Every now and then I see an "About" page that I particularly like, such as Amanda's at Orchard Cove Photography. It features this photograph, which she says "captures me and my brother running up the hill at my Grandma’s house when I was two years old. When my Grandma passed away, I found the photo framed in her bathroom. It now hangs in my bedroom." Amanda says that one image calls back countless memories of her grandmother, "playing with her dogs, exploring her movie collection, leafing through her scrapbooks, eating her famous tuna salad, feeding the birds, jumping on her bed, and trying 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 the word "networking" gets bandied about a lot. I used to roll my eyes and put in the same category as "politically correct" and "multi-tasking" but in reality it's where business is today. Once upon a time a photographer could rely on the quality of his images and word of mouth. Maybe a bit of advertising in the Yellow Pages and the odd display in the local mall. Next minute, along comes the internet and screws it all up. Suddenly you have to be on Facebook, Twitter and this that and the other. As a photographer you have a major head start at this. First, you have cool images to show people. To View More >>

My daughter is two, going on three, and fiercely, frustratingly independent. If you're a parent you'll recognize this. She'll spin around and around trying to get both arms up one sleeve of her top. You just have to sit back and wait until she either succeeds, or crashes and burns in a big heap on the ground in tears. If she owned a computer she'd be throwing it out the window, and we all know how she feels. Where I am going with this is, please call us before you feel like doing the same. Someone phoned recently and said, "I've wasted a week trying to make this work". But if the phone call had To View More >>

This post isn't a judgment on the underprivileged, or a suggestion that we all move into gated communities. It is about how to succeed. Who you surround yourself with, according to psychologists, affects how successful you’ll be. The same’s true for who you emulate or seek advice from. If you want a happy family, check out someone who has one. If you want to be wealthy, ask a rich person – not a financial advisor (not the same), and not a poor person either. Unless of course you want a list of what not to do. The internet delivers to us the best and the worst of all advice. I can’t count To View More >>

We love beautiful things, and we absolutely admire the people who make them, so here are two links for you. The first shows the making of a limited edition Leica M9-P, made in collaboration with Hermès. As the video says, no wonder it's so damned expensive. That's OK. As one of the commenters says, we'll just stand quietly behind the velvet rope and watch. The second is Signé Chanel, Loïc Prigent's seven year-old TV series about the creation of Chanel's Fall/Winter 2004-2005 collection. I wish I could show you some video, but I can't. Which is a pity, because if you value craftsmanship, it's 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 >>

And no, this is not a scam. For those not in the know, I'm based at the Queenberry lab. They put up with me here as long as I sit quietly in the corner. It's a bit crowded as Philip Laing is sitting in the same corner. Anyway, I'm not allowed to speak so I get to listen to what's going on regarding some of the issues that our printers face. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but the terms and conditions of most album companies are a bit like the signs you used to see in china shops around New Zealand – "if you break it, you buy it". In other words, if you send us a crappy file, don't blame us if we To View More >>

OK we're celeb junkies here, just like the rest of the world. We love it when we see famous people in our albums as they're being made, especially when they're Kiwis. Today we had a double treat as we despatched two beautiful sets of albums to Auckland photographer and Queensberry client, Emma Bass. I wanted to tell you all about them, but Ian won't let me. He reckons what's sauce for the gander is sauce for the goose, too, and it's true that, because we have a confidentiality policy, he's missed seeing some very exciting albums. So all I can say is that both weddings were absolutely stunning, To View More >>

This is the most fun first dance I have seen in a while! It'll make you want to listen to Big Band swing for the rest of the afternoon:) If only I could convince my husband to try dance lessons... I can dream! Enjoy, Anna To View More >>