I thought it would be fun to share an album pre-design.  With each of my wedding packages I include an online “album debut” which is basically my version of the story of the couple’s wedding day in an album format.  The couple then has up to two rounds of changes and they pick their choice of cover style etc.  I really enjoy designing the albums for clients and think that the best way for them to see their wedding images for the first time is as an album.  It just really tells their wedding story better than any other product I offer.  Here is a wedding album pre-design from a recent wedding.

click the photo to see the entire album

Finally, here it is. My reasoning on “Why I think EVERY couple NEEDS a wedding album.”

When I made the decision to start photographing weddings I knew that the most important product that I could offer to my clients was a beautiful wedding album. I know the trend during this digital age is to offer the digital negative or to “shoot and burn” and it’s referred to among photographers. While I am not opposed to letting my clients have their digital files I truly and deeply believe that they should have an album. A beautiful, heirloom quality book that simply tells the story of their wedding day in photos. The reason this is such a deep conviction is from my own personal experience. Here are my wedding photos:

And that is where they have been since 2002! Isn’t that the saddest thing you have every seen? There is a saying that goes ” The cobbler’s children have no shoes.” Well, this wedding photographer has no wedding album. I wish I had one and so I am on a mission to give my clients the beautiful album I never had.

So I make the process of getting an album as easy as possible. With each wedding package I offer I include some product/album credits and an album pre-design. What is a pre-design you ask? It is my vision of the client’s wedding day in album form. I choose the photos that I think tells the wedding day story the best and make an album design. Once the clients sees this design we can make adjustments and changes from there. Most clients only make minor adjustments, by adding more pages (usually) or subtracting a few pages. Then you choose your cover style/color and that’s it! Easy!

So would you rather have the negatives because you are going to make your own album?

Trust me! You won’t!!!

Or would you like to have a beautiful album of your wedding day?

Tough decision!

So what does an album pre-design look like? Here is one from a recent wedding.

By the way, I do include the digital files in one package and they are also included with the purchase of an album in my other two packages. Just in case you were wondering.

This weekend I received several complaints that I have not been blogging frequently enough.  So since I don’t want to get griped out again I am making an effort to blog more.  This one is for you Mrs. Crow!

I know what a lot of my clients must be thinking when they see their final images.  “Sure these are great, but what am I supposed to DO with them?”  Actually, I’m hoping that they are also thinking…..”that one is SOOOO awesome that is absolutely needs to be a 30×40 gallery wrapped canvas to go over our sofa.”  However, I do understand that one house can only hold so many 30×40 canvases before it tends to look like a shrine to yourselves. hee hee hee.  So what I suggest is an album.  Recently I have become a bit album obsessed.  I want to make EVERYTHING into an album.  It has even become contagious.  My good friend Lindsey has caught it and I’m afraid it may be spreading rapidly through our playgroup.  It’s o.k. though because it’s a good thing to catch.

My new most favoritest (is that a word? can you tell I was an English major) type of album in the engagement sign in album.  I made one for Jed and Jana’s wedding and it was a big hit.  By a show of hands….How many of you have that plain, white, boring guest sign in book from your wedding that you have never even looked at except maybe when you came back from your honeymoon to remind yourself of who was at the wedding?  Uh huh. Thought so. Hands down.  The main reason that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the engagement sign in album is because it has plenty of space for your friends and family to leave thoughtful congratulations and well wishes.  Think “yearbook signing.”  I realized as I watched the sister of the bride flip through the book and read some of the entries through tears just how important this book would be to the bride and groom in the future.  I wish I had one of these from my wedding.  Instead I have the plain, white, boring guest sign in book…..I think I even have a matching feather pen.  Ha ha just kidding.  I may have to pull it out to show clients and compare and let them decide which would be better to have at their wedding.

Here are some pictures of a engagement sign in album:

The next entry will be in ten years the pictures will still be in tupperware or on CD Why I think EVERY couple NEEDS a wedding album.