We've just removed the password protection from the knowledge base on our Partner website, making most of it accessible to anyone. Most of it's just detailed product and service information that our clients might want to check out from time to time - so it's not like Wikileaks would be interested! - but some of it's a bit sensitive, which is why it's been restricted. Some of you've been saying it's frustrating having to log in, however, which is why we've put most of the content out in the open. The only exception is the Marketing and Business section which is still locked down. That's where all 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 >>

If capturing a fleeting moment thrills you … if beautiful colour makes your heart beat faster … if you dream about composition in your sleep… if you love telling stories with pictures - we'd love to hear from you. We're after images to showcase on our website and in our new season sample albums and books, as well as in our blogs and marketing pieces. We’re looking for sets of around 80 images, but to enter all you have to do is send us TEN low-res images* from up to TWO different events - a wedding, portrait session, or whatever you happen to shoot - and email them to us at showcase@queensberry.com. To View More >>

Click here to watch on Vimeo. In the second half of our conversation I talk to Kristie and Brett Harkness about: • dealing with high-end clients • word of mouth • the importance of tangible products • building a relationship with venues • maintaining your business in the the recession • avoiding being a "busy fool" • changing, adapting and diversifying, and • working together as a couple – the last but not the least ;) Oh, and Brett explains why their workshops and DVD aren't for beginners or the advanced, but those in between. Cheers, Ian To View More >>

Click here to watch the video on Vimeo. My father's family came from Westhoughton, only twenty miles or so from where Brett and Kristie Harkness have their studio in the North of England, so we're practically neighbours. Brett's a northerner born and bred (Newcastle), but Kristie's from Saskatchewan, where the population density is only slightly more than that of New Zealand supporters at an English rugby match. In the first of a two-part interview Kristie and Brett tell Ian how they got from working on a cruise ship to their high end studio, and: learning the business side of photography; letting To View More >>