Ordering and Packaging the Wedding Album
So your client approved the album design. Now what?
The entirety of the album workflow can feel like such a HUGE process. At this point, the finish line is in sight, but somehow the last step or two in the album production marathon can cause frustration. Why? Because we are so consumed with the NEXT shoot, the next exciting venture, and getting a client's album order placed for a wedding we shot weeks or months ago isn't the most glamorous of tasks. But it has to be done and we need a manageable workflow to make sure the order gets placed and the album turns out beautifully. After all this work, it's important that the final album is something we are proud and excited to deliver to our client! It will forever be a reminder of their love for one another and will also be the last impression we make on them. No pressure! haha! :)
Every photographer's workflow will look a little different, but I wanted to share mine by way of example:
1 -- Touch Up Any Additional Images
Many of the photos included in the album design are touched up and ready to go, but I like to take a quick look through the final design to make sure each spread, and the editing of the images on them, looks cohesive. Occasionally I will need to open an image and retouch it to make sure everything is perfect. Perfectionism is unnecessary when it comes to preparing proofs, but when we know that a photo is forever going to be memorialized in a couple's wedding album, perfectionism is warranted. I typically request layered .psd files from Align in order to allow me to individually edit photos on their own layers before flattening. The other option I sometime use, is sending my designer the touched-up versions of a handful of images to swap out in the design before approval.
2 -- Place the Order with the Album Company
This eventually ends up being a pretty straight-forward step, but there can be two hang-ups. Initially it can be tricky to learn how each album company's ordering system works. But once you get through the initial learning curve, it becomes second nature. The main hang-up is not having all of the information you need from the client. Do you know what cover material they want? Is there a cover photo included? How do they want their names to appear if there is any type of engraving? It's important to ask these questions up front so you're not having to email the client to gather these final bits of information when you're sitting down to place the order. We recommend our Album Workflow Email Templates that will help you make sure this important step is already done by the time you sit down to place the order!
3 -- Quality Control, Packaging and Shipping
I always have the album company send the album straight to me so I can check it over and repackage it before shipping it on to my client. Occasionally I'll discover an error and am able to catch it and get it fixed before the client sees it. And it's a great touch to repackage the album with some of your own branding materials. Ribbon, stickers with your logo, and a hand-written notecard elevate the product and make it cohesive with your brand. And don't forget to take a few photos of the finished album for your own marketing purposes! Plaster those babies all over your website and instagram account! They are SO valuable in sharing your passion for albums and drawing clients to you!
AHHHH -- There's nothing quite like holding a finished wedding album in your hands. For me it provides such a sense of accomplishment knowing how much work I put into telling the couple's unique story, and thinking about how the album will be passed on to generations to come.
If you're looking to simplify and streamline your client communication, making the whole album process -- including all the little steps like getting your client's final preferences on the album cover, materials, etc. -- quicker and easier, you might consider looking into our album workflow email templates. Included are 8 pages worth of email templates for different points throughout your album workflow covering the communication mentioned above plus more! They're a huge time-saver and will help you make sure nothing falls through the cracks!
The entirety of the album workflow can feel like such a HUGE process. At this point, the finish line is in sight, but somehow the last step or two in the album production marathon can cause frustration. Why? Because we are so consumed with the NEXT shoot, the next exciting venture, and getting a client's album order placed for a wedding we shot weeks or months ago isn't the most glamorous of tasks. But it has to be done and we need a manageable workflow to make sure the order gets placed and the album turns out beautifully. After all this work, it's important that the final album is something we are proud and excited to deliver to our client! It will forever be a reminder of their love for one another and will also be the last impression we make on them. No pressure! haha! :)
Every photographer's workflow will look a little different, but I wanted to share mine by way of example:
1 -- Touch Up Any Additional Images
Many of the photos included in the album design are touched up and ready to go, but I like to take a quick look through the final design to make sure each spread, and the editing of the images on them, looks cohesive. Occasionally I will need to open an image and retouch it to make sure everything is perfect. Perfectionism is unnecessary when it comes to preparing proofs, but when we know that a photo is forever going to be memorialized in a couple's wedding album, perfectionism is warranted. I typically request layered .psd files from Align in order to allow me to individually edit photos on their own layers before flattening. The other option I sometime use, is sending my designer the touched-up versions of a handful of images to swap out in the design before approval.
2 -- Place the Order with the Album Company
This eventually ends up being a pretty straight-forward step, but there can be two hang-ups. Initially it can be tricky to learn how each album company's ordering system works. But once you get through the initial learning curve, it becomes second nature. The main hang-up is not having all of the information you need from the client. Do you know what cover material they want? Is there a cover photo included? How do they want their names to appear if there is any type of engraving? It's important to ask these questions up front so you're not having to email the client to gather these final bits of information when you're sitting down to place the order. We recommend our Album Workflow Email Templates that will help you make sure this important step is already done by the time you sit down to place the order!
3 -- Quality Control, Packaging and Shipping
I always have the album company send the album straight to me so I can check it over and repackage it before shipping it on to my client. Occasionally I'll discover an error and am able to catch it and get it fixed before the client sees it. And it's a great touch to repackage the album with some of your own branding materials. Ribbon, stickers with your logo, and a hand-written notecard elevate the product and make it cohesive with your brand. And don't forget to take a few photos of the finished album for your own marketing purposes! Plaster those babies all over your website and instagram account! They are SO valuable in sharing your passion for albums and drawing clients to you!
AHHHH -- There's nothing quite like holding a finished wedding album in your hands. For me it provides such a sense of accomplishment knowing how much work I put into telling the couple's unique story, and thinking about how the album will be passed on to generations to come.
If you're looking to simplify and streamline your client communication, making the whole album process -- including all the little steps like getting your client's final preferences on the album cover, materials, etc. -- quicker and easier, you might consider looking into our album workflow email templates. Included are 8 pages worth of email templates for different points throughout your album workflow covering the communication mentioned above plus more! They're a huge time-saver and will help you make sure nothing falls through the cracks!
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Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
