Previous |  Contents | Download the eBook Oh, you wanted answers?! If you came here looking for answers I’m sorry. But I don’t feel too bad about it! You could sign up to Tony Robbins, for example — spend thousands on him — and he wouldn’t give you answers either. What he would do is entertain you, energise you, inspire you, drop a lot of insights on you — then get you to work out your own answers and write them down in a book! So, yeah — I’m sorry if I haven’t given you answers. What I do hope I’ve done is suggest where you To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook Our brand isn’t a look but a promise kept — not what we say but what we do. Value Imagine if you said, “I want you to pay me what you think I’m worth.” Most people would imagine themselves out of business. We need to tell our clients what we’re worth, and live up to our rhetoric. What is the value of your work to people who don’t know you, or how much they should be paying? The value of a compelling and authentic brand is that it tells people the price of entry and helps them see it’s worth To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook These are conversation starters, not a test. There’s more than one “right answer”. 1. Are there too many photographers? Do you think it’s different now to 10-20 years ago? If so, why? How does it impact your business, and can you do anything about it? 2. What is it that enables people to earn a living cooking, writing or taking pictures when almost everyone can do those things? What’s special about them? 3. How many commissions — weddings, portrait sittings etc — do you need, and how much does To View More >>

"Micro-Weddings/Elopements/Minimony(s)." Whatever you like to call them, it appears smaller weddings are here to stay — at least for the foreseeable future.  How things used to be Many wedding photography businesses have been built on the premise that a wedding shoot lasts all day, that there will be "getting-ready" shots needed of at least one half of the couple, that after the ceremony there'll be family photos and a celebration to cover, and that in many cases a second photographer will be needed to fully capture the day’s events. Many photographers have built a career based To View More >>

If you heven't logged into Workspace for a while you may be surprised next time by a very different looking platform. That’s because our December upgrade has now been rolled out. Here's what we've done. Interface upgrade (updated, simpler, more intuitive) Although much of what we've done in this upgrade is "behind the scenes", we’ve also worked hard on the user interface. We've gone for a cleaner, more contemporary look, refined things to keep pace with evolving web design standards, and repositioned and relabelled buttons and other calls To View More >>

What is "aspect ratio", and why can it be a problem? The aspect ratio of an image is the ratio of its width to its height. Unless the aspect ratio of a print or frame matches that of the camera image from which it is made, the original image will need to be cropped. What to do When shooting, bear in mind the finished print that you want to sell. If you frame the subject tightly (with important content out to the edges of the image) you won't be able to crop — you'll need to order prints with the same aspect ratio as the camera. Since most digital camerals have an To View More >>

Ever since digital replaced film as the photographers’ tool of choice, there’s been a rapid rise in reported cases of Photographer’s Herd Instinct Disease (PHID). Like other herd behaviors (buffalo grazing, people drinking Kool-Aid®, etc.) the symptoms of PHID include needing to hang out with the rest of the herd, think the same thoughts and do the same things. PHID is viral and highly contagious, and affects wedding and portrait photographers in particular. Although often transmitted through direct photographer-to-photographer contact, recent studies suggest that software To View More >>

Photographs are the most personal of gifts! Talking about Christmas and the holidays in October seems a little weird, but the holiday season does seem to start earlier every year – and when it comes to marketing, it pays to be prepared. The festive season is a great time to promote yourself to existing customers. You've spent all year taking photographs, so why not maximise the profit on each shoot with online galleries, product sales and special offers? We spoke to retiring Queensberry account manager Michelle about her tips for holiday promotions, and marketing pointers To View More >>

Saying Yes to opportunities As a photographer, Rachael Waring likes to collaborate with people who aren’t scared to be themselves. A big part of her work is staying present and supporting those around her with love. By savouring the day-to-day and saying "yes" to opportunity she  has met and photographed Warren Buffett, Serena Williams, Amy Adams, Deepak Chopra, Diane von Furstenberg, David Beckham, Will I Am, Gordon Ramsay and Tom Hanks to name a few. This lovely 14x10 vertical Q-Book Medium with satin pages by Rachael is our Album of the Week. Samantha and Joseph were married To View More >>

Sonja Gardien's Studio 541 has taken on the Auckland art scene, showcasing both emerging and established photographers. We took some time out to chat about what it takes to run a gallery space, and what photographers need to know before they submit their work. Sonja wanted to create a space for photographers to exhibit, learn, meet and be inspired. “It’s important to identify a niche," she says. "There are a lot of galleries around. You need to be different. It seemed logical to utilise Studio 541, not only for a gallery, but also as a space to attend workshops and To View More >>