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 >>

Johannes posted a quote from The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams on his blog. It's about what it takes, what it means, to be real. Are you in fashion photography or reality photography? Cheers, Ian PS Surprise surprise, that's a question, not an opinion. PPS Jo and Johannes (not sure which) took the picture. And that's our grand-daughter with Lucy :) To View More >>

Have you seen the movie Hitchcock yet? Even without hobbits, elves and superheroes it's very entertaining. Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma were a family business, as many people reading this probably are, and it's interesting to watch the movie through that lens... 1. The movie focuses on the making of Psycho. No one else believed in the project, so they mortgaged their house to make it. Sound familiar? 2. They worked best when they worked together. He was the famous one but Alma was clearly important to his success. 3. They made Psycho come alive in the editing room by arguing about the little To View More >>

Many photographers are lone wolves. Not in the hunter gatherer kind of way but in the sense that they work alone and contact with the outside "photographic" world can be limited. However we are in a creative industry and so to keep the creative juices flowing you need to go beyond your doorstep to appreciate and develop as an Artist/Photographer. The great thing about the internet is you can share information, ideas and opinions with fellow photographers easily. Joining the DWF gives you a forum where fellow professionals can be open and frank about the issues that they have been having. Sometimes 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 >>