Dreamy Detroit Wedding Album Design for Jean Smith Photography
We've been working with talented Michigan based wedding and portrait photographer Jean Smith since 2013 -- twelve years and counting!! We are approaching 200 album designs for Jean and each one seems to get BETTER and BETTER. Jean's eye for composition, lighting, and documenting the moment is superb in every way. We cannot get enough of her stunning work!
Jean is also one of our beloved Client Advocates. You can click here to see a short video of her sharing some of her album journey and experience as well as some great tips!
Today's featured album is a great example of what our partnership with Jean over the years has been able to produce! We are SO smitten with this design! And apparently the client was too, because they approved the initial design as-is with ZERO revisions! We were able to deliver the design files for this album to Jean in less than a week as a result! We love it when that happens!
Here are a few spreads from this stunning design:
Jean is also one of our beloved Client Advocates. You can click here to see a short video of her sharing some of her album journey and experience as well as some great tips!
Today's featured album is a great example of what our partnership with Jean over the years has been able to produce! We are SO smitten with this design! And apparently the client was too, because they approved the initial design as-is with ZERO revisions! We were able to deliver the design files for this album to Jean in less than a week as a result! We love it when that happens!
Here are a few spreads from this stunning design:
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
Thank you, Jean, for trusting us to be a part of your team!
Thank you, Jean, for trusting us to be a part of your team!
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Design by: Shannon (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Shannon (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Pacific Riviera coast of Panama Wedding Album Design for Ruben Parra
Ruben Parra is a luxury wedding photographer based out of Panama and Miami, Florida. We've working with Ruben and his incredible images for over two years now and we are always transported by his international wedding work, like the wedding in today's featured design that took place on the Pacific Riviera coast of Panama.
The wedding was an extraordinary event, held outdoors at a private residence. With over 400 guests, the atmosphere was both intimate and grand. The elegant décor in white and green perfectly complemented the natural surroundings, creating a serene yet sophisticated ambiance. The couple wanted to blend modern elements with a timeless feel, and the design did just that, seamlessly integrating the beautiful coastal landscape.
Ruben's clients expect a lot of images in their albums. He always sends a bit more than typical for the spread number but it works well because he orders large horizontal albums. This album was finalized with 26 spreads (52 pages). Horizontal albums tend to handle more images per spread without looking too cluttered. Ruben gravitates toward spread that include a large focal image paired with a collage of supporting images. We loved the focal point images from the reception of this wedding and designed the album to really showcase them well!
This design was approved with ZERO revision requests which is a win for all! From order to file delivery, this design was wrapped up in just 10 days!
Ruben shared these insights into the design process:
"The design process for the album was incredibly smooth, thanks to your team's expertise. The couple's vision of a modern yet elegant album was beautifully executed. I loved how the layout allowed for large spreads that showcased both the emotional moments and the grand scale of the event. The flexibility and attention to detail from the designer made it easy to create something that truly reflected the couple's day and their connection to their family and friends.
As for myself, I'm deeply passionate about capturing not only the big moments but also the emotions and details that make each wedding unique. My approach combines artistic photography with a documentary/editorial style, so the images not only tell the story but also evoke the feelings of the day. This wedding was special because of the couple's deep love and the way their joy was shared with so many guests, which truly shines through in the photos."
So incredible! Ruben was kind enough to send us some photos of the printed Dreambooks album. Here they are along with some of our favorite spreads from this stunning design!
The wedding was an extraordinary event, held outdoors at a private residence. With over 400 guests, the atmosphere was both intimate and grand. The elegant décor in white and green perfectly complemented the natural surroundings, creating a serene yet sophisticated ambiance. The couple wanted to blend modern elements with a timeless feel, and the design did just that, seamlessly integrating the beautiful coastal landscape.
Ruben's clients expect a lot of images in their albums. He always sends a bit more than typical for the spread number but it works well because he orders large horizontal albums. This album was finalized with 26 spreads (52 pages). Horizontal albums tend to handle more images per spread without looking too cluttered. Ruben gravitates toward spread that include a large focal image paired with a collage of supporting images. We loved the focal point images from the reception of this wedding and designed the album to really showcase them well!
This design was approved with ZERO revision requests which is a win for all! From order to file delivery, this design was wrapped up in just 10 days!
Ruben shared these insights into the design process:
"The design process for the album was incredibly smooth, thanks to your team's expertise. The couple's vision of a modern yet elegant album was beautifully executed. I loved how the layout allowed for large spreads that showcased both the emotional moments and the grand scale of the event. The flexibility and attention to detail from the designer made it easy to create something that truly reflected the couple's day and their connection to their family and friends.
As for myself, I'm deeply passionate about capturing not only the big moments but also the emotions and details that make each wedding unique. My approach combines artistic photography with a documentary/editorial style, so the images not only tell the story but also evoke the feelings of the day. This wedding was special because of the couple's deep love and the way their joy was shared with so many guests, which truly shines through in the photos."
So incredible! Ruben was kind enough to send us some photos of the printed Dreambooks album. Here they are along with some of our favorite spreads from this stunning design!
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
Thank you, Ruben, for trusting us to be a part of your team!
Thank you, Ruben, for trusting us to be a part of your team!
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Design by: Shannon (View More) // Design style: Styled (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Shannon (View More) // Design style: Styled (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Using Incentives & Deadlines to Close the Sale
Hey guys! Melissa Jill -- pro wedding photographer and owner of Align -- here again to continue my series on efficient and profitable album design and sales. I've talked a lot in this series about up-selling -- offering your clients the option to add spreads to their album after the wedding by showing them an ideal design they won't be able to live without. As I've mentioned in past posts, there is a RIGHT and a WRONG way to do this. This post isn't going to make a lot of sense if you aren't caught up on the other posts where I discussed this concept of up-selling and how to do it well. So make sure you get caught up here before reading on:
WHY UP-SELLING ALBUMS SERVES OUR CLIENTS
3 TIPS FOR UP-SELLING YOUR ALBUMS THE RIGHT WAY
HOW TO COVER YOUR ALBUM DESIGN COSTS AND MAKE A BONUS PROFIT!
Once you present an opportunity to your client to upgrade their album, it is wise to entice them with some incentives for choosing to do so in a timely manner. They are sure to love the ideal album design you send them and want the whole thing. But if they put off the decision to upgrade and the initial excitement wears off, it is unlikely they will decide to do so. They will instead, more than likely, find another place to spend their money.
When I send an email to my clients with instructions for how to revise their initial album design, I include information on my incentives and deadlines:
WHY UP-SELLING ALBUMS SERVES OUR CLIENTS
3 TIPS FOR UP-SELLING YOUR ALBUMS THE RIGHT WAY
HOW TO COVER YOUR ALBUM DESIGN COSTS AND MAKE A BONUS PROFIT!
Once you present an opportunity to your client to upgrade their album, it is wise to entice them with some incentives for choosing to do so in a timely manner. They are sure to love the ideal album design you send them and want the whole thing. But if they put off the decision to upgrade and the initial excitement wears off, it is unlikely they will decide to do so. They will instead, more than likely, find another place to spend their money.
When I send an email to my clients with instructions for how to revise their initial album design, I include information on my incentives and deadlines:
I spell out the costs and the deadlines explicitly in an email so they know exactly what their options are. For example:
"I wanted to give you some info on how to proceed with finalizing your album design. The album you ordered includes 17 spreads. The one I designed you has 30. I did this because you guys had so many great photos and I wanted to show you what your album COULD be. So you can either choose to narrow down the layouts to 17 or upgrade your album by purchasing more layout spreads at $120/spread. If you wanted to purchase the album as it is now, it would cost an additional $1,689.48 (this includes tax).
I would really love for you guys to have the full album I designed for you, so if you place your order for the full 30 spreads within one month (by May 7th) I'll give you 20% off the cost of upgrading (total due would be $1,351.58). If you place your order for the full 30 spreads within 2 months (by June 7th) I'll give you 10% off the cost of upgrading (total due would be $1,520.53)."
These incentives and deadlines encourage clients to make a decision quickly, while their excitement for their wedding is still running high. AND they help speed up the decision making process to keep your album turn-around times short. It's a win-win: savings for your clients, and for you: no more albums hanging indefinitely over your head.
"I wanted to give you some info on how to proceed with finalizing your album design. The album you ordered includes 17 spreads. The one I designed you has 30. I did this because you guys had so many great photos and I wanted to show you what your album COULD be. So you can either choose to narrow down the layouts to 17 or upgrade your album by purchasing more layout spreads at $120/spread. If you wanted to purchase the album as it is now, it would cost an additional $1,689.48 (this includes tax).
I would really love for you guys to have the full album I designed for you, so if you place your order for the full 30 spreads within one month (by May 7th) I'll give you 20% off the cost of upgrading (total due would be $1,351.58). If you place your order for the full 30 spreads within 2 months (by June 7th) I'll give you 10% off the cost of upgrading (total due would be $1,520.53)."
These incentives and deadlines encourage clients to make a decision quickly, while their excitement for their wedding is still running high. AND they help speed up the decision making process to keep your album turn-around times short. It's a win-win: savings for your clients, and for you: no more albums hanging indefinitely over your head.
And exciting news! If you're a photographer who wants to start offering albums without investing hours of guesswork and trial and error -- we have a solution for you! Check out the Album Start-Up Kit and start maximizing your profit today!
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Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Milwaukee Lakeside Wedding Album Design for Lindsey Taylor Photography
We've been working with luxury and destination wedding photographer Lindsey Taylor Photography for a couple of years now and always feel spoiled when we get to design an album using her gorgeous film and digital images! Lindsey is based out of Chicago and travelled to Milwaukee for this absolutely LOVELY wedding.
When she placed the design order, she let us know to start with approximately 20 spreads but that the couple would likely want to add more because they wanted to include as many images as possible. The design ended up being 28 spreads total and was approved after just one round of revisions. We're so glad the couple decided to add more spreads to accommodate more images rather than trying to stuff as many images as possible into a small number of spreads. You'll see how the minimal design ended up telling the story so beautifully! We always say -- "the fewer images per spread, the more importance you give them!" And this album definitely illustrates that truth!
Lindsey did such a phenomenal job capturing all the emotions and moments of this wedding day next to Lake Michigan! Here are a few of our favorite spreads from the stunning design:
When she placed the design order, she let us know to start with approximately 20 spreads but that the couple would likely want to add more because they wanted to include as many images as possible. The design ended up being 28 spreads total and was approved after just one round of revisions. We're so glad the couple decided to add more spreads to accommodate more images rather than trying to stuff as many images as possible into a small number of spreads. You'll see how the minimal design ended up telling the story so beautifully! We always say -- "the fewer images per spread, the more importance you give them!" And this album definitely illustrates that truth!
Lindsey did such a phenomenal job capturing all the emotions and moments of this wedding day next to Lake Michigan! Here are a few of our favorite spreads from the stunning design:
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
Thank you, Lindsey, for trusting us to be a part of your team!
Thank you, Lindsey, for trusting us to be a part of your team!
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Design by: Rachel (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Rachel (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Industrial Loft Wedding Album Design for Sherah Grose Photography
Oh happy day! This album design is a beauty and we are SO thrilled to get to share it with you today!
Chicago wedding photographer Sherah Grose is unbelievably talented and kind and we always enjoy working with her! Sherah requested our Simple design style for this album so only 58 images were used in the 20 spreads. This minimal approach to the design allowed for a lot of breath between the spreads and the opportunity to really highlight impactful moments throughout the day.
And one incredible fun-fact about this design -- it was approved with ZERO changes from the photographer or client! We always do a little happy dance when we can nail the initial design in such a way that everyone loves it as-is!
Sherah gave us the following insight into this very special wedding day:
"The most important thing to know about this couple is that Allie and Jack prioritized people above all else on their wedding day. Allie had a lot of fun planning her wedding with her mom and Stephanie Cook of The Creative Planners, and could have had her wedding anywhere she wanted. However, at the end of the day, Allie and Jack just wanted to get married surrounded by the people they loved, and they made choices that helped them connect with and care for their guests.
I have to say, my favorite image in the whole album is the spread with the head table all toasting together at the reception. Allie and Jack sat separately at a sweetheart table, and watched as their best friends cheered them on. These two had the best wedding day, and made sure that everyone else had the best time, too. I don't think it gets any better than that!"
Sherah was so kind to photograph the printed KISS album and send a few images our way. Here they are along with some of our favorite spreads from this stunning design:
Chicago wedding photographer Sherah Grose is unbelievably talented and kind and we always enjoy working with her! Sherah requested our Simple design style for this album so only 58 images were used in the 20 spreads. This minimal approach to the design allowed for a lot of breath between the spreads and the opportunity to really highlight impactful moments throughout the day.
And one incredible fun-fact about this design -- it was approved with ZERO changes from the photographer or client! We always do a little happy dance when we can nail the initial design in such a way that everyone loves it as-is!
Sherah gave us the following insight into this very special wedding day:
"The most important thing to know about this couple is that Allie and Jack prioritized people above all else on their wedding day. Allie had a lot of fun planning her wedding with her mom and Stephanie Cook of The Creative Planners, and could have had her wedding anywhere she wanted. However, at the end of the day, Allie and Jack just wanted to get married surrounded by the people they loved, and they made choices that helped them connect with and care for their guests.
I have to say, my favorite image in the whole album is the spread with the head table all toasting together at the reception. Allie and Jack sat separately at a sweetheart table, and watched as their best friends cheered them on. These two had the best wedding day, and made sure that everyone else had the best time, too. I don't think it gets any better than that!"
Sherah was so kind to photograph the printed KISS album and send a few images our way. Here they are along with some of our favorite spreads from this stunning design:
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
Thank you, Sherah, for trusting us to be a part of your team!
Thank you, Sherah, for trusting us to be a part of your team!
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Design by: Shannon (View More) // Design style: Simple (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Shannon (View More) // Design style: Simple (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
