Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook “Your lizard brain wants you to be average.” — Seth Godin When it comes to building a long term career in professional photography, many are called but few are chosen. That’s another major lesson from our five decades in this business. Not everyone can make it to the top, although anyone can be busy if they slash their prices. Busy is one thing. Busy, happy and successful is a bit more complicated. Here are the key points you need to bear in mind if you want to stake your claim closer to the higher end of the 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 >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook "...There are those who serve the high end and those who serve the budget end of the market. And like most industries, if you don’t choose the high end, the low end will probably choose you." What I mean by " professional" When I talk about professional photographers I mean people who aim to make a living from their photography — pay the bills, buy a home, raise kids, enjoy a good life and save for retirement. We all do it differently, but you get the picture. I think people for whom it’s a side hustle — To View More >>

Previous | Contents | Next Download the eBook The quickest way to go out of business is to be romantic about how you make your money. — Gary Vaynerchuk These posts lay out lessons from 50 years listening to successful social photographers — in other words, those who’re paid by the people in their viewfinder —  not by their boss, or by newspaper editors, book publishers, corporations or advertisers. Not art or decor sold in online stores either. We used to say that Queensberry’s clients were mid- to high-end photographers and those who aspire To View More >>

|  Contents | Next Download the eBook A guide to building a profitable photography business Is this for you?  These pages are for professional photographers, primarily social photographers, by which I mean those who’re paid entirely by the people in their viewfinders. Think family portraits, weddings, babies, kids, pets, events, glamour, boudoir, schools, graduations and so on. This is not the official Queensberry view of the world, just my own. But it lays out the lessons I believe we’ve learned from 50 years listening to successful photographers. ~ Ian To View More >>

As we reach our last workday before closing for the holidays we want to send you very sincere thanks for your support over the last year. While the pandemic itself is largely behind us — at least in the sense that people are generally back to “business as usual” — for much of the world the social and economic “hangover” is still with us. Some in our own industry are among those still feeling the after-effects, and our thoughts will be with them this Christmas. But overall our community continues to inspire us with its resilience in adapting successfully to a To View More >>

A strong online presence is essential for professional photographers looking to grow their businesses, and one of the most effective ways to do that is through blogging. “Blogging” might sound a bit old-fashioned these days, but really it just means any website or page that you update regularly. It could be about your clients, your images — or interesting stories about either of those. Regularly updating your website will not only showcase your photography skills but also boost your website's search engine rankings. To drive people to your site, earn customers and make sales. To View More >>

If you’re a photographer wanting to make a living from your work, you have two big jobs todo — shoot pictures and sell them! Referrals and person-to-person contact are important ways to get your work in front of people, but we live in an online world, which means getting traffic to your website is too. That’s why, whether you’re selling wedding photography, school photography, portraiture, fine art or decor, you need to know about SEO. It’s a crucial aspect of  online marketing  and  website management  designed to help you get found online.   To View More >>

As everyone knows, Covid has been very disruptive for business — from product availability to courier services to prices — and it’s starting to feel like the “new normal”. So we’re starting the year with an updated cover material range, and a new strategy to move this forward in the future. We’re excited about it, but we also know that any change can raise questions, which we’ve tried to answer in advance here. We’d love your feedback! Please take a few minutes to read the following, but if you just want to see the updates follow To View More >>

We're glad to announce that Afterpay (known as Clearpay in the UK) is now supported in Workspace Client Galleries and Print Shop. Afterpay is a payment method that allows your customers to "buy now and pay later". It's particularly popular among ecommerce businesses, and, according to Afterpay, the buy now, pay later approach maximises customer purchasing power. Their retailers report as much as a 50% increase in average order value, and 2-3x more units per transaction. Read on to learn more! What is Afterpay (Clearpay)? Afterpay gives your customers a way to pay for their purchases To View More >>