I read Ian's post on the Kodak Carousel and immediately wanted to put my hand up .... (a sling back to the days of discipline at a Catholic school). I'm probably stating the obvious but I felt the message was SO important that it deserved emphasising.  Yes, I understand the business side of the message but there was this other thing that became important too. The post has a video clip from Mad Men, a sublime tv program about an advertising agency in the States in the 60's. It's about the launch of the Carousel .... Forgetting the wonderfully clever pitch, the ability to turn an electromechanical To View More >>

At the seminar I mentioned recently the presenter prefaced anything that might sound critical with, "I know this doesn't apply to you, but..." So, I know this doesn't apply to you, but... Tony Bramley had this to say about Johanne's last post: "There have always been crap photographers. Even in the days of film our old lab used to tell us of terrible exposures etc. "It's just there are more of them with digital cameras who think they can do a professional job in a very amateur way. If they don't know their trade and tools they are not professionals. As a printing company as well as an album To View More >>

We see things differently, Jo (my lovely wife and the mother of our child) and I. She likes punchy images, and I like seeing detail and tone. You can't have both - it's a trade-off. In spite of our differences we both want the best. I sympathise with the lab, trying to keep people like us happy. Its going to be interesting seeing who gets to dress our child (in June). Cheers, Johannes To View More >>

"Previously we were offering albums we knew our competitors were also offering, but we’ve realised we can use the album to separate us from our competitors." That quote from Nigel's interview with the Youngrens reflects Queensberry's key message to photographers and it got me thinking... A while ago I posted about album companies in trouble – and not hitching your own wagon to dying stars. Today I'm suggesting you be wary of the latest and greatest too ;) In the US and UK markets of 2000, Queensberry albums were revolutionary because we hand-made every album to order. That meant photographers, To View More >>

My last post said that press books are great but they’re everywhere. "And that's the problem." Someone here was a bit concerned about me saying that. "Won't it put you offside with a lot of photographers?" Maybe. Although if you disagree I hope it's something to think about rather than get upset about. But the fact that many people do disagree is a good thing, at least for us and our clients. If our albums were everywhere they'd have no value. To you or to us. For example see the comments here. Does presenting your imagery in press books trumpet your high-end quality to the market? I don't think To View More >>

Being photographed for your wedding (especially your first one) is worth remembering. Well it should be!        Actually, no! The thing you shouldn't remember is being photographed. You should remember having a great time. You should remember laughing, feeling in love, being nervous, being energised, being with the one you love, being happy, but not "being photographed".  Your photographs should remind you of the feelings and emotions of the day, and not of somebody pointing a camera at you. This is an interesting concept ... The photographer as the facilitator for imagery that uses great To View More >>

There are times as photographers that we get approached by people to do a favour for them. Sometimes it is to talk at a photographic society, sometimes it is a request for help. We are happy to help people but we tell them that we work on the Genie Principle. We don't mind helping, but we don't like to be taken advantage of. We tell people that they have three wishes - only three. We remind them that they need to use those wishes well. Cheers, Johannes To View More >>

OK, n8rpat8r, we love it (found on YouTube). Who are you?! To View More >>

Every wedding photographer has an Uncle Ken story. I was hanging out at a wedding with photographer Brett Prestidge when I first arrived in the UK and something amazing happened... We met the ultimate Uncle Ken. Uncle Ken informed us that he had the okay from the bride and groom to do a big group photograph for them. It is so often the case that as professionals we arrive at weddings and somebody there has a bigger camera than us ... this time it was Uncle Ken. Brett and I were using small, discrete Leica M9s and M8s. So often Uncle Ken tries to take control. This Uncle Ken (his real name) earned To View More >>

This post is now superseded by new Photojunction functionality. If you're uploading your Queensberry album orders using LabFTP, we've just released version 3, with added functionality for ordering prints from QBY online. We're very excited about the online print ordering function – but it's restricted for now to New Zealand clients, so let me talk first about how it impacts on albums. LabFTP 3 integrates more closely with PJ Remix. For example you're no longer asked to provide information that you've already entered in PJ. It also shares Remix's look and feel. Version 3 is no longer a beta, To View More >>