Blog

16/07/2019

Apple have a reliable schedule of releasing major updates to macOS and iOS in the Autumn, and we can expect macOS Catalina and iOS 13 to be released towards the end of September 2019. For the last few years, Apple have been releasing public betas of their major operating system updates in the Summer. Installing […]

15/07/2019

tl;dr: we’ve taken care of this so that you don’t need to do anything. On 14 September 2019, new regulations are being introduced across Europe to protect people using cards to pay for goods and services online. These new regulations are called Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) and will add a requirement for two-factor authentication for […]

05/07/2019

We posted part one of our series of blog posts on five tips for getting started with Light Blue a couple of weeks ago. If you missed it, it’s worth reading it first before today’s post! After part one, you should be getting to grips with the basics of adding shoots, contacts, and workflows. Today […]

28/06/2019

For many of our customers, Facebook is a key marketing tool. There are lots of different ways to market on Facebook from organic posting to paid adverts. One of the most popular tools is to use a Facebook lead generation advert. You might be running a competition or have a great offer that will get […]

21/06/2019

We understand that it can be daunting learning a new software, especially one that’s as powerful and full of features as Light Blue. Its easy to put it off because its all too overwhelming. We want to help! We have a great “Setting up Light Blue” webinar to help you get set up and if […]

14/06/2019

Keeping on top of your finances is really important when you are running a business and, while we have some great tools in Light Blue to help with this, some business need even more accounting tools. Many of our customers use QuickBooks to do their accounts and had asked for an easier way to get […]

07/06/2019

Camera? Check. Phone? Check. Bin bags? Err … Preparing for a shoot always includes carefully packing your camera bag. But what exactly should you try to squeeze in to all those handy pockets? And why might those bin bags come in handy? Here we delve deep into the camera bag essentials that might just become […]

04/06/2019

We’ve released Light Blue 8.1.1, which is another free update to everyone who subscribes to our online services or has bought Light Blue 8. This is a minor update that adds new features and fixes bugs that were reported after the launch of Light Blue 8.1. You can now create Purchase records from Sale records, […]

03/06/2019

Google are updating their security rules for apps that send emails via Gmail (and G Suite) and we’ve been keeping up to date with their changes to make sure that you’ll be able to continue to send emails from Light Blue via your Gmail account. The new security rules mean that you might need to […]

31/05/2019

Dealing with a deluge of data is unavoidable when running a business.  For professional photographers, managing and protecting your client details, schedules, invoices and of course all those precious images is vital.  Lose it and you’ll end up in stormy waters. You’ll be faced not only with a loss of income and huge administration headaches, […]

24/05/2019

Based in The Wirral, Amy Knowles runs Slinky Photography, a newborn family and maternity photography studio. Amy got in touch with us after reading our blog post about how to use scheduling tools to allow your customers to book shoots online with Light Blue. She took the advice and ideas that we’d presented there to […]

17/05/2019

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” George Bernard Shaw In any business, effective communication is crucial. In photography, it’s a simple way to set and meet expectations before, during and after a shoot. Keeping in touch at every stage of the customer journey helps to avoid misunderstandings […]

07/05/2019

We’ve just released Light Blue 8.1, which builds on the success of Light Blue 8 by adding new features, improving existing features, and squashing bugs. Light Blue 8.1 is a free update for all of our subscribers. You can install the update by using the “Check For Updates” command in Light Blue (which is in the […]

15/04/2019

On 14 September 2019, new regulations are being introduced across Europe to protect people using cards to pay for goods and services online. These new regulations are called Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) and will add a requirement for two-factor authentication for some online payments. The requirement for two-factor authentication means that affected transactions will require […]

01/04/2019

Ian is going to be on the road with The Societies of Photographers, attending their roadshows in Falkirk, Carlisle and Wigan on the 9th, 10th & 11th of April. There is a great range of free master classes from three excellent speakers; Damian McGillicuddy, Robert Pugh and Panikos Hajistilly. There will also be an opportunity […]

29/03/2019

Making Tax Digital (MTD) is part of the UK government’s plan to make the country’s tax system more efficient. It’s first stage comes into effect in April. You only need to pay attention to MTD in 2019 if you are based in the UK, registered for VAT, and use Light Blue’s VAT return report. The scope of […]

22/03/2019

Google are going to be making some changes to their Google Calendar API in the near future. We’ve recently released free updates to both Light Blue 8 and Light Blue 7 that will allow Light Blue to carry on publishing events to your Google Calendar. If you’re using our Google Calendar publishing feature, please make […]

11/03/2019

We’ve released Light Blue 8.0.3, which is another free update to everyone who subscribes to our online services or has bought Light Blue 8. You can now use the “Add To Found Set” section of the Records menu to add a Resource to a selection of records, and the “Remove From Found Set” section to […]

12/02/2019

Light Blue includes powerful email features that you can use to respond to enquiries, stay in touch with your clients, save time, and keep all of your communications together in one place. When a new enquiry comes in to Light Blue via email or your contact form, you can use an email template to craft […]

08/01/2019

We hope that 2019 is going to be full of happiness and success for all of our customers, and that enquiries have been coming in thick and fast over the Christmas and New Year period. Light Blue is full of tools that can help you respond to and follow up on those enquiries, quickly confirm bookings […]

07/01/2019

The Societies of Wedding & Portrait Photographers convention is one of the highlights of our calendar. We’re looking forward to talking to photographers during the extensive trade show on the Thursday 17th, Friday 18th, & Saturday 19th January. There’s a wealth of talks and masterclasses being held during the convention, and we’ve listed a selection […]

03/01/2019

Light Blue 8 is a major upgrade to our desktop app. We’ve added new automation features and made lots of improvements to Light Blue’s email and text messaging features, helping you to book more shoots, cut down on no-shows, and free you up to spend more time on delivering great images to your clients. We’ve […]

03/01/2019

Light Blue 8 is a major upgrade to our desktop app. We’ve added new automation features and made lots of improvements to Light Blue’s email and text messaging features, helping you to book more shoots, cut down on no-shows, and free you up to spend more time on delivering great images to your clients. Read […]

17/12/2018

Although we’re still hard at work here in the Light Blue bunker this week, we thought we should take some time out to let you know when we’ll be available to help anyone who’s going to be busy over the Christmas and New Year period. Whether you’re a wedding photographer who’s looking forward to dealing […]