"Micro-Weddings/Elopements/Minimony(s)." Whatever you like to call them, it appears smaller weddings are here to stay — at least for the foreseeable future.  How things used to be Many wedding photography businesses have been built on the premise that a wedding shoot lasts all day, that there will be "getting-ready" shots needed of at least one half of the couple, that after the ceremony there'll be family photos and a celebration to cover, and that in many cases a second photographer will be needed to fully capture the day’s events. Many photographers have built a career based To View More >>

Hi, it's Stephen here. For a few weeks now we’ve been in deep discussions about how to navigate the current COVID crisis and, more importantly, support the industry we love so much. So it seems a little ironic that, as part of those discussions, today we’re releasing a book called “Love’s Not Enough”. Ironic because we do  love  our industry, we believe love  drives  our industry, and yet … love's not enough. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Anyone who’s got close to Queensberry and our family knows that, while we love what we do as craftspeople, To View More >>

As told to Cate Scaglione - Life As Fine Art Thanks to the digital revolution our culture is by far the most photographed generation in history. Without planning or purpose, people now take pictures simply to share them on a global scale. Sociologists are enjoying a field day over the reasons why, but certainly with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr we have so many ways to broadcast intimate moments with family, friends, pets and our last meal. Which means professional photography is becoming less relevant and less profitable, right? Or is it? The anti-selfie When a client hires a highly To View More >>

Well, it's a sad day. Kodak has been felled by exactly what it espoused: universal access to cameras. – The Washington Post. That's true, but it's not the whole story. Kodak was also felled by its commitment to its legacy film business … even though it was a digital pioneer too. To be clear, Kodak says it isn't closing the doors, it's continuing to restructure, but still, it's sad to see a company (and technology) decline that brought so much good into the world - art created, memories conserved and stories told. Three things are certain: 1. Our world is changing, and we have to change with To View More >>

I daren't start this blog with 'In my day ... things were different!' In my day 'We' were the difference ... we were the new generation biting at the heals of 'the old guard'. There was always going to be a new generation coming in to replace what we did. Several things happened in the wedding industry when I was starting up. People started looking for images that were less formal and more photojournalistic, and people started asking for their negatives. Enter Generation 2.0, invigorated and empowered by the digital revolution. Camera makers have made it easier for our audience to be better aligned To View More >>

A couple of weeks ago I posted about aggravating business policies and touch points, and asked readers to tell us about the things we do that's frustrating! We received three comments. One I've mentioned already, and the other two also raise important issues. Katherine (not her real name) emailed her account manager to say she doesn't like Photojunction. More important, she doesn't like feeling pressured by Queensberry into using it. She feels that if QBY were truly customer focused she wouldn't feel this pressure and could continue in the way that's suited her perfectly for the last seven years. To View More >>

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 >>

"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 >>

You've probably got it that I'm a Seth Godin fanboy. Every day I get my daily dose of something to think about. Posting about the digital revolution in our industry reminded me of this quote. It's from a very long post about the music industry, but it'll bounce ideas round your head: "The new thing is never as good as the old thing, at least right now. "Soon, the new thing will be better than the old thing will be. But if you wait until then, it’s going to be too late.  Feel free to wax nostalgic about the old thing, but don’t fool yourself into believing it’s going to be here forever. It To View More >>