Forget about boxing, here are the Queensberry Rules for photographers! 1. Outstanding presentation adds enormous value to your photography. 2. Using the same albums as everyone else reduces the value of your photography. Ask anyone in the street how much a stack of prints is worth, or a disc of images, or a slideshow. Everyone's been to the mini lab, or burnt a disk, so the answer is, "Not much". What you're paying for when you hire a professional, of course, is their time, skill and artistry. Focusing on the presentation takes nothing away from that. It simply places the photography in a new To View More >>

What is a Dumbo Feather? It is the thing that somebody believes in that allows them to achieve their dreams, or maybe overcome their fears. Dumbo (think the elephant with big ears) believed that it was a very special feather that gave him the ability to fly, and when he lost the feather he became a flightless elephant. With extensive counselling and a few kind words he realised that it was in fact his large ears that were responsible for his 'winged' prowess. We are often the Dumbo Feather to our clients. They believe that we are responsible for making them photogenic ... sure we have our friend, To View More >>

This clip is from Mad Men, the US TV series about '60s-era Madison Ave ad-men. The guys are planning the launch of the Kodak Carousel. Watch 'em weep. It's not the about the technology, it's not about "new", it's about...  what drives your business. Cheers, Ian To View More >>

Three things I love... Metaphors ("Remix 'Collections' are like iTunes Playlists"). Stories (like Danny's PJ speed test). One-liners ("Colour management used to be just calling the lab to complain about your prints.") Words, that's all... But they make you think. They illuminate what you're saying and make it memorable. They use the familiar to explain the unfamiliar. They're gems of great price if you polish them till they shine, and really awkward if you don't. Cheers, Ian A few more from Bob Tulloch's seminar in Auckland last Wednesday: Our clients have two motivations, love and pride. We're To View More >>

Bob had another noteworthy one-liner in his seminar: "Gen Y is about to discover the difference between a Want and a Need." You need to understand that Bob was sharing the stage with young Danny, and there were plenty more Gen Y in the audience... I'm a Boomer like Bob, so I was fine with it, but Danny said, "I wonder whether he offended anyone?" FWIW it made me think about two aspects of "framing" your photography. Bob used certain words to describe his role (artist, historian) and what motivated his clients (love, pride). He's framing his photography as a Need, not a Want. Something they can't To View More >>

You've probably got it that I'm a Seth Godin fanboy. Every day I get my daily dose of something to think about. Posting about the digital revolution in our industry reminded me of this quote. It's from a very long post about the music industry, but it'll bounce ideas round your head: "The new thing is never as good as the old thing, at least right now. "Soon, the new thing will be better than the old thing will be. But if you wait until then, it’s going to be too late.  Feel free to wax nostalgic about the old thing, but don’t fool yourself into believing it’s going to be here forever. It To View More >>

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 >>