Florida Art Museum Wedding Album Design for Ailyn La Torre Photography

Album Designs
Florida wedding photographer Ailyn La Torre Photography does such stunning work! Her style is clean, bright, modern and classic. We've had the pleasure of designing over 40 albums for her in the past few years and we are consistently impressed with the way she documents a wedding day. 
 
This elegant and colorful wedding took place on the grounds of Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. Wait until you see how pretty it was! 
 
Ailyn opted to use our Hands-off Service so we communicated directly with her clients throughout the revision process. This really kept things moving and the design was finalized within four months after a total of 3 revision rounds. This all took place during busy season with minimal input from Ailyn. We love being able to serve photographers in this way so they can focus on shooting and the tasks that really grow their businesses! 
 
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this beautiful design:






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

5 Minute Trick to Ensure Faster Album Finalization

Tips & Tricks
Align Legacy Book

Ok photographer friends -- let's get real. This is a safe place. Our clients don't read this blog. So let's hash it out. What is the longest you've gone between a wedding and placing the album order? Months? Years? 
 
If you've been reading this blog for very long, you know that I am not only the Founder of Align, I'm a wedding photographer as well. And friend -- I'VE BEEN THERE! Boy, have I ever! 
 
I've been shooting weddings for 2 decades, and I've got some stories :). In 2007 I shot a wedding for a sweet couple. He was in the military, she looked like Barbie. The wedding was great and everything went smoothly. But I had a hard time getting ahold of them after the wedding. They had included an album in their package, and by then I was pre-designing. So I sent them a link to the design like I normally do with instructions for revising and approving it. Nothing. No email response. I followed up. Still nothing. Six months went by, I called to leave a voicemail since email was unproductive. The bride's voicemail box was full. A year later I FINALLY received an email from the bride letting me know they'd had some medical issues in the family but that she was committed to finalizing the album in the next week. That's the last time I've heard from her.  
 
It's been 16 years.  
 
This sweet couple never received their wedding album and I'm sad about that. Sometimes life gets crazy and getting back to your photographer after the wedding gets pushed lower and lower on the priority list. If that couple were to come back to me today I would be obligated to produce a wedding album for them. At the time I had nothing in my contract pertaining to this type of situation. But I've learned my lesson. Let's say that couple did come back to me in 2023 and asked me to produce their album. My costs have gone up since then. My album company has raised their prices many times over since 2007. But that wouldn't matter. I would need to fulfill my end of our agreement without any additional charges to cover my costs. 
 
So I'm guessing I have you all beat with this story. But I know it's all too common for photographers to wait on clients for months and even years to be given the thumbs up to order their album. I have one stellar tip for you that will take you 5 minutes to implement and you won't run into this issue ever again. It is a two-step process: 
 
1 -- Add a clause to your contract with these words (feel free to copy and paste -- this is exactly what is in my contract): 
"The client is responsible for finalizing their album design no later than 6 months after their wedding. After 6 months, if the album design is not finalized by the client, the base price of the album will increase by $500. If after one year the album design is not finalized, the base price of the album will increase by another $500." 
 
2 -- Add a task to your calendar to email the client 5 months after the wedding, letting them know they have one month left to finalize their design and referencing this clause.  
 
Done.  
 
The purpose of this clause is not to get more money out of your client. The purpose is to motivate them to finalize their album so you can get it ordered for them in a timely manner. Since I added this clause to my contract years ago I've never once had to charge my client the additional money. But I have had many people go right up to that 6 month deadline. The magical thing is that no one goes over and I have no albums hanging over my head from years past.  
 
It's human nature -- we all operate better with fixed deadlines. Do yourself and your clients a favor -- give them one. Rather than following up endlessly, follow up one time with a deadline that motivates action. Then sit back and experience the freedom and peace of not having album orders hanging endlessly over your head. 
 
 
If you found this post helpful and would like to receive tips like this straight to your inbox, click here to sign up!
5 minute trick to faster album finalization -- no more albums hanging over your head for months and years!
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

Dreamy Detroit Wedding Album Design for Jean Smith Photography

Album Designs
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:






To see the design in full, click through the slideshow: 
 
 
 
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

Pacific Riviera coast of Panama Wedding Album Design for Ruben Parra

Album Designs

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!








To see the design in full, click through the slideshow: 
 
 
 
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

Using Incentives & Deadlines to Close the Sale

Tips & Tricks

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:

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.
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
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