Virginia Manor Wedding Album Design for Katelyn James
We've designed a whopping 129 designs for the fabulous Katelyn James in over a decade of working with her and her stunning images! How lucky are we!? But seriously, we feel so blessed to get to work with such a fabulous human who has SO generously shared about us with all of the students who go through her valuable photography education courses. If you're reading this, chances are your photography has been impacted in some way by Katelyn!
I remember when I first talked with Katelyn about the possibility of outsourcing her album design to us, that she was very hesitant -- mainly because she loved doing her own album design and didn't want to release control of this piece of her business to someone else. But she DID take that step and as you can imagine, we have dialed in her design style meticulously and according to Katelyn, she is now able to serve her clients even better than she did before!
This is what we want to be known for more than anything -- we want to become a part of photographers' teams so that they can level up their business and be known for incredible customer service! We've had two photographers in just the last week tell us that the customer service they have received from Align is the best customer service experience THEY HAVE EVER HAD with a company and this is what we want clients to say about every single photographer that we serve! We want that for YOU! And that is what we are here for -- to level up your customer experience and make you look like a rockstar!
Check out this beautiful design we recently wrapped up for Katelyn! She is a sucker for a beautiful bridal detail filmstrip layout that tells a cohesive color story and I think we hit the mark here:
I remember when I first talked with Katelyn about the possibility of outsourcing her album design to us, that she was very hesitant -- mainly because she loved doing her own album design and didn't want to release control of this piece of her business to someone else. But she DID take that step and as you can imagine, we have dialed in her design style meticulously and according to Katelyn, she is now able to serve her clients even better than she did before!
This is what we want to be known for more than anything -- we want to become a part of photographers' teams so that they can level up their business and be known for incredible customer service! We've had two photographers in just the last week tell us that the customer service they have received from Align is the best customer service experience THEY HAVE EVER HAD with a company and this is what we want clients to say about every single photographer that we serve! We want that for YOU! And that is what we are here for -- to level up your customer experience and make you look like a rockstar!
Check out this beautiful design we recently wrapped up for Katelyn! She is a sucker for a beautiful bridal detail filmstrip layout that tells a cohesive color story and I think we hit the mark here:
This couple is so sweet -- they were middle school sweethearts!!
Thank you Katelyn for trusting us all these years to be a part of your team!
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
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Design by: Kari (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Kari (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
8 Tips for Timeless Album Design
above images by Megan Travis Photography
Hey guys! Melissa Jill here! I remember the first album I designed myself. It was 2004 and my client had asked for an album. I had never even created a sample album at that point so EVERYTHING was new to me. But I figured, how hard could it be? I'll just whip one up. Haha! Poor little naive me. Three months, ten headaches, and a dozen workflow issues later, I had my first album done. It turned out to be much more challenging than I had initially anticipated. And being that I was new to albums, I was dealing with a HUGE learning curve. Since then I have learned so much about the album design and sales process, and that's one of the main reasons I'm sharing this series of tips -- to help others who may be facing this learning curve for the first time themselves.
I remember looking back at that very first album years later in my client's home and cringing at a few of my choices. Namely, I thought it would be fun to make a collage of overlapping and tilted images for a reception spread. You know...because receptions are wild and crazy, the design should be as well? Yikes! Major regret on that design choice. There were a number of other design trends that I succumbed to in that first design that are SO entirely outdated now. Which makes me sad, because wedding albums need to last generations without looking outdated. Of all things, a wedding album should be timeless.
Today I'm going to share some timeless design tips that we at Align adhere to, and that I would recommend to any of you out there who are designing your albums in house. I hope I don't step on any toes or hurt any feelings, but there are also a few outdated trends that I'd like to call out as well. I learned my lesson the hard way by regretting my design choices, and I want to encourage you all to keep your designs clean and timeless so you don't experience this same sense of regret years from now.
So let's start by ripping the bandaid off first. The outdated trends to steer clear of are:
1. Using images as backgrounds
2. Making images opaque
3. Excessive overlapping of images
All of these trends clutter up your design and don't allow your images to stand apart and be appreciated as art. Your images themselves are interesting. You don't need to make your design overly complex to create a beautiful album. Let the images shine and tell the story for you. As a side note, even though we don't recommend any of the above design choices as being ideal, Align can absolutely design albums with these specifications. The most important thing to us is that you and your clients are happy. And we strive to customize our designs to fit your unique preferences. Just select the "Styled" design option and put your preferences in the comments section of your order form.
Now for the positive tips. Here is what TO DO if you want your albums to be beautiful and remain timeless for generations to come.
#1 -- Use restraint and don't clutter up your spreads with too many images. The fewer images per spread, the more importance you give them.
Hey guys! Melissa Jill here! I remember the first album I designed myself. It was 2004 and my client had asked for an album. I had never even created a sample album at that point so EVERYTHING was new to me. But I figured, how hard could it be? I'll just whip one up. Haha! Poor little naive me. Three months, ten headaches, and a dozen workflow issues later, I had my first album done. It turned out to be much more challenging than I had initially anticipated. And being that I was new to albums, I was dealing with a HUGE learning curve. Since then I have learned so much about the album design and sales process, and that's one of the main reasons I'm sharing this series of tips -- to help others who may be facing this learning curve for the first time themselves.
I remember looking back at that very first album years later in my client's home and cringing at a few of my choices. Namely, I thought it would be fun to make a collage of overlapping and tilted images for a reception spread. You know...because receptions are wild and crazy, the design should be as well? Yikes! Major regret on that design choice. There were a number of other design trends that I succumbed to in that first design that are SO entirely outdated now. Which makes me sad, because wedding albums need to last generations without looking outdated. Of all things, a wedding album should be timeless.
Today I'm going to share some timeless design tips that we at Align adhere to, and that I would recommend to any of you out there who are designing your albums in house. I hope I don't step on any toes or hurt any feelings, but there are also a few outdated trends that I'd like to call out as well. I learned my lesson the hard way by regretting my design choices, and I want to encourage you all to keep your designs clean and timeless so you don't experience this same sense of regret years from now.
So let's start by ripping the bandaid off first. The outdated trends to steer clear of are:
1. Using images as backgrounds
2. Making images opaque
3. Excessive overlapping of images
All of these trends clutter up your design and don't allow your images to stand apart and be appreciated as art. Your images themselves are interesting. You don't need to make your design overly complex to create a beautiful album. Let the images shine and tell the story for you. As a side note, even though we don't recommend any of the above design choices as being ideal, Align can absolutely design albums with these specifications. The most important thing to us is that you and your clients are happy. And we strive to customize our designs to fit your unique preferences. Just select the "Styled" design option and put your preferences in the comments section of your order form.
Now for the positive tips. Here is what TO DO if you want your albums to be beautiful and remain timeless for generations to come.
#1 -- Use restraint and don't clutter up your spreads with too many images. The fewer images per spread, the more importance you give them.
above images by Candace Berry Photography
#2 -- If you do use a lot of images on a given page, make sure to use a structured layout that makes it easy for your eye to "read" what is going on.
#2 -- If you do use a lot of images on a given page, make sure to use a structured layout that makes it easy for your eye to "read" what is going on.
above images by Maggie Harkov Photography
#3 -- We prefer white backgrounds, but if you'd like to use some color on your album spreads, makes sure to pull the color from the photographs that are used on the spread to keep everything cohesive.
#3 -- We prefer white backgrounds, but if you'd like to use some color on your album spreads, makes sure to pull the color from the photographs that are used on the spread to keep everything cohesive.
above images by Amelia Soper Photography
#4 -- Much like matting for a framed photo, using negative space is a great way to draw attention and importance to an image. Don't feel the need to fill every white space.
#4 -- Much like matting for a framed photo, using negative space is a great way to draw attention and importance to an image. Don't feel the need to fill every white space.
above images by Hello Love Photography
#5 -- Make your favorite image the focal point of the spread. Duh, the best images should be given the most real estate.
#5 -- Make your favorite image the focal point of the spread. Duh, the best images should be given the most real estate.
above images by Megan Alvarez Photography
#6 -- Group your images by location so that each spread tells a cohesive story. This is a great thing to keep in mind when you are shooting too. Taking a number of different photos in each location will make for a great album design!
#6 -- Group your images by location so that each spread tells a cohesive story. This is a great thing to keep in mind when you are shooting too. Taking a number of different photos in each location will make for a great album design!
above images by Leezett Photography
#7 -- Think about the color story you are telling on each spread. If there is too much going on color-wise, think about separating competing images onto separate spreads, or putting some of the images in black and white.
#7 -- Think about the color story you are telling on each spread. If there is too much going on color-wise, think about separating competing images onto separate spreads, or putting some of the images in black and white.
above images by Katelyn James Photography
#8 -- Help your design to tell a story by including a number of scene-setting spreads that set the scene for what is to come. This is another great tip to keep in mind for when you are shooting! It's not only wedding detail photographs that help make a design beautiful, think about how you can take detail shots of the location and venue to help tell the story of the day.
#8 -- Help your design to tell a story by including a number of scene-setting spreads that set the scene for what is to come. This is another great tip to keep in mind for when you are shooting! It's not only wedding detail photographs that help make a design beautiful, think about how you can take detail shots of the location and venue to help tell the story of the day.
above images by Leezett Photography
I hope you've found these tips and examples helpful!
----------> If you are overwhelmed with design and want to give outsourcing a try, click here to find out more about the design styles that Align offers. We have 3 standard design styles but can definitely customize to meet most needs, so don't hesitate to send us examples of designs you like and let us know what your preferences are, and we will design to those specifications. After you take a look at our design styles to find out which one would work best for you, click here to sign up for an account with Align. 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.
I hope you've found these tips and examples helpful!
----------> If you are overwhelmed with design and want to give outsourcing a try, click here to find out more about the design styles that Align offers. We have 3 standard design styles but can definitely customize to meet most needs, so don't hesitate to send us examples of designs you like and let us know what your preferences are, and we will design to those specifications. After you take a look at our design styles to find out which one would work best for you, click here to sign up for an account with Align. 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.
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
Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Montana Mountainside Wedding Album Design for Katelyn James Photography
Guess how many albums we've had the pleasure of designing for Virginia-based wedding photographer Katelyn James in the past 10 years??
126.
Nutso! We're probably not suppose to play favorites, but Katelyn is definitely on our favorites list! We owe her a world of gratitude because she has sent so many photographers our way by sharing about how she integrates us in her workflow through all her educational resources and courses. If you are needing help for anything photo or business-related, you should definitely check out all she has to offer here!
And if you're interested in hearing a little about Katelyn's journey with albums and what caused her to start outsourcing even though she LOVED designing her own albums, check out this video:
Here are some of our favorite spreads from the most recent design we created for Katelyn:
126.
Nutso! We're probably not suppose to play favorites, but Katelyn is definitely on our favorites list! We owe her a world of gratitude because she has sent so many photographers our way by sharing about how she integrates us in her workflow through all her educational resources and courses. If you are needing help for anything photo or business-related, you should definitely check out all she has to offer here!
And if you're interested in hearing a little about Katelyn's journey with albums and what caused her to start outsourcing even though she LOVED designing her own albums, check out this video:
Here are some of our favorite spreads from the most recent design we created for Katelyn:
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
Thank you, Katelyn, for allowing us to be a part of your team!!
Thank you, Katelyn, for allowing 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
Design by: Kari (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Pennsylvania Farm Wedding Album Design for Katelyn James Photography
You wouldn't know it from the photos in today's featured wedding album design, but it poured rain on and off all day! But Virginia-based wedding photographer and educator Katelyn James is the ultimate pro, and she was quick on her feet with a solution! When the rain looked like it was going to set in, she quickly suggested the couple do a first look, then she got them under a tree, then back out when there was a break in the rain. And she worked FAST. You have to see how this design turned out!
Katelyn is a long-time client and friend of ours. We have had the pleasure of designing over 120 albums for her and her clients in the 9 years we have worked with her and she is one of our beloved Client Advocates. Katelyn has single-handedly sent us more photographers than anyone else through her photographer education and resources and kind recommendations and we are SO GRATEFUL FOR HER!!
When prepping for this post, she shared, "We absolutely love working with Align! The design process is SO efficient and so professionally done we cannot say enough great things about using Align as our album company."
And obviously the feeling is mutual! We adore Katelyn and her whole team! Her photos are so stunning and we love the clean design style she prefers along with her penchant for film-strip layouts! Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this stunning design:
Katelyn is a long-time client and friend of ours. We have had the pleasure of designing over 120 albums for her and her clients in the 9 years we have worked with her and she is one of our beloved Client Advocates. Katelyn has single-handedly sent us more photographers than anyone else through her photographer education and resources and kind recommendations and we are SO GRATEFUL FOR HER!!
When prepping for this post, she shared, "We absolutely love working with Align! The design process is SO efficient and so professionally done we cannot say enough great things about using Align as our album company."
And obviously the feeling is mutual! We adore Katelyn and her whole team! Her photos are so stunning and we love the clean design style she prefers along with her penchant for film-strip layouts! Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this stunning design:
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
Thank you Katelyn for allowing us to work with your beautiful images!
Thank you Katelyn for allowing us to work with your beautiful images!
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Design by: Kari (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Kari (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Stunning Texas Wedding Album Design for Katelyn James
To date we have done 119 (!!) album designs for Katelyn James. We have had the honor of working with her and her beautiful images since 2013 and we have been SO BLESSED by her friendship to us! If you don't know Katelyn, you're likely not a photographer -- haha! She is well known for her educational courses and resources that have equipped thousands of professional photographers to be more successful. Not only is she amazing at what she does, but she is one of the kindest, most caring humans on the planet. She really has a heart of gold!
Katelyn shoots so many gorgeous weddings, but this one is truly special. The bride, Melanie, is a photographer herself, and every detail about this day -- from the stunning Texas venue, to Melanie's flowing veil and her groom's playful bowtie were meticulously thought through. Melanie was also very particular with her album design -- as she should be! -- and made many changes throughout the revision rounds to make sure it was just perfect. We love how it turned out!
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this design:
Katelyn shoots so many gorgeous weddings, but this one is truly special. The bride, Melanie, is a photographer herself, and every detail about this day -- from the stunning Texas venue, to Melanie's flowing veil and her groom's playful bowtie were meticulously thought through. Melanie was also very particular with her album design -- as she should be! -- and made many changes throughout the revision rounds to make sure it was just perfect. We love how it turned out!
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this design:
To see this stunning design in full, click through the slideshow:
Thank you Katelyn for your friendship and for allowing us to work with your beautiful images for so many years!
Thank you Katelyn for your friendship and for allowing us to work with your beautiful images for so many years!
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Design by: Kari (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Kari (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
