We discussed album design and particularly spoke about the Musée. One of the ideas of that album is to create a feeling of intimacy. The resounding lesson from our discussion was about that and simplicity. Too often people cram images into albums to the point where there is no room to rest your eyes. The Musée design uses space to reinforce the luxury and quality feel of the product. There is something exciting about an intimate moment in a cupboard but To View More >>

Think of the best stuff you ever had. The best meal, the best coffee, the coolest shoes, the wittiest tee-shirt ... a fantastic book store, those amazing heirloom tomatoes. The people who provide you with amazing stuff are obsessive. Yes, they want to sell you something, but it's their obsession that drives them and makes them outstanding. There's a lot of obsessiveness in a beautiful album too, from the photography and design to the printing and binding. Every now and then we remind the obsessive people who work at Queensberry that our business is "not about the albums". Sometimes we remind photographers To View More >>

Who do we hope will read our Bride Book? Your clients! Our Bride Book is designed to drive business your way and add value to your photography. We currently include two books with every album we sell. Here’s how we suggest you use them. Don’t give them to the bride and groom Yes, we include books with each album, but they’re not for that happy couple ... they’ve already purchased. Take them out of the box and use them to book more weddings and more albums. When they book with you, give couples a copy to take home They’ll have something beautiful to confirm the value of Queensberry albums, To View More >>

After all my talk about branding, I suppose I need to acknowledge that you don't have to buy "brands". The truth is most people don't. Commodity products sell on price (low price), and of course some brands do too ("The Warehouse, Where Everyone Gets a Bargain"). But what Queensberry sells is "packaging", and the purpose of packaging is to enhance the product. When the packaging is albums and the product is your photography, it's important to ask how much enhancing will be going on if you buy on price. It could be that much harder to avoid selling on price as well. Cheers, Ian To View More >>

I am so proud of this from Ross Grieve (a UK-based Kiwi photographer) because it's Queensberry to the core. I'm sure Jo is too. When Ross's photos arrive we'll feature the album on our consumer blog. - Ian [caption id="attachment_7424" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Ross & his idea guru"][/caption] Last year our Queensberry Account Manager, Jo (or our idea guru as I like to call her), suggested we get a Duo sample to have something unique in the studio. Now the thing I like about Jo: she is not a sales person, she is someone who is there to help you and your business. With that in mind To View More >>

Stock photography may be eating into commission opportunities for professionals, but some people are doing very well out of it, including Aussie photographer David Freund. I saw David online talking about iStockphoto's 10th birthday and asked him how this fitted with his wedding business. - Ian Ian Baugh from Queensberry recently posed a question to me about the role my stock photography takes in my wedding photography business. It’s not unusual to find that most wedding photographers also photograph other things. Commonly wedding photographers are also portrait photographers, some are landscape To View More >>

It's that time of year when we take stock, make resolutions and ask questions ... like how can we make this year a winner? Are there too many photographers? Why do we ask our competitors for advice? What can we learn from musicians? And the big one: How much are our images worth? Sadly, that's not just about how good they are or how much time we spend on them in post-production. Our latest client newsletter is below. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment here or emailing Ian directly. Cheers, Nigel How much are your images worth? We received this present from our design consultants, Alt To View More >>

We came across this swag of albums via a link that Aussie Jonathan Dear of Vibrant Photography left of on our Facebook page. He's had a lot of albums arrive lately and decided it was about time he started to photograph and blog them... We agree because there's nothing quite like seeing the real product. Here's a taste of what Jonathan and his team have been up to. More images and details on Jonathon's blog. Cheers, Nigel To View More >>

The New York Times caused a ruckus a couple of days ago with an article pointing out the negative impact on professional photographers of a number of trends: the decline of the print media and therefore print advertising; the rise of digital imaging, stock photography and photo sharing sites; the flow-on opportunities for pro-am enthusiasts who don't face the same commercial imperatives. Christian Oth runs an upscale Manhattan studio. Here's his response - Ed. The New York Times posted an article about how photography is on a shrinking path. It is an interesting assessment of the state of assignment To View More >>