1. Tell us a little about yourself, your photography business and what you do! I have a Bachelor of Design in Graphic Design. I did a bit of film photography in my last year of University, but it wasn't until I got a job working for the University of Auckland as a public relations photographer that I started to learn the craft of photography. It was there that I learnt about manual settings, studio lighting, editing etc. I photographed hundreds of events and people for the University. I learned how to interact with people when taking their photo, and how to get great photo-journalist shots. I To View More >>

Have you noticed our finely polished "tech tips" get less Likes than the other posts? :( So I thought I'd just remind you that us tech support staff are real people too. I went to our nation's capital over the weekend as a bit of a family outing. I didn't go to look at parliament buildings. Boring, in fact I didn't even see them in the distance. I went to the Weta Cave, where Weta Workshop is based and where they made the props for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, Hobbit etc. I have to be honest, I nearly had a nerdgasm. Not only because of the artistic ability of the teams who do this work To View More >>

Ian spotted a post by New Zealand photographer Isaac de Reus of Perspectives Photography on DWF recently. It was in reply to a thread discussing whether giving your work away free for referrals was good business practice. Isaac shared this great example of how he's leveraged something he can do in return for good quality referrals. The type everyone wants. High-end. It also shows the value of keeping your finger on the wider wedding market's pulse. Thanks for sharing, Isaac - Nigel A month or so ago we approached a very high-end, exclusive venue that only recently started booking and advertising To View More >>

Prompted by constant requests for advice by new and aspiring photographers,US portrait photographer Cheryl Jacobs Nicolai wrote an article called, "What every aspiring photographer should know". I liked: Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don't look outward for your style; look inward. Learn that people photography is about people, not about photography. Great portraits are a side effect of a strong human connection. Read the full article here - noticed in GRINZ. Cheers, Nigel PS Be sure to check out Cheryl's portrait To View More >>

I have two daughters at school. The youngest did well at the end of year prize giving and the older one threw a wobbly over it. She got nothing. I told her she couldn't blame anyone but herself as she is happy with just getting by. I suggested this to her: You have ten girls lined up in a row, nine are wearing black dresses and one is wearing red. Which one will be noticed? The girl in red, she says. Why? Because she's wearing a different coloured dress. Yes, she stands out from the crowd. She's made a conscious effort to do this (or her black dress is in the wash!) Anyway my point is, if you To View More >>

Jasmine Star had some advice for newbie photographers a few days ago. It was a good reality check, but it left an important question unasked. Basically she says: • It doesn't matter how good you think your photography is (or the guy's down the road), it's what the customer thinks. • It doesn't matter whether you think you're "worth" what you want to charge, it's what the customer thinks. • It doesn't matter whether you're entitled to charge what you're "worth", it's what the customer thinks. The takeaway? You're better off taking what you can, and getting some runs on the board. (Jasmine To View More >>

We have noticed that some areas of Photojunction are experiencing speed issues with the new Mountain Lion (Mac OSX 10.8) upgrade. We have located a design issue where opening images in the layout tab is slow to load. We are currently working to adjust the program with new installers to fix this problem. If you come across any further problems of this nature please email us at info@queensberry.com and let us know. We will let you know when this issue is resolved. Edit: This issue has now been resolved. Thank you for your patience. Cheers, Amanda To View More >>

You sell what you show, right? Well here's a few Queensberry friends we've noticed doing a fantastic job of showing off their albums. Abby Rosenbaum from Abby Rose Photo seems to photograph and blog about all of her albums... Here's one of the latest albums featured on her blog. The team at Blue Sky Photography in the UK have a dedicated web page explaining their philosophy behind using Queensberry albums. They also include links to several example album designs. And New Zealand photographer Bruce Gabites of Fine Photography features some lovely images of his Queensberry albums in the album section To View More >>

Some of you have noticed that our recently discontinued cover materials have disappeared from PJ Remix, and asked what's going on. Fair enough too. We haven't been as clear about it as we should, and we apologise for not explaining this earlier. Although some cover materials have gone from PJ Remix, it doesn't necessarily mean we can't supply them. In fact our policy is, if possible, to make them available for two years after removing them from our swatch book. So how do you order them in PJ Remix? It's fairly simple... 1) Choose 'Other' in the Cover Material options. 2) Then click 'Add Note' and To View More >>

Photography by Johannes van Kan I hope you have a blog. They're a perfect marketing vehicle for photographers, and they're free. Photograph every album before you present it to your client, write a post about them, their day and their album, and send them the link. Just like all our new possessions (and this is a very special one) they'll want to show their friends and family, talk about it and (hopefully!) recommend the person who created it for them (you). What could be better? And don't forget to promote your blog on your website, in your email signature and in your fliers etc. To get you To View More >>