A few weeks ago Luke, who works at Queensberry, told us his grandparents were away overseas. After selling their movie theatre they’d decided to take a trip to Italy. They kept in touch, as he asked them, but little did they know he was collecting their photos to make an album of their adventures and special time together.  It was a fun project to work on. He kept feeding the images to Steph as they came in, and in some ways, we almost felt like we were travelling with them… We loved seeing their smiling faces, and loved even more the stories that Luke would tell us as he dropped 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 >>

I just finished a book that pinged all my Queensberry values. Gutenberg’s Apprentice is a novel by Alix Christie that brings to life the inspiration, invention and sheer hard work over several years that went into the Gutenberg Bible. Published in 1454-5, it was the first major book to be printed using moveable type. Until then books were copied by hand — by scribes — and therefore scarce, hugely expensive and prone to error. I love the way Alix Christie has given credit not just to the inventor, but also to his foreman Peter Schöffer, his business partner Johannes Fust 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 >>

Any serious professional will tell you that photography isn’t an easy way to make a living, and it probably won't make you rich. Even Annie Leibovitz filed for bankruptcy. Here is a piece of our story on the journey to where we are today. By Koby & Terilyn Brown. Early in 2010 Koby and I had a serious talk about the direction of Archetype Studio. Key to that discussion was figuring out what lifestyle we wanted to live. For us, photography is about passion. The need to craft memories into something emotionally tangible. It’s about freedom to go where the wind blows, and live To View More >>

I originally posted this on a private Facebook forum, where it got a lot of discussion — so what do you think? I've been watching people asking for feedback on their price lists — asking if their pricing should be online, asking if everything should be shown upfront, and these discussions make me think about the real problem with price lists. The way I see it is, most price lists make it sound like photographers sell USBs full of images, or pieces of paper — even boxes full of pieces of paper — and the problem with that is that 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 >>

As told to Cate Scaglione In the photography world they’re sometimes referred to as the Texas Royalty for their dramatic aesthetic, their long-term success and their A List clientele … but spend five minutes with David and Luke Edmonson and you’ll discover they are anything but elitist. I was fortunate enough to spend time with Luke, who generously revealed the Edmonson sales ethos. With over $100k in album sales alone, their rather emotionally charged sales approach might come as a surprise, often counterintuitive to our industry’s professed sales strategies. 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 >>

We’re proud to be supporting David and Luke Edmonson at WPPI this year. They’re talking about perhaps the most important challenge facing every professional photographer – how to transform their passion for photography into a successful longterm career. Luke and David want to be known for producing great photography, and serving their clients — but of course every sustainable business needs to generate profits as well. We’re going to publish an article about their sales strategies shortly, along with some of their work, but first we thought you’d like To View More >>