Sharon and Dave were married on an early spring afternoon at the beautiful location of Jonah's Whale Beach in Sydney's famously picturesque Northern Beaches. Their photographer Luke Butterly from LB Photography says that "as a couple they're very easy going and the wedding was happy and laid back. The bride has a beautiful way about her which comes through in the photographs, her dress was very elegant and understated which suited her perfectly and set the tone for the whole event. We chose the pool area at Palm beach for the wedding photography and then went to Pittwater for sunset, where on To View More >>

You know something's been done right when its simplicity takes you by surprise ... either that or something's wrong! If I told you something that previously needed its own piece of software can now be done with the click of a button, would you believe me? It's true. Over the past couple of months the guys at Photojunction have been developing a feature especially for Queensberry clients. They've integrated the FTP process into Photojunction and released it in the latest release of Photojunction, beta 1.26b. Ordering and sending your album is now one smooth, easy process. You won't need LabFTP any To View More >>

I know how to type, have a good grasp of English, know how to spell – but that doesn’t mean I could or would or should try to write the next John Grisham. Having a pen doesn’t make me a writer. Having a camera doesn’t make me a photographer. Having a computer doesn’t make me a designer… To be a designer takes talent, knowledge and practice. You need to understand balance, beauty, symmetry, asymmetry, flow, pace, shape, unity and contrast. Being a great visual story teller requires all those qualities. It also requires the understanding that that’s what you’re doing - telling a To View More >>

Three quick tips to simplify album design. 1. Avoid unnecessary repetition (eg this is the bride looking slightly left, straight ahead, and slightly right) unless you make your profits from the number of images you sell. 2. Embrace open space (especially in sample albums - lead by example). 3. Offer a two album option that allows people to have lots of images without overcrowding. While I'm mentioning 'leading by example': If you don't make a sample album from each order, at least make each design into a slideshow you can show prospective clients. This library of slideshows allows you to show them To View More >>

Time and time again we see albums pass through our Bindery in which the photographer has reflected the stylistic theme of the wedding in the book itself. Last week we featured an album with an autumnal harvest theme. This album uses our Pagemount page system to very different effect. What caught our eye in Scott and Priscilla’s case was the stylish simplicity of their red and white theme, and how well Matt and Enna of Grazier Photography had captured and reflected the details in a stunning album. The red highlights around the prints are created by trimming them to reveal the red page behind To View More >>

Simon Whitten is a long-standing and valued Queensberry client from Yorkshire in England. His association with the luxury castle hotel Swinton Park is very important to him, and for years his Queensberry sample album has rested on the piano in the drawing room. When the time came to update it, the question was “with what?” Having covered many great weddings at Swinton Park, he decided on an 18x12 Duo “best of” album, featuring three couples/weddings that reflected both his own best work and Swinton Park at various times of the year. • Sarah and Paul had “a glorious summer wedding in To View More >>

I recently held a small workshop in the UK at the studio of Zoe Richards just out of Liverpool. It was intimate (there were only nine of us). We discussed album design and particularly spoke about the Musée. One of the ideas of that album is to create a feeling of intimacy. The resounding lesson from our discussion was about that and simplicity. Too often people cram images into albums to the point where there is no room to rest your eyes. The Musée design uses space to reinforce the luxury and quality feel of the product. There is something exciting about an intimate moment in a cupboard but To View More >>

With the release yesterday of the latest version of Aperture, Apple's powerful photo editing and management software, we are delighted to announce Queensberry's new plug-in and album collection for Aperture 3. Please register for one of our free webinars (tomorrow or next week). Queensberry's plug-in for Aperture allows professional photographers to design and order a selection of our albums directly within Aperture 3. Timeless simplicity The watchword for the Queensberry album collection for Aperture is 'timeless simplicity' - simple designs to create confident, timeless classics and project the To View More >>

I don't read the instructions unless I need to. Needing to is defined by 'it won't work unless you read the instructions.' One of the weaknesses in Photojunction is its simplicity and a sense that you can work it out just by using it. Some of us would have it no other way. But that means there is a tendency to apply the status quo approach to it. It is too easy to write off something because you had a bad experience with previous versions. Ultimately we can become neglectful of progress through our established habits. I had a conversation over dinner with another photographer last night. They said To View More >>

Johannes has been talking about the power and effectiveness of simplicity here on the blog lately. It's an excellent message and one I want to expand on a little by explaining how Queensberry can help you simplify your business. You've got a complicated job. You're a photographer, a marketer,  a salesperson, a designer, a manager, an entrepreneur... And you're offering a complicated service, and complex products. It's not surprising then, that achieving simplicity would involve an investment in time and money. Take purchasing a new camera for example. That involves an investment in both time To View More >>