Stunning Mountain Wedding Album Design for Cassie Madden Photography
Wyoming-based photographer Cassie Madden blows us away with her talent for capturing the most picturesque mountain weddings. We always get so excited when we see a new order come in from her! And she is one of the kindest souls to boot!
We have had the pleasure of working with Cassie and her beautiful images for over 5 years now and she also serves as one of our super-helpful Client Advocates!
Cassie was so kind to send us images of this finished album that was printed by Miller's Professional Imaging. Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this stunning mountain wedding!
We have had the pleasure of working with Cassie and her beautiful images for over 5 years now and she also serves as one of our super-helpful Client Advocates!
Cassie was so kind to send us images of this finished album that was printed by Miller's Professional Imaging. Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this stunning mountain wedding!
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
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Design by: Andrea (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Andrea (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Epic Barn Wedding Album Design for J.Nicole Photography
Delaware-based Jessica Rodgers of J.Nicole Photography had no idea there was about to be an airplane fly-over at the wedding she was shooting until 5 minutes before it happened.
Even then, she was told they would be coming from the opposite direction.
When the planes started coming from behind her, she ran to switch spots and grabbed the epic photo you see featured on the spread below at the last second!
Even then, she was told they would be coming from the opposite direction.
When the planes started coming from behind her, she ran to switch spots and grabbed the epic photo you see featured on the spread below at the last second!
Phew! Wedding photographers never cease to amaze us with their ability to make the most of EVERY situation they are put in -- no matter how challenging!
This couple was married in a family friends' hay barn that had been storing hay for the past 50+ years. Weeks before the wedding, their family rallied together and cleaned the barn out from top to bottom of dirt, muck, hay and cobwebs. Their hard work paid off and it turned out beautifully!
It was such an honor to design this album for Jessica and her clients! Here are a few of our favorite spreads:
This couple was married in a family friends' hay barn that had been storing hay for the past 50+ years. Weeks before the wedding, their family rallied together and cleaned the barn out from top to bottom of dirt, muck, hay and cobwebs. Their hard work paid off and it turned out beautifully!
It was such an honor to design this album for Jessica and her clients! Here are a few of our favorite spreads:
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
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Design by: Denise (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Denise (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
One thing you must do to serve the high-end client well
photo by Alicia Lacey Photography
Hey guys! Melissa Jill here! I'm the owner of Align Album Design and a former wedding photographer.
Question for you: Are you seeking to break into the high-end market? To serve a clientele who values the art of photography? To make more money for your time?
One of the ways to reach these goals is by DOING ALBUMS WELL.
I've found in my experience as a photographer in the Phoenix market that there is a shift in the type of client around the $3-4K budget range. Back in the day, my studio had 5 photographers total and we served clients with a photography budget ranging anywhere from $2,000 - $14,000. When a client came to us with a budget of less than $3K, one of the first questions out of their mouth was, "Do your packages come with the high res images?" Not only that, but this was typically the only product they were interested in. They figured if they had the images, they could create other products themselves.
But clients who have allocated over $4K for their wedding photography are a different type of client altogether. They are not nearly as interested in the digital images. Oftentimes when I mentioned that they can include them in their package, they looked at me like, "What would I do with those?" And it seems like the more money people have, the less interested they were in them. Instead, they want something custom, something hand-crafted and one-of-a-kind, something they couldn't create themselves. Over the starting budget of $4K, clients in my market wanted an album. It's their priority and they take it for granted that a custom album is the final end product that they will have to tell the story of their day once their experience with their photographer is brought to completion.
Hey guys! Melissa Jill here! I'm the owner of Align Album Design and a former wedding photographer.
Question for you: Are you seeking to break into the high-end market? To serve a clientele who values the art of photography? To make more money for your time?
One of the ways to reach these goals is by DOING ALBUMS WELL.
I've found in my experience as a photographer in the Phoenix market that there is a shift in the type of client around the $3-4K budget range. Back in the day, my studio had 5 photographers total and we served clients with a photography budget ranging anywhere from $2,000 - $14,000. When a client came to us with a budget of less than $3K, one of the first questions out of their mouth was, "Do your packages come with the high res images?" Not only that, but this was typically the only product they were interested in. They figured if they had the images, they could create other products themselves.
But clients who have allocated over $4K for their wedding photography are a different type of client altogether. They are not nearly as interested in the digital images. Oftentimes when I mentioned that they can include them in their package, they looked at me like, "What would I do with those?" And it seems like the more money people have, the less interested they were in them. Instead, they want something custom, something hand-crafted and one-of-a-kind, something they couldn't create themselves. Over the starting budget of $4K, clients in my market wanted an album. It's their priority and they take it for granted that a custom album is the final end product that they will have to tell the story of their day once their experience with their photographer is brought to completion.
The budget at which this shift occurs in your market may be different than mine, but I guarantee it exists. If we are interested in meeting our clients' needs AND in targeting a specific market, it's important that we as professional photographers are aware of where this shift occurs in our own market and make adjustments based on it.
One of the adjustments I made when I raised my starting prices above $3K, was I replaced the high res images that I once included in all of my packages (because that's what my clients were wanting) with an album in every package. The album in my lowest package was a low-entry-point album that didn't cost me too much so I was able to keep it reasonably priced for my clients. In reformatting my packages, I still offered the high res images, but only included them in my middle and top packages. My packages were always customizable, so theoretically clients could still take the album out of the package and add the high res images. But I wanted to make sure I was presenting my packages in a way that would meet the majority of my clients' needs AND would show them what I think is most important. (As I mentioned in my last post -- clients will be more likely to prioritize the album for themselves if you are passionate about them and prioritize them on your website and in your initial client meetings.)
If one of your goals is to raise your prices, then doing albums well is going to be an integral part of making that transition -- because the high end bride wants an album. They want something beautiful and custom and one-of-a-kind. And they want it delivered with exceptional service. They want quality AND service. That's the ticket to their hearts and their referrals.
It sounds so simple, but while it might be "simple," it's far from EASY. There are SO MANY pitfalls and issues that can arise. But since offering quality albums with exceptional service is a key to reaching the high end bride, it's definitely worth the effort to overcome these obstacles.
In the coming weeks I will continue to share some tips for doing albums well and setting up your workflow for profitability and efficiency. Make sure to sign up here to receive emails about all of my album sales and workflow tips straight to your inbox! Stay tuned and join in the conversation in the comments below! I'd love to hear what has worked for you!
One of the adjustments I made when I raised my starting prices above $3K, was I replaced the high res images that I once included in all of my packages (because that's what my clients were wanting) with an album in every package. The album in my lowest package was a low-entry-point album that didn't cost me too much so I was able to keep it reasonably priced for my clients. In reformatting my packages, I still offered the high res images, but only included them in my middle and top packages. My packages were always customizable, so theoretically clients could still take the album out of the package and add the high res images. But I wanted to make sure I was presenting my packages in a way that would meet the majority of my clients' needs AND would show them what I think is most important. (As I mentioned in my last post -- clients will be more likely to prioritize the album for themselves if you are passionate about them and prioritize them on your website and in your initial client meetings.)
If one of your goals is to raise your prices, then doing albums well is going to be an integral part of making that transition -- because the high end bride wants an album. They want something beautiful and custom and one-of-a-kind. And they want it delivered with exceptional service. They want quality AND service. That's the ticket to their hearts and their referrals.
It sounds so simple, but while it might be "simple," it's far from EASY. There are SO MANY pitfalls and issues that can arise. But since offering quality albums with exceptional service is a key to reaching the high end bride, it's definitely worth the effort to overcome these obstacles.
In the coming weeks I will continue to share some tips for doing albums well and setting up your workflow for profitability and efficiency. Make sure to sign up here to receive emails about all of my album sales and workflow tips straight to your inbox! Stay tuned and join in the conversation in the comments below! I'd love to hear what has worked for you!
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
Intentional Brunch Wedding Album Design for Rebecca Long
We've had the pleasure of designing albums for Alabama-based photographer Rebecca Long since 2013 and we have designed over 60 albums for her so far! We adore working with her and her beautiful images!
When we asked to feature this design, Rebecca gave us the most beautiful insight into this wedding:
I believe a photographer's love for a couple and the wedding itself often shows in the photos. And that is definitely the case here!
These are a few of our favorite spreads from this gorgeous design:
When we asked to feature this design, Rebecca gave us the most beautiful insight into this wedding:
This bride is very classic and precious! She wore her mom's wedding dress, they had a morning ceremony with a brunch reception. She tossed her flowers during the exit (just a fun little unusual detail). Every part of the weekend was intentional. We were able to go take more photos after the exit since it was barely after noon! LOVED this wedding.
I believe a photographer's love for a couple and the wedding itself often shows in the photos. And that is definitely the case here!
These are a few of our favorite spreads from this gorgeous design:
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
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Design by: Denise (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Denise (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
New Rebranded Sample Album Design for Jessie Silva
Grand Rapids, Michigan-based photographer Jessie Silva recently decided to re-brand her business to reach a higher-end client. During her rebrand, she decided she needed to not only create a new sample album that would better represent her updated brand, but that she needed to change-up her preferences for the style of her album designs to also reflect the new brand and the client she is targeting.
Jessie communicated all this to us on her order form and we ended up LOVING the end result! She printed her 30-spread sample album through Finao as a 12x12 album with the Ice cover and Texas Tea leather and sent us these beautiful images of the finished product!
Jessie communicated all this to us on her order form and we ended up LOVING the end result! She printed her 30-spread sample album through Finao as a 12x12 album with the Ice cover and Texas Tea leather and sent us these beautiful images of the finished product!
Here are more of Jessie's thoughts behind the intentional pivot she made not only to her brand, but to her albums:
I recently decided to rebrand, as my old brand was a reference to my maiden name - and I've been married for nearly 8 years! After a disappointing bridal show (where I normally had luck before) I realized that I needed to make some major changes.
With my old brand, I absolutely LOVED it when brides chose my album package! No matter how I felt about the images (you know how artists are always so hard on ourselves) I always felt a million times better when I saw them printed in the album!
While my album package was not the most expensive, it WAS the most popular - but it didn't include files, and it confused a lot of people I met with! So for the new brand, I decided to clean things up, put off a more high-end vibe, and take the focus OFF the files and ON to the albums! Now every package includes the files, sure. BUT they ALSO all include an album! It's certainly my end goal for every couple to have this keepsake!
With my old style, my albums came standard with 10 spreads. I'm a terrible salesperson, and never wanted brides to feel they got short-changed, so instead of offering to add on spreads, I just add more images per page. While filling the pages with images looks beautiful in a large 12x12, it doesn't let the images stand alone. So with the rebrand, my goal was to offer a classic but modern look - something that will stand the test of time much better, and put the focus on the gorgeous images!
So Jessie instructed us to create a sample album with 30 SPREADS and to limit the number of images per spread to right around 4, with the exception of a few spreads here and there. She said, "Basically I want this to look like all the gorgeous spreads you always share on Instagram :)"
DONE!
This is the final result:
DONE!
This is the final result:
To see this beautiful design in full, click through the slideshow:
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Design by: Andrea (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Andrea (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
