Ever since digital replaced film as the photographers’ tool of choice, there’s been a rapid rise in reported cases of Photographer’s Herd Instinct Disease (PHID). Like other herd behaviors (buffalo grazing, people drinking Kool-Aid®, etc.) the symptoms of PHID include needing to hang out with the rest of the herd, think the same thoughts and do the same things. PHID is viral and highly contagious, and affects wedding and portrait photographers in particular. Although often transmitted through direct photographer-to-photographer contact, recent studies suggest that software To View More >>

It's that time of year again! Time to spend with family and friends, take stock of the year been, and look forward to the year ahead. With that in mind, you'll be wanting to know how to ensure your clients receive their albums by December. To keep stress levels low, we recommend sticking to the timeline outlined below. So here goes... We close at 3.30pm on Friday 22nd December 2017. We re-open at 8am Monday 8th January 2018.  We're opening earlier than usual in 2018 to allow enough time for sample orders for February trade shows. Using our free album design service?  We'll need To View More >>

Happy New Year! The trade show season will be pretty much be on top of us once we get back from our annual close-down, so here's where we'll be and when.  SWPP: 16-18 January 2009 WPPI: 16-18 February 2009 Focus: 22-25 February 2009 We'd love to catch up with you so if you are attending any of these shows, swing by and say hi. Our staff will be on hand at each show with our newest products including the new format 20x16 and 18x10 album formats, as well as samples of our new Micro Leathers, Silks, and Micro Suede cover materials. Hope to see you there. Best wishes from the Queensberry Sales To View More >>

This is a long post, so I’m starting with the short story! Some people are upset about the terms of trade for our new web-based lab service, Queensberry Print. We want to clarify that, yes, Queensberry Print products are available to both professional photographers and end-consumers. Certainly, “consumer” means “everyone”, but in reality we believe these products will only be of real interest to professionals, serious amateur photographers, and people who received digital files from a professional and who really care how their photos are printed. Our existing range To View More >>

Many years ago I headed to an up-market department store to buy a gift. When I asked the person behind the counter to show me what I wanted, she replied, “It’s expensive you know”. Was she suggesting that I couldn’t afford it, or was she reflecting on her own economic situation? She should have known better. Her job was to show me the product, work with my enthusiasm and make the business she worked for better off. As a business person I’ve reflected on this incident often. I’m always reminded of it at trade shows when people look at our albums and say things like, “They're so beautiful, To View More >>

I know how to type, have a good grasp of English, know how to spell – but that doesn’t mean I could or would or should try to write the next John Grisham. Having a pen doesn’t make me a writer. Having a camera doesn’t make me a photographer. Having a computer doesn’t make me a designer… To be a designer takes talent, knowledge and practice. You need to understand balance, beauty, symmetry, asymmetry, flow, pace, shape, unity and contrast. Being a great visual story teller requires all those qualities. It also requires the understanding that that’s what you’re doing - telling a To View More >>

I was talking to Stephen last night and he made a comment about how photographers will approach an album on the Queensberry stand at trade shows. He said that most often they will pick up the book and look at the last pages first. If what they see catches their interest they look more closely. I can think of several reasons for this behaviour. At trade shows there are many suppliers peddling their wares, It is important for photographers to be efficient in their research. The last image in an album is often a defining one and in some way summarises the quality, content and feeling of the album. To View More >>

Final feedback from my email, Your next album company Unless you have someone on the ground talking to people you are never going to get the real story... That comment's from the UK, where we actually do have someone on the ground – take a bow, Jo! But Jo, a Londoner, is the exception not the rule. Most of our client support people work from New Zealand. Gino, for example, gets up really early to talk to people in North America, while Kirsten works really late to help Jo with the Brits. But it's great to meet people face-to-face, so why don't we base more people locally? First, where would To View More >>