Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 International Wedding Photographer of the Year awards. The competition was a great success with more than double the entries of 2017, and over sixty countries represented. The overall winner was Australian Dan O’Day, but of course closest to our hearts was the album category, sponsored by Queensberry, which was taken out by a beautiful entry from Latvian photographer Linda Lauva. It tells the story of a small and very charming DIY wedding on the bride and groom's land, by the river, deep in the Latvian countryside. You can see To View More >>

Here's a look at what goes on in the Queensberry printery — prints, album layouts and canvases being created under the expert eyes of our technicians. Quality is paramount to us. Queensberry print makers Chris and Alex chat about some of our print options, and their own hands-on, eyes-on approach. Printing your photographs is a hands-on process at Queensberry, and we're sticklers for detail — every step is subject to strict scrutiny, and monitored closely from start to finish. But preparing your files properly is just as important to getting To View More >>

Following on from  'Tribe', an exhibition by Tania Niwa (sponsored by Queensberry) in 2017, this album was made for a family who had suffered a tragedy. Tania and Mary Raukawa Newton share how these photographs connect families and cultures. "These fine art images are from a family portrait commission I have been working on," Tania says. "They feature in a custom-made leather album for widower Mary Raukawa Newton and her little boy Leighton. "Mary lost her fiancé Alekh when Leighton was a few weeks old. Her fiancé was of Nepalese heritage. To View More >>

A long post but full of insights! Andy Fountain explains how he and Lewis developed their unique style of wedding photography, how almost every coverage includes an album, and the pay-off for both their clients and the studio. There are two photographers at Fountain Photography. How do you and Lewis work together to capture the big day? Lewis is now my business partner, rather than simply an employee and second shooter. Mid-photography degree, we brought Lewis in to the business with the idea of eventually shooting two weddings a day, and making twice the profit. But while To View More >>

It so nice knowing that you liked what we made for you — makes all the hard work feel worthwhile. Heidi Horton just shared this lovely video of her new sample album: “Look what's just arrived in the studio!!! My new sample album! A gorgeous 12 x 12 inch Queensberry in Powder Blue Micro Leather; one of my favourites from Queensberry Albums beautiful leather line up. I seriously can't stop looking at it...I am in love with every single spread! Thank you Heidi, there’s a wee thank you on its way to you. Be sure to tag us when you share your Queensberry products on Instagram, To View More >>

It’s so refreshing to meet people who act as if the only thing coming between them and their dreams is a plan. Dmitry and Victoria Fedotov built a photography business serving some of the world’s wealthiest people by being clear about their goals and plans, by going the extra mile for their clients … and by shutting out the voices inside that say it can’t be done. Read on for the short story, or click here to listen to my conversation with Dimitry. Download Dmitry’s free Wedding Photography Guide. Dmitry and Vika met while they were studying power To View More >>

Katy Perry gets 65,000 Facebook Likes for changing her Facebook picture, so she probably won't be impressed by this - but we thought an album we featured on our blog last month did really well! It got 251 Facebook Likes (and counting), 18 pins, a couple of tweets and a few comments. Our record is 599 Facebook Likes, set last year by a popular kiwi radio jock's wedding album - he posted about it on his own page, causing a nice little uptick in our google analytics. But Katy Perry and Vaughan Smith are "celebrities" with big audiences, and Nichola and Sunhong aren't. So why did their album (and To View More >>

A series about storytelling in album design. Highlight the Heroes Every story needs a hero, and so does your album design - probably one on most layouts! The hero image is the focal point, the main attraction, the place you want the viewer's eye drawn to. In graphic design speak it’s called creating visual hierarchy. The supporting characters help the story along and keep things interesting, but it's the heroes you want to shine. I talked about ways to begin and wrap up a story previously, but the middle of the story is where the action is. People dress up and assemble together, the guy finally To View More >>

The other day I proposed a way to encourage enquirers to look past your prices and make personal contact. It was partly a way to start identifying people who should be your clients, and withdrawing (politely) from those who probably shouldn't. You need to demonstrate to the first group why you’re the right photographer to spend their wedding day with! The 3% rule The 3% rule is our way of saying that you can't succeed by trying to appeal to everyone, and you definitely shouldn't try. It stems from the time, years ago, when we tried to estimate the number of professional photographers in the To View More >>

Colour management is one of the cornerstones of digital photography, it is also one of the most misunderstood. Some photographers are experts, some try to ignore the subject, some don't seem to have heard of it, others have read about it on forums or blogs and (kind of) get it. Years ago when our lab went digital, we brought in the experts to help set up our systems and get the best results from our printers. This relationship was not a one-date wonder. Ian and Jessica from NZ Colour Management have consulted to us regularly ever since. One thing's certain. If you use our print-ready service you To View More >>