Rebecca Denton not only takes the most beautiful, timeless wedding photos, she is also a gem of a human. We have been blessed to work with Rebecca and her beautiful photos for nearly 4 years now and she is always so kind and easy to work with. Rebecca is based in Nashville, Tennessee and today we get to share one of her wedding album designs from a sweet spring wedding there. We love this design -- from the color palette, to the story-telling and the emotion Rebecca expertly captured -- it has it all!  
 
Here are a few of our favorite spreads:

To see this wedding album design in full, click through the slideshow below: 
 
 
 
Thank you for allowing us to serve you and your clients Rebecca!

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Design by: Shannon (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill

We have seen SO MANY beautifully styled images of albums, but some of the best have to be from Mobile, Alabama-based Elizabeth Gelineau. Her styled flatlay images have us swooning and we are so excited to share her tips for creating these types of images in today's post!  
 
Two weeks ago we shared the first part of this series where Elizabeth talked about why she takes time to photograph all of her clients' wedding albums and the various ways in which she uses the images to educate her clients and market her brand. You can get caught up on that post here! 
 
And here is Elizabeth to share six tips for styling beautiful images of albums: 
 

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I have always loved styling detail shots on wedding days, and I've taken that same approach with the album images I create. My basic set up for photographing albums involves a window with indirect light (a north-facing window in my office is my favorite) with a white reflector placed opposite the light source. This gives nice even lighting across my flatlay scene. If I need to photograph an album at night, or on a stormy day, I will set up my Profoto B1 with an extra large parabolic umbrella fitted with a double diffusion material to create my own soft light. 
 
I love styling flat lays so I use this time to get creative. Sometimes I have plenty of free time to shoot an album during the week when it arrives. Other times, an album arrives during a hectic season. When that happens, I take a more minimalist styling approach. If I receive multiple albums at once, I take that as an opportunity to style a scene that includes more than one album! Here are my go-to tips for styling album flatlays: 
 
1 - Select a background that will complement the album cover material and the color theme of the wedding. 
 
The first element I choose when setting up to photograph an album is a background board. I have several linen boards I've made myself, as well as a couple from Heirloom Bindery. I also love the faux marble board by Replica Surfaces and the suede styling mats from KISS Books. The background provides a neutral background for the album flatlay. I often choose a color that will compliment both the album's cover material and the photographs that are inside the album. For a super clean background and a light and airy look you can even use a piece of white foam board from the craft store.

2 - Select a ribbon that compliments the color of the wedding and cover material. 
 
I almost always use ribbons in my album flatlay images. I love the texture they provide! I often use the same ribbon on an album flatlay that was used on the wedding day for bridal detail photos. My styling kit has a variety of neutral tones, as well as various shades of pinks, blues, and greens. My favorite sources for styling ribbons are Honey Silks Co., Illume Silks, and Silk & Willow. I also love using styling cloths, or scraps of tulle purchased from a fabric store. A fourth of a yard will give you plenty of material to work with for flatlay styling.

3 - Select props that won't pull attention away from the album. 
 
Build a styling kit for flatlay photography and pull from that when it's time to photograph your album. I love having wax seals on hand (I have these in my personal stationery kit), as well as an assortment of small ring dishes, trays, and vintage stamps. I also have a small collection of scissors that I love to use! If you're starting to build your styling kit, check out local antique stores and stores like Home Goods, TJ Maxx and Marshalls. The clearance aisles at these stores are my favorite spots for prop hunting! I frequently pull in my own personal items as well, such as jewelry, stationery, or journals. 
 
If I have extra time, I'll often pop outside to forage for a few stems of greenery, or blooms from my garden. If I have multiple albums to photograph at one time, I may stop by my local florist to buy a stem of eucalyptus, or tea roses. For less than ten dollars I can have floral elements that can elevate the styled shot. When working with florals, I am extremely careful to not let the flowers and greenery touch the album. I'm especially careful to not select blooms with a lot of visible pollen, which could easily stain the album.  
 
If I was sent a copy of the wedding invitation, or save the date card before the wedding I try to incorporate that into the album flatlay. I've also used koozies or a program from the wedding day when I had them on hand.

4 - Use styling blocks to keep the album level. 
 
Styling blocks are the key to keeping the album level. Without them the book tends to tilt to one side or the other when not opened to the middle spread. I also use styling blocks to elevate some of my props, giving a layered look to the flatlay.

5 - Use a tripod so that your hands are free to adjust props. 
 
If you're new to styling flatlays, you may find it helpful to use a tripod and live view on your camera to see the composition and placement of props before actually taking the photo. My favorite tripod is a Manfrotto model and I use a cross bar from Tether Tools to position my camera directly over the album (with a five pound counterweight placed opposite the camera to make sure the tripod doesn't tip over from the camera weight).  
 
If I'm pressed for time, I keep the styling super simple and shoot free-handed, often using live view. I make sure to enable the grid in live view for shooting freehanded so I can use the lines to ensure I'm holding the camera as level as possible and keeping the framing the same for each spread I'm photographing. For flatlays, I'm usually shooting at an aperture between f/3.2 and f/4.

6 - When in doubt, keep it simple.  
 
Sometimes I have a whole flatlay styled and then realize I have too much going on in the scene. Don't be afraid to keep things simple. My very first album images incorporated more props, but I've gravitated to a simpler style over time. I also frequently photograph the album on a plain white board with no props so that I can pair them together for using on my album website in a way that will look cohesive. 

 
 

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Wow! I'm feeling SO inspired! Thank you so much for sharing your best tips for creating beautiful flatlay images of albums, Elizabeth!  
 
To see more of Elizabeth's beautiful work, make sure to follow her on Instagram here!

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Design by: Andrea (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill

It's been a tough month. Weddings have been cancelled or postponed. Shoots aren't booking. Money has stopped coming in.  
 
Ugh.  
 
Our hearts are breaking over all that is happening as a result of this virus and the impact it's had on you, our beloved clients. 
 
But we have an idea for you. 
 
What if you took this time to reach out to your past clients who didn't purchase an album and offer them one at a deeply discounted price -- maybe 40-50% off? Give them a deadline -- one week to submit payment? -- and see what happens! Call it your '"Quaran-time to Celebrate the Love Special"? (or something better -- haha!) 
 
This could accomplish two things: 
 
1 -- You could bring in some much-needed income while you're stuck at home. 
 
2 -- Your clients could get a break from the bad news and be reminded of what matters most -- their love and the people who mean the most to them. Albums connect people and we need connection now more than ever! 
 
Here's where we come in -- We are GIVING AWAY everything you need to make this album sale campaign happen. We've packaged up all of the following: 
 
>> A blog post with all the sale details 
>> An email campaign that will walk your clients through the process and deadlines 
>> Social media posts complete with graphics  
 
You are welcome to customize any of it of course, but the groundwork is DONE FOR YOU -- all you have to do is plug in the content and press publish and send! 
 
Click here to download our FREE Album Sale Campaign Content and use this time stuck at home to generate some income while serving your clients well! 
 
And please consider sharing this blog post with any of your photographer friends who could benefit! We'd love to work with them, but anyone is welcome to use this free content even if they aren't clients of Align!  
 
We hope you find it helpful! 
 
And guys -- We WILL get through this!!  
 
xo

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Blog post written by: Melissa Jill

Ahh! It's just SO rewarding to see finished albums! A huge thank you to Tori Watson for shooting this beautiful Madera Books album we designed for her and sharing the images with us! This spring wedding took place at a historic mansion in Richmond, Virginia, and Tori's beautiful timeless photography style captured the day perfectly!  
 
Tori is a long-time client of Align's and also serves as one of our Client Advocates. We have featured so many of her designs throughout the years. You can see more of them here!  
 
And without further ado, here are some of our favorite spreads from today's featured design!

Click through the slideshow below to see the design in full! 
 

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Design by: Andrea (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill

This talented lady started selling albums the first year she was in business and has sold them to 80% of her wedding clients year over year. We love working with her and thought we'd invite her to share what has worked for her! Without further ado, here is Morgan O'Neil!

Hi! I'm Morgan and I am a wedding photographer based in the coastal New England town of Duxbury, MA, just south of Boston. I primarily photograph weddings all over the Boston area and also a few in the Palm Beach, Florida area in the winter months (my second home!) I really focus on capturing mostly fun and real moments throughout the day, with fewer posed portraits and details. A lot of my clients come to me because they don't really like getting their photo taken, and they want the formal portraits to be quick and easy. This is why I like to focus on mostly candid moments throughout the day. 
 
I typically photograph 25-30 weddings a year, and about 80% of my clients purchase an album. Two out of the three packages I offer come with an album, so it is a pretty easy decision for most of my clients unless they are just looking for the basics. I've been told by clients that this sets me apart, as many photographers that they talked to only offer albums as an add-on, or don't offer them at all. For me, the best way to encourage clients to book a package that includes an album is to show them albums in person. Most couples have never seen or held a modern day wedding album, and they are blown away by the quality and can start to visualize their own photos in the book.  
 
I started offering albums right away the first year I started my business. I didn't know much about the industry when I first started, but I knew that albums were important and I wanted them to be a part of my business. My biggest struggle off the bat was taking too long to get couples their album design. They would move on to other things in their busy lives and I would have trouble getting them to approve or make changes to their design. Album designs could drag on sometimes for over a year. I started using Align a year ago and it completely transformed my business. Now I can get designs out quickly after delivering photo galleries, and my clients are still super excited about their photos and ready to quickly make decisions about their design and finalize things. Using Align has freed up so much time in my business that I can not afford to not use this service.  
 
The one thing I would say to a newer photographer who wants to offer albums is to just start. And keep it super simple at first! When I began, I had 2 packages, one included an album and one didn't. I only offered 1 album and the clients only had to make 1 choice between 4 colors for the cover. I purchased a sample of that album before ever selling one which was scary to do, but I knew I had to show it to couples in order for them to want to buy one. I hope my experience can be helpful for other photographers considering offering albums in their business!

 

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Wow! Thanks so much Morgan! It's SO helpful to hear what has worked for you and led to your amazing success with albums! Thank you for taking the time to share!  
 
Morgan touched on so many topics we've talked about here on the blog. If you're interested in digging into any of these topics on a deeper level, click below to read more! 
 
Four Tips for Getting Your Clients to Value Albums...and Buy One 
How Many Album Options Should I Give My Clients? 
The #1 Key to Selling Albums 
To Outsource or not to Outsource 
How Outsourcing Helps you Make MORE Money in your Business 
Speedy Workflow = Happy Clients + Higher Sales 
 
 
The following are Morgan's photographs of one of her recent albums designed by Align and printed through Design Aglow.

To see this album design in its entirety, click through the slideshow: 
 
 
 
Thanks again Morgan! We love working with you!

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Design by: Andrea (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill