This is a question every professional wedding photographer must face -- should I do my album designs myself, or outsource this portion of my workflow to someone else? Obviously, as an album design company, our view at Align is a bit biased. BUT I have also been a professional wedding photographer myself for over 18 years. I started running that business LONG before I started Align, so I myself had to answer this question early on before I had any idea I would be starting an album design company.  
 
I started my business in 2003 and I designed my first few albums myself. I had no clue what I was doing, but I also had no idea that I could outsource. I was completely and utterly clueless. I quickly realized I couldn't keep up with everything myself and still have time to do the things that would help my business grow. So I brought in some help -- an employee who did color-correction and album design for me. This worked great for years, but as my employee's job description grew to the point where SHE couldn't do it all, we started outsourcing our album design to Align. Utter freedom and bliss ensued.  
 
But outsourcing isn't for everyone. Each business owner has to decide for themselves.  
 
 
 
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From my point of view, there are two good reasons to do your album designs in-house: 
1 -- You have an employee you can pay to handle the initial design work and revisions. 
2 -- You just really LOVE doing album design. Like really love it. 
 
If you're having to do everything yourself AND you don't enjoy designing, better to pass it off and spend your time doing the things you are best at and that fuel your passion. That's how the most successful people in life succeed -- by focusing on their unique strengths and passion.  
 
Businesses that fall into the following categories are ideally suited for outsourcing their album design: 
1 -- Newer businesses where the photographer is also working another job 
2 -- Businesses with no additional employees beyond the business owner 
3 -- Businesses where the photographer is most passionate about shooting or growing their business in other ways 
4 -- Businesses owned by people who want to have a life outside of work and value family or recreation 
 
 
 
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Have you answered this question for yourself? Like I mentioned above, every business is different, so this isn't a one-size-fits-all decision. We would love to hear from you in the comments below! Which variables weighed in when you were considering the options? What was the ultimate deciding factor?  
 
If you fall into the category above that is ideally suited to outsource, why not give it a try to see if it could free you up like it has for me and the other photographers quoted above? Click here to sign up for an account with Align, and when you do so, we'll send you a free welcome gift -- our "Top 10 Most Popular Album Companies" Resource List. That way you can find out which album printing & binding companies are the most popular among photographers who use Align, and more importantly, WHY. Or if you already have an existing Align account and want a copy of this resource guide, you're welcome to email us for a copy.

In the coming weeks, I will continue to share tips for album workflow that can be applied by photographers who fall into both camps -- those who keep their designs in-house, and those who outsource. Stay tuned!

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Blog post written by: Melissa Jill

What a stand-out album design we have to share with you today! North Carolina wedding photographer Tierney Riggs Photography has such a beautiful, bright, fresh photography style and captured the stunning details of this historic estate wedding just perfectly! 
 
Tierney prefers an album design with as little white space as possible, and we are always happy to accommodate specific requests like this! This particular design is a great example one that does not feel too busy or cluttered while limiting the white space on the page. 
 
Tierney used our Hands-off Service so we were able to communicate directly with her client throughout the revision process and grab any needed images from the online gallery ourselves without having to bug her. And as a result, the design was approved after just one round of revisions in 2 weeks flat! 
 
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this stunning design: 

Click through the slideshow to see the design in full: 
 
 
 
Thank you, Tierney, for trusting us to be a part of your team!

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

Today's featured album design shows off the work of Alabama based wedding photographer Jolei Photography who we have had the pleasure of working with for 8 years now. We were drawn into the story of this wedding day that Jolei captured so beautifully. The couple is from a quaint small town and both have very tight-knit families. They also had a HUGE bridal party which Jolei navigated so well -- capturing such fun photos of the group! 
 
Our album design service comes standard with 3 rounds of revisions included, but the client approved this design after only one round and we love how it turned out! Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this lovely design:

To see the design in full, click through the slideshow: 
 
 
 
Thank you, Jolei, 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

Hey there, fellow photographers! Melissa Jill here, pro-photographer and founder of Align. I know I've mentioned before how VITAL it is to share our passion for albums with our clients. More specifically, I've talked about how important it is to give our clients a tangible experience by letting them hold a sample album and leaf through the pages.  
 
The truth is, if we want to sell albums, we have to show them! There is great power in studio sample albums. They hold the potential of taking an engaged couple from "mmm ... no thanks" to "umm -- YES PLEASE!"  
 
While I've touched on 5 features every sample album should include, you might still be wondering which of your sessions would be the best to use for your sample album.  
 
Today I am going to break down the top 5 elements to consider when choosing which wedding or portrait session to feature in your sample album!  
 
1 - Feature a favorite.  
Duh, right? You know the wedding or portrait session that has you swooning long after the day is over? The one that keeps you up at night because you are so excited about all the details and the beautiful light and how perfectly you feel you captured the love from beginning to end? That's the one! After all, you want to capture more of these types of sessions, right?  
 
2 - Tell a story.  
As a wedding photographer, rarely do I have a wedding where I love my photography from each portion of the day. From getting ready to portraits to the ceremony and the reception... pick a wedding (or portrait session) where you love the photos throughout the entire day so that you can tell a compelling story through the design. 
 
3 - Feature clients who are relatable.  
The goal is for your potential client to actually SEE themselves in your images. You want them to be able to imagine themselves in the pictures and to vividly create their own wedding experience in their minds as they flip through the pages. So feature a wedding in which the details and the couple might be relatable to the clients you ideally want to attract. 
 
4 - Include a popular venue. 
Consider picking a wedding or portrait shoot that showcases a popular venue in your local area. If a client you are meeting with is getting married at said venue or is considering it, think of how persuasive it would be to see the location showcased in such a visually appealing way! And even the clients who are NOT getting married there will probably be familiar enough with the venue to subconsciously feel a sense of connection to it. 
 
5 - Show emotion.  
Choose a session from which the portraits are emotionally moving. Appealing to the emotional side of your clients increases the chances they will be drawn into the album and be moved to include one in their package. 
 
Hopefully as you read through these thoughts, the perfect wedding or portrait session came to mind for your next sample album. I hope you're excited to move forward and get that sample made! 
 
To see a wedding I recently chose to feature in my own sample album, click here!  
 
Also, to help even further with your sample album needs, we've created this Resource List for the Top 10 Most Popular Album Companies used by Align clients, along with testimonials from photographers who use each of them. Also included on the list is a general idea of what each company charges for a standard 10x10 album. You can download it for FREE today by clicking here and signing up for an account with Align -- no order necessary! Or if you already have an existing Align account and want a copy of this resource guide, you're welcome to email us for a copy.

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Blog post written by: Melissa Jill

Fun Fact: New Hampshire fine art wedding photographer Michelle Eaton has been shooting weddings for 15 years now and WE have had the pleasure of working with Michelle for 7 of those years. Also, we just learned that Michelle only went full-time in photography 3 years ago! So cool! What an incredible career so far! 
 
Today we get to show-off a favorite design we put together for Michelle and her clients recently. The photography for this early winter wedding is gorgeous and what is even MORE impressive is that Michelle shot this wedding when she was 9 month pregnant! Huge props for that!  
 
Michelle works hard to get to know her clients ahead of time and set them at ease while she is photographing them, and it shows. Her clients look so relaxed and entirely themselves in all of her photos. 
 
This design was approved with only one round of revisions in under a month's time and it was such a pleasure to be a part of getting this stunning album into the hands of Michelle's clients so quickly! 
 
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this beautiful design:

To see the design in full, click through the slideshow: 
 
 
 
Thank you, Michelle, for trusting us to be a part of your team!

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