Do you know Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds? — I'm showing my age here! Nick's strange baritone singing voice is definitely an acquired taste and I stayed away until I saw him as one of a bunch of big names singing Leonard Cohen songs at a Sydney tribute show. And then I came across the Red Hand Files. When they show up in my feed I stop scrolling and read, and his latest post made me think of photographers, and what you do. What we do too. Nick invites his fans to ask him questions, and every week or so he picks one to answer. He takes this very seriously. This week someone To View More >>

We get it — in the age of social media, digital files feel like the norm. Especially in the wedding world, they’re generally expected. Couples want to share their big day right away, and portrait clients love the idea of having “all the photos.” But if we stop there, we’re not just shortchanging ourselves — we’re shortchanging them. Here’s why: Digital is fleeting. Print is forever. Digital images are shared for a moment and then forgotten, buried in a sea of phone photos and cloud storage. Prints become treasures. Albums become stories passed on. To View More >>

Someone asked the other day why some photographers using Print Shop seem to be selling their prints “quite cheaply”. "I can understand that there is potentially volume in art prints that isn't there with portraits. But I still wonder how a client might feel if the price is significantly lower for an art print." I think there are a few questions here — does the difference in price matter? Are people undercharging? — and anyway, how much should you charge? I'll leave the last one for later, but meantime… 1. Why might you need to charge differently for your art versus To View More >>

If you're thinking about adding spice to your packages, consider Designable Q Books. Great for portraits, pets, engagement and much more. Here are a few reasons why your clients will love them as much as we do, and how to encourage profitable product sales from your next shoot! Personalisation at every point All Queensberry products can be personalised, but add a Designable cover and thinner pages, and the options are endless. With their image on the cover, their book will be one of a kind. And you have five standard templates to choose from. More photos To View More >>

"I love a little quirk from time to time - something different for the soul — to keep things fresh, to keep the spark alive and to fuel my passion for wedding photography…” Maybe that explains why Jonny Harper did such an incredible job of capturing Tanaya and Mathew's wedding. I was so excited to discover their album coming through the Bindery. Working on this blog post was a lot of fun, with rabbits hidden in the bushes, incredible walls of art and so much more… Tanaya is  a set designer, Matthew a base player for his London based jazz band. They To View More >>

We’re truly grateful to the hundreds of photographers from around the world who took part in our Bragging Rights promotion. Here, in no particular order, are the people whose work we chose to celebrate the love and laughter, vibrant cultures, dramatic environments and compelling stories we see every day in the books and albums we make… Photojournalist Alessandro Iasevoli is based in Rome, Italy. Alessandro's images show his unique ability to capture the emotion and depth of a wedding day. We chose two weddings by Alessandro, both traditional Italian church weddings surrounded To View More >>

I took the opportunity last Sunday to change how I did things. It was partly out of necessity, and partly curiosity. [caption id="attachment_1008" align="alignleft" width="324" caption="Jo and Jeremy"][/caption] My clients had indicated that they would like me to preplan their album. Normally we would shoot the wedding, put some images on our blog, then put about 100 in a web gallery. Then, when they arrived to collect their images, we would give them a box of previews. But we were running a little behind schedule and the prints were not going to be ready for their arrival. I decided not to put To View More >>

How famous are you? Seriously. In your neighbourhood and around the world? Being world famous is cool, and sometimes it may be important, but for most of us being famous in our own back yard is good enough. Here's a case in point. In New Zealand there's a drink called Lemon and Paeroa (L&P to its friends). It's "world famous in New Zealand", so famous it has its own statue. But I'll bet you've never heard of it, and they probably don't care. Watch this rather weird video if you need a laugh for the day (isn't that Jermaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords doing the voiceover?). We want to To View More >>

A series about storytelling in album design. Every great story has a beginning, a middle and an end Part of what makes a story interesting is the way it's told. It pulls you in, leads you along a path of discovery and ends with a satisfying finale. I've already mentioned the importance of chronology, and I'll have more about the middle later, but what's the secret to a strong beginning and a satisfying ending? The beginning Writers spend a lot of time on their first paragraphs. They know if they don't kindle your interest they leave you cold. If you're not sure what should go on your first page To View More >>

Nigel and I heard about My Portland Photographer through our friend Randy Kepple. What a great idea, well executed: "A collaborative blog by Portland's finest wedding photographers". On the home page a charming image and post by Craig Mitchelldyer caught my eye. I followed a couple of links back to see if photographers were linking back to the blog from their own websites, but apparently no. I wonder why. You'd win some and lose some, but if you built the google juice together, wouldn't you win more than you lose? Don't know, just wondering. Love it anyway. Cheers, Ian To View More >>