Towards the end of last winter, photographer Rachael Brown hired a small camper, and set off on an adventure around the North Island of New Zealand. Her goal: to photograph families in their homes for her series This is Home, inspired by the photos that Rachael's Dad took when she was growing up. Rachael has spent many hours flicking through those photographs. They evoke in her a strong sense of nostalgia, and she hopes her own images will have the same effect on the families she photographs. Four years ago Rachael had a complete shift in how she captured family connection. To View More >>

THE DOLPHIN, THE GAZELLE, THE CHEETAH AND THE LION Originally published on The Candid Eye, what makes this post by James Yeats-Brown so compelling is that its passion comes from James' clients as much as from him. A lovely and revealing insight into the motivation behind family photography. - Ian When I arrived at Mike and Clare’s house, Mike was wielding a pen-knife in boy scout fashion and excitedly removing an old sepia photograph from a crumbling frame. The image depicted a formal group at a wedding, a family gathering posed in a static arrangement to allow To View More >>

Before we close the doors for our holiday break we hold team get-togethers at the Bindery and Lab. Every year they're truly inspiring, and I thought I’d try and tell you why, and say thank you. The chart shows Queensberry's work in progress for the last nine months, lifted from yesterday's daily management report. It shows, more clearly than words, how our business trebles every November and December, as it has for more than 40 years. We call this hay-making season, a nod to my farming background. You have to make hay while the sun shines, and when I was a kid our neighbours turned To View More >>

A series about storytelling in album design. Every great story has a beginning, a middle and an end Part of what makes a story interesting is the way it's told. It pulls you in, leads you along a path of discovery and ends with a satisfying finale. I've already mentioned the importance of chronology, and I'll have more about the middle later, but what's the secret to a strong beginning and a satisfying ending? The beginning Writers spend a lot of time on their first paragraphs. They know if they don't kindle your interest they leave you cold. If you're not sure what should go on your first page To View More >>

The Archive of Accidents that once was photography. Les Walkling describes a truth that is often forgotten in our pursuit of perfection. Editing our images to only show our best is destroying a potential archive of wedding (and family) culture. Not only do we forget but we actively discard 'the accidental archive'. In making albums we look for the best-ofs, often overlooking the incidental truths. When we are editing we discard photographs that are imperfect or that don't suit our story (this is the inevitable outcome of editing). It's a fact that vanity rules over truth, but there is something To View More >>