“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.” – Oscar Wilde In this series we shine a light on artists expressing their individuality, documenting what they love, working hard on their craft, and sharing it with the world. We spoke to Auckland-based Marie Valencia about what makes her art, self described as dreamy and curated, special to her. So, How did you get started in photography? It sort of naturally progressed — I studied and did all kinds of art when I was younger, eventually ending up as a photographer and graphic designer. To View More >>

© Linda Lauva © Linda Lauva 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 To View More >>

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and who’s to argue … but if so what are a hundred photographs worth? With a hundred photos you can really tell a story — but there’s only one way to do it. Not in an online gallery — that’s a data dump, not a story. Not on a thumb drive — a data dump in a drawer! Not in a stack of prints — out of order, lost, given away or damaged. Not even in a box of matted prints. Beautiful images, beautiful presented — but still not a story. Only in an album can you transform a set of images into a narrative. To View More >>

We caught up with two of the design team,  Simon and Rachel, to talk all things album design. Here are their top four tips for creating beautiful, clean layouts. Less is more Rachel: Unclutter your design. It’s simple. Let the key images and high quality materials of an album speak for themselves. If you notice the design, it’s taking precedence over the images – good design is effortless. Simon: If the design is loaded with images the hero shots can be lost among a forest of images. By keeping the image selection minimal, you’ll free up space and make To View More >>

Our UK friends have lots of exciting learning events coming up. We wish we could be there - check 'em out! This summer Aspire Photography have a variety of different courses to suit all abilities, from Lighroom Essentials to polish those post-production and workflow skills, Inspire My Weddings for advanced wedding photographers, and Becoming a Lifestyle Commercial Photographer for those wanting to step into the world of commercial photography. Brett Harkness also has a bunch of exciting events coming up. On his two day Prague Documentary To View More >>