A fairly common thing we hear from photographers is: “My clients just don’t want printed products.” But here’s the truth — more often than not, it’s not that they don’t want them. It’s that they’ve never been shown the value of them. They’re used to digital galleries. They expect USBs. That’s what the industry has trained them to expect. But just because it’s all they know, it doesn’t mean that’s all they want. Ian tells the story of being in a seminar with a number of very wealthy Americans. When he tried To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook Social media platforms encourage you to feed them constantly. Fair enough, they have the audience. But you need to feed yourself!  You’re lucky Photographers are fortunate in that their work generates rivers of desirable online content. You need to avoid giving away the Crown Jewels, and you need your clients’ permission to share, but your photography is a wonderful online resource. The ideal Things aren’t always ideal in the real world, but nevertheless… — Real friends are better than Facebook friends. To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook If the first time you think about me is when you realise I’m blocking the sale, too late! Some years back there was a young man called Nigel working at Queensberry. He was about to get married, and that's how the following exchange got started. It prompted me to write a post in which I said that, to hear people talk, you’d think that only two people are involved in buying a wedding album – the bride and her mother. Same with portrait shoots, I was sure. I couldn't imagine To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook "Me me me! My favourite word." — Seth Godin The people paying Here’s the key thing about social photography. Those people in your viewfinder are paying your bills. All of your bills. And the images you take are more or less worthless to anyone else. What are your customers after? Why do they want their photographs taken? Actually, do they want their photographs taken? In social photography the trick is to understand that it’s not about the print, or the album, or the photography, or Photoshop, or what your peers think To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook “Measure results, change activities.” — Keith Cunningham Focused I’ve never met a photographer with a more analytical approach to his business than Craig. He was a wedding photographer whose goal was to clear “100k in 100 Days” from 30 weddings. (The actual figures don’t matter — they just sound snappy — so I’m not going to tell you when, where or in what currency.) Many a photographer has built a profitable business out of shooting 30 or 40 weddings a year, bur Craig’s To View More >>

Last weekend we had the pleasure of sending Michelle along as a Queensberry representative to Kate Robinson's 'Planted With Light' photography workshop and seminar. We had a taster range of albums, books and lab products on display and Michelle happily chatted with the attendees throughout the day. Kate's workshop was meticulously planned and delivered. At the start, Kate said that she would be open and sharing with her business and photography knowledge.  She was true to her word! Topics covered included marketing, planning, preparing and managing a wedding shoot, paperwork and administration, To View More >>

Supported by Canon, GM Photographics are bringing their successful wedding and portrait business seminar tour to New Zealand. Graham Munro and Lauren Bootland have already enjoyed a sell out tour across Australia and are now bringing their wisdom and experience to the land of the long white cloud. There are two different types of seminar available in each city: THE MASTERCLASS: Together, Graham and Lauren will host a full day seminar full of the fundamentals of what makes a business successful in these current economic times. Tips and motivation that are actually working in many businesses right To View More >>

Hello all, I'm just dropping in to give you a heads up to mark this date down in your diary: Wednesday 15 August. If you're living in Auckland, New Zealand (or can make it to Auckland) you won't want to miss out on our event: a free Workspace seminar and workshop. Workspace is our cloud application which you can use for designing albums, proofing, website building and more. This seminar is your chance to learn the ins and outs of the software, how you can make the most of it and how it can benefit your business. We'll also have plenty of time for questions and if there's anything specific you'd To View More >>

I just participated in a panel discussion on management accounting for professional photographers. Well I was invited, but my contribution was zero (I'll explain in a minute). However the experience brought something to mind that I think is important, so here goes. Having an accountant (and keeping regular management accounts) is like having one leg. A damn sight better than none. But two is much better. The first leg is the data, keeping score. The second leg is analysis: strategising, playing what-if with the numbers, thinking through your options and how they might impact your bottom line. To View More >>

Nigel's post about Chris MacKenzie creating his own luck reminded me the world is full of opportunities. The problem is to recognise them and take action. I was at a seminar in the States 2-3 years ago, a roomful of high net worth business people plus me. We got to talking about Queensberry, and wedding albums in general. Not one of them had ever seen a Queensberry or anything like it. One guy had recently married at an exclusive Carribean resort … spent a gazillion bucks on the event … and "ticked the box" for a shoot-and-burn DVD from the resort's tame photographer. I had to go and get an To View More >>