At weddings there are always time burglars stealing from the innocent, so we talk to our clients about how long things really take ... so we don't lose the time we need. Sometimes this means that a cunning couple will deliberately try to run us out of time because they hate having their photographs taken. We distract them by focusing on their feelings for each other instead of their feelings about photography – easy if you aren't constantly asking them to smile for the camera. One of the most guilty time burglars is the make-up artist … stealing time from the photographer to get the perfect To View More >>

That is the big question. Andy Warhol said, “It is art as long as it's signed.” John Cage said, “It is anything you can get away with.” Why is it so important (to some) to be seen/considered as an artist? Are we as photographers overselling what we do when we call it art? Are we selling our vision as artists or our ability to use a filter or two to create art for the masses? Doc Ross once said that, ”If it comes with a statement then it is art ... otherwise it is just decoration.” So Art has a signature, intent, and a certain freedom. Most importantly, ‘Who cares?’ Maybe we care To View More >>

There's a man on the side of the road selling dreams ... a guy comes up to him and says, "How much for a dream?" The Dream salesman says, "That depends, do you want a good dream, or a bad dream?" "I want the best dream I can get." "Did you know that your dreams are drawn from your own experiences?" asks the salesman. "Now I do. Maybe I could have somebody else's dream then," says the guy, hoping for a happy experience, and realising that his lacklustre life was not the material of amazing dreams. "Funny you should ask – I have a brother who sells books and lottery tickets, maybe he can help you." To View More >>

I have to say this. That leather is beautiful. Well I certainly think so. It's is part of our new contemporary range, specially made for us. Heather and I were lucky enough to visit the tannery in Europe last month and we were very impressed. So much individual attention to every hide, from the initial inspection and grading (by four very serious men) through to the final finishing processes and packaging. Not to mention their environmental commitment,  and even the way they engaged personally with us. We visited our paper suppliers too. Same story. Great people, great product, high standards. To View More >>

Somebody asked me for a way to create a better, more consistent look for their imagery. It was a trick question really. They were asking me how they might better use software to get consistency and classic styling. I thought about it and the answer was what we might call pre-emptive image manipulation. When I go to a flash restaurant that knows their stuff I am always amazed by what a great chef can do with the simplest ingredients. They start with fresh produce ... the fresher the better (usually - cheeses are a different story). They don't beat the living daylights out of it or season it beyond To View More >>

I've just been dealing with a frustrated user.  The abridged version... He designed an album in PJ then exported PSDs. He then flattened the PSDs and imported them into ALBUM_CO_X's software for ALBUM_CO_X to make. That is frustrating for me on all sorts of levels - mostly because I tried (and failed) to convince ALBUM_CO_X not to waste time and money developing their own album planning tool... but that's a different story. The album came back with a border around every page, about a quarter inch in from the edge.  Somewhere between this client and ALBUM_CO_X's software the print files that ALBUM_CO_X To View More >>

As a photographer I'm sure the thought of losing your sight must be horrifying. So here's a little inspiration. Amazing teenager Ben Underwood was blind but got around almost as well as sighted people by teaching himself to "echolocate". This video was voted one of the most inspiring on the web on Mashable. NB: Ben sadly passed away earlier this year, but his inspirational story proves that no obstacle is insurmountable. Cheers, Nigel To View More >>

There's a lot you can do from the comfort of the Photojunction start window... Start a new project or browse existing ones Navigate to the Photojunction website, classroom movies or Forum Access the new Photojunction Store And if you're a Queensberry user, you can even check out your order history and see your past, present or pending uploads. Here's how: Open Photojunction and on the start window, click 'Show Upload History' (bottom left hand corner). The Upload History window will drop down. From here you'll be able to see important order and upload details like the Product Reference and your To View More >>

While talking to photographers in the UK, I realised that what I really wanted to get across, was a simple but important message. The album is for the clients. Our part is to gather collateral and write a story for them. Here's the tip: Step back from the design and pause deliberately... Then start  with the idea that this album is not a showpiece for you, the photographer, but is a story for the bride and groom. We can apply our own 'signature' to the imagery, but they own the love and the history that we're writing the story about. We are the story tellers, and it's our sensitivity to them To View More >>

I see something cool somewhere and have to share it with my ten best friends ... and some of them like it enough to share the love ... You know the rest ... actually the same works for the flu. So there I was prowling the Digtal Wedding Forum and saw this little baby and thought, Wow! I have to show all the people who haven't seen it yet. This is not about me trying to discover something new, but sharing the love. hugs, Johannes PS Didn't somebody at Olympus do a great job? [He wants one - Ed] To View More >>