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Click here to watch on Vimeo. I've never met Crash Taylor, but I've been looking forward to interviewing him because of this endearing habit he has of poking his head above the parapet and getting shot at. As in this post, for example, which I published because he was nice enough to call Queensberry "the Tiffany of wedding albums". I didn't mean to buy into a storm, but I did anyway – as you can see from the post comments. You can read the full brouhaha on DWF if you're keen. For the record, I think it's hard to argue with "cheap publicity" (is there any other kind?) and when I spoke to him To View More >>

Ok, the coach has said to pass it to the backs and they will chip and chase. For those who don't know what that means, stop a Kiwi in the street and ask. Or an Aussie. Maybe a Brit or the odd South African … although they do tend to get their forwards to drive it up the middle and kick the pill between the sticks. Sorry, I digress. Coach wants me back on the field, keep it short and get over the line. Come on, Ref, blow the whistle and let's get started! 6. Alignment tools OK, I'm cheating a bit here – this isn't a button but a complete tool kit. But get these working for you and life becomes To View More >>

We couldn't resist sharing this beautiful album! With photography by Nick Unwin, it shows a few hours in the carefree world of an 8 month old foal, Tallulah and her mum Bunty at their home in Wark, Northumberland in the UK. Tallulah's owner Jude Isbister, also owns several other horses that feature in the album as well. Here are a few layouts of the 14x10H Digital album with Iron Contemporary Leather cover. Click here to see more of Nick Unwin's work. PS - Nick also made a beautiful movie of the album, you can check it out here. You'll find another post for horse lovers here. To View More >>

This post won't mean much to those of you who's knowledge of social media is limited to, "You know, Facebook and Twitter etc". But the rest of us are trying to get good at it without feeling like it consumes all our time. Anyway, I've just been asked my opinions about automation and social media. It's something I feel strongly about, and my advice is to "approach with caution". Here's why. 1. We're in the 'intimacy business', and automation is usually the the enemy of intimacy. If I skype my wife, "Hi darling – love you!", we both feel good about it. It was impulsive and heartfelt. Automate it To View More >>

Click here to watch on Vimeo. In the second half of our conversation I talk to Kristie and Brett Harkness about: • dealing with high-end clients • word of mouth • the importance of tangible products • building a relationship with venues • maintaining your business in the the recession • avoiding being a "busy fool" • changing, adapting and diversifying, and • working together as a couple – the last but not the least ;) Oh, and Brett explains why their workshops and DVD aren't for beginners or the advanced, but those in between. Cheers, Ian To View More >>

4. Create Album from Templates Coach reckons this isn't as clever as Divide and Conquer but we think it's really cool. Do you have a collection of templates that you love and use all the time? Click Create Album from Templates, select an image collection and your template collection, and PJ will build an album from the templates and pop all the images in the apertures. Sit back, have a coffee if you're American, or a nice cup of tea if you're a Brit. You Aussies will want a cold one, and as for us in New Zealand, it'll be a nice Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, thank you. Just let PJ do its thing. To View More >>

Click here to watch the video on Vimeo. My father's family came from Westhoughton, only twenty miles or so from where Brett and Kristie Harkness have their studio in the North of England, so we're practically neighbours. Brett's a northerner born and bred (Newcastle), but Kristie's from Saskatchewan, where the population density is only slightly more than that of New Zealand supporters at an English rugby match. In the first of a two-part interview Kristie and Brett tell Ian how they got from working on a cruise ship to their high end studio, and: learning the business side of photography; letting To View More >>

Simon Woolf is one of my favourite people. One of our longest-standing clients and quite possibly the most energetic person I know (if you don't believe me check out his Facebook page). He sells beautiful landscapes from his shop in Wellington's Cable Car Lane – access way to one of Wellington's top tourist attractions. One day Simon saw a tourist photographing one of his landscapes through the display window, and posted about it on Facebook. "I asked her for a look, and she stated, 'It wasn't a bad copy but was a little light'. I then told her I was the photographer, and she was being a bit To View More >>

My two children are getting married, and In Part 1 I talked about how my eyes have been opened by the experience. What would my kids get if they hired a "professional photographer” for $3500.00 or so? Generally the photographer's time on the day, a DVD, no post work, often from someone who doesn't know how to give a "wedding day experience" on top of everything else. $3500 feels like too much money for that, but as I pointed out, the wholesale costs involved are too high to expect much more. Prices like that encourage couples to go shopping with unrealistically low budgets for photography … To View More >>