Before they invented pixels much of the stuff that we do in post production happened to the image as it was taken. There used to be a vignette you could apply 'on camera', there were wonderful things that you could do using a softar filter. There also was attention to detail. Details of composition, lighting, expression and, dare I use the word, posing. We now shoot a ridiculous number of frames as we become more opportunist and somehow more reckless. Certainly from this reckless/prolific behavior we get some true gems, but we often create more work than is necessary. I just wanted to give a plug To View More >>

Just a quick reminder that we do not offer albums with more than thirty pages (60 sides) inclusive of Wings and Flips. If your 12x12 or larger feature album design requires more than 30 pages (60 sides), you will need to order two volumes. We offer a second cover at 40% discount. With so many pages in them the albums become very heavy, and the purpose of the page limitation is to ensure their structural integrity. To View More >>

I just got back from a seminar by one of Australia's best seminar presenters. For all his professionalism and preparedness, his Dell laptop wouldn't recognise the USB microphone he was recommending. A simple problem, but he couldn't fix it and neither could the audio tech who was recording the presentation. And before you Apple fan boys start chortling, the audio geek was recording the event on a Mac using the latest version of Logic Pro, and he told me he was having problems with that too. What happened? The presenter demonstrated with $25 Logitech headset instead, and we moved on. I flew home To View More >>

I don't read the instructions unless I need to. Needing to is defined by 'it won't work unless you read the instructions.' One of the weaknesses in Photojunction is its simplicity and a sense that you can work it out just by using it. Some of us would have it no other way. But that means there is a tendency to apply the status quo approach to it. It is too easy to write off something because you had a bad experience with previous versions. Ultimately we can become neglectful of progress through our established habits. I had a conversation over dinner with another photographer last night. They said To View More >>

Johannes has been talking about the power and effectiveness of simplicity here on the blog lately. It's an excellent message and one I want to expand on a little by explaining how Queensberry can help you simplify your business. You've got a complicated job. You're a photographer, a marketer,  a salesperson, a designer, a manager, an entrepreneur... And you're offering a complicated service, and complex products. It's not surprising then, that achieving simplicity would involve an investment in time and money. Take purchasing a new camera for example. That involves an investment in both time To View More >>

It's a fiddly job assembling an album, but our assembly team can save you the time and hassle. They assemble thousands and thousands each year - so they're pretty good at it! And the pay-off is another 2-3 hours saved per job that you can put to better use. Just think ... all of our systems are integrated - design, colour correction, printing, album construction, and assembly. Hit the Send Order button in Photojunction and apart from the small matter of paying, that's pretty much it until the album arrives back ready for your client. And of course if necessary we'll contact you to make sure everything To View More >>

Alan (not his real name) and his wife were long-standing clients of one of our competitors. They came to us because they didn't like the way they'd been treated. Unlike Katherine, who likes us (even if she's frustrated), we haven't earned anything from Alan and his wife except a chance to win their business. Alan's customers really like our Duos, which of course they couldn't get before, but he finds designing and ordering them difficult. Alan designs them on paper and his wife recreates them in Remix. Alan's designs are reasonably complex, his wife is a fan of her old software (which can't handle To View More >>

Customer service edicts state that the customer is always right. Sometimes we disagree ... out of self defense. We don't like the implication that because the customer is right then we must be wrong. We defend our innocence and integrity!  Step back for a moment. There is a principle in Tai Chi that states that you can use your adversary's energy on themselves. Imagine saying the customer is always right. If you stop defending yourself and ask the client for a realistic solution to their own problem (a solution that, if they were you, they would see as fair)  you move away from being wrong To View More >>

I watched a video on DWF by Jesh de Rox ("Client Connections"). Everybody loves Jesh, and “Jesh loves everybody" ... Actually there are probably a few photographers who don’t "love Jesh" because they don’t know him ... Possibly fairer to say, ‘To know him is to be loved by him" ... and we all know that love works best as a two way street. He talked about getting couples to show their love to you, the photographer. You cannot do it without trust. And you cannot do it without first giving them some love of your own. How profoundly simple but true! Johannes To View More >>

Bear with me for a minute while I get opinionated – I know plenty will disagree with me ;-) I happened across a forum post recently. Someone asked if a certain prominent photographer's winning print at a certain prominent convention was so close to the edge that it had fallen off! After checking it out I thought the comment was a bit tough, but I could see the point. And the prominent guy wasn't alone – all the winning images were photoshopped within an inch of their lives. But the most striking thing? How different those images were to so much of what we see and admire in our Bindery. It's To View More >>