We spoke with Californian photographer and mentor, Glenn Lee Robinson, about what makes a good mentor, how mentors have helped him, and what advice he’d give to those seeking one. Glenn began taking photographs in 2010, when his friend gave him a canon DSLR. He quickly fell in love with the hobby and soon turned professional, photographing graduations, portraits and weddings. In 2015, he discovered the exhilaration and satisfaction of capturing outdoor landscapes. Now, his Hike & Shoot initiative focuses all his energy. Glenn puts his success down to being interested and resourceful, To View More >>

The presentation box our albums come in has a long history. Developed for us in 1995 by leading designer Donna Hoyle, it combines two graphic elements: a 17th Century Italian text, and a series of leaf and heraldic devices including our own Cherub. It doesn’t even bear our name, but to us, and our customers, it’s a key part of our identity, like Tiffany’s Blue Box… but maybe not as famous! The Box even survived a total rebranding in 2008, when we couldn’t bear to part with it. It was another seven years before we refreshed the design, and even then we built on the To View More >>

Recently we worked with Ebonnie Louise Photography  to set up her website, and we had so much fun we thought we’d share it with you. We worked with her under our Turbostart service, which helps photographers with their Workspace websites.  Ebonnie had worked with Olivia Lord Design to create her brand identity, so she came to us with a strong brand, and brand message, which was great, for two reasons. First, we knew exactly what she was after, which made her the ideal customer. And second, Turbostart is not about design and branding, but the technical stuff — setting To View More >>

The strap-line on Lancashire (UK) photographer Ian MacMichael’s website is “Stories Without Words”, which says it all. He can’t imagine his life without photography, although it wasn't until 2007 that he “finally had the confidence” to turn professional. But after nine years he’s clear about what he wants to capture in his photography, and his advice to newcomers. His advice to the 16-18 year-old photography students he teaches for a few hours a week is simple. Be yourself and don’t copy. Shoot what you want in a way that excites and inspires To View More >>

Jessica Reeves claims to have been "very average" at school — "never did badly, never did amazingly well". But after two years as a photographer she's come to believe that this is something she can be great at and love at the same time. Ideal foundations on which to build a career! The biggest lesson she's learned is very simple: make friends. "Running your own business can be pretty lonely, especially at the beginning when you feel you are running along with a blindfold on. Making friends with other photographers, or others in the industry, takes a huge To View More >>

"When you love something so much it's easy to become completely consumed by it." Tammie Pittwood was always the one with the camera at school. She had a thing for capturing moments, and from early on a passion for photography. But was equally as good at painting and decided to take a Fine Arts degree. She loved it but after graduating realised it wasn't for her. She loved the creative process of painting, and still misses it sometimes, but as a career it didn't inspire her as much.  Throughout university she photographed a few weddings for her friends, and so began her natural progression To View More >>

If you want people to come looking for what’s desirable, not what’s cheapest, build your studio on high-end values. I recently visited an Audi dealership, not to buy a new car, but to learn how Audi sell their beautiful vehicles. Predictably I left desiring something I'd never considered before, and sold on Audi. My intention was to test drive the Audi Q5, but the salesperson suggested that the Q7 might be more comfortable for my height, so out in a Q7 we went. But not just any Q7, a Q7 Premium Plus with sport options! It was more amazing than I can describe … To View More >>

If you’re building a career in photography we’ve published some great articles by highly successful people here lately. Here’s a quick run-through — starting with Justine Ungaro and The Edmonsons because they’re giving Master Classes at WPPI next week. Please don’t miss them — they’ll be great value — and please don’t miss their sponsors either — Queensberry! Catch up with Stephen and Sonya at Booth 1365 in the Marquee Ballroom. Justine’s WPPI class is about moving to a new market, but her article for Queensberry is To View More >>

Catherine Connor heads Aspire, one of the UK’s foremost training providers for photographers. She knows that business isn’t easy, and requires “buckets of courage”. Your first challenge, she says, is to create a business with the right atmosphere to powerfully influence the tribe you aim to attract — and of course fulfil you personally:   Make it your mission to consider the content of your business. First, study how it feels. Asking yourself if you want to be in your own business is a starting point for most creatives. What is the atmosphere like? Does your To View More >>

By Megan DiPiero   Frustrated with this situation? You’re talking with a hot lead. Conversation is going smoothly. She loves your work! She’s excited about the possibilities for her shoot! And then her biggest question arrives: “How much will this cost?” You tell her your “starting at” prices and then… crickets. Hmmmm… maybe she didn’t love your work as much as she thought. The convo quickly wraps up and you have this pit in your stomach knowing that another one just bit the dust. : ( What to do? Here’s a sales adage for ya. “If To View More >>