Wow, what a busy couple of weeks. The marketing team obviously thought we were getting a bit lethargic under our winter coats, so threw a special in your direction. The result is that Mid-Winter Christmas feeling going on and our departments all humming – the lab, the press people, the design team and the bindery going "gang busters". The tech support team certainly had the cobwebs blown out by all the questions from customers old and new. It's great to see so many people having a go at Workspace. Thanks for your business! I hope you'll be experiencing that Christmas feeling in a few days when To View More >>

In the context of professional people photography here are a few things that surprise and puzzle us. How often the images are released from the studio before the sale is finalised. How the album planning/sales process can take months, sometimes years. How there's often no attempt to up-sell after the event. How the album is treated as a cost, not a marketing tool. How album planning is treated as an obligation not an opportunity. How studios go with the crowd, instead of standing out from it. None of those maximise your opportunities, and there are probably less of those to go round right now. To View More >>

Many years ago I headed to an up-market department store to buy a gift. When I asked the person behind the counter to show me what I wanted, she replied, “It’s expensive you know”. Was she suggesting that I couldn’t afford it, or was she reflecting on her own economic situation? She should have known better. Her job was to show me the product, work with my enthusiasm and make the business she worked for better off. As a business person I’ve reflected on this incident often. I’m always reminded of it at trade shows when people look at our albums and say things like, “They're so beautiful, To View More >>

I know the word "networking" gets bandied about a lot. I used to roll my eyes and put in the same category as "politically correct" and "multi-tasking" but in reality it's where business is today. Once upon a time a photographer could rely on the quality of his images and word of mouth. Maybe a bit of advertising in the Yellow Pages and the odd display in the local mall. Next minute, along comes the internet and screws it all up. Suddenly you have to be on Facebook, Twitter and this that and the other. As a photographer you have a major head start at this. First, you have cool images to show To View More >>

This post isn't a judgment on the underprivileged, or a suggestion that we all move into gated communities. It is about how to succeed. Who you surround yourself with, according to psychologists, affects how successful you’ll be. The same’s true for who you emulate or seek advice from. If you want a happy family, check out someone who has one. If you want to be wealthy, ask a rich person – not a financial advisor (not the same), and not a poor person either. Unless of course you want a list of what not to do. The internet delivers to us the best and the worst of all advice. I can’t count To View More >>