Pennsylvania Winter Wedding Album Design for Brianna Wilbur Photography
We feel so blessed to have been connected with Lancaster Pennsylvania wedding photographer Brianna Wilbur in just the past year. Her work is absolutely stunning, as you'll see, and she came to us with a pre-defined album design style that she really liked.
We took a few extra rounds of revisions to really hone in on what Brianna wants for her designs. Ultimately when she sent us samples of her previous albums she loved, that really helped her designer, Sarah, understand what she was trying to achieve. Oftentimes it can be tricky to articulate what you are wanting, but you know it when you see it!
Sarah was able to learn Brianna's style which involves more spreads that are full bleed, and has designed 3 albums that fit her brand album style. We are hoping to get the chance to do many more albums together with Brianna in the future!
I think one of the reasons these full bleed collage spreads work so well for Brianna is that she employs very simple backgrounds for her images. So the design doesn't end up feeling too busy even though many images fill the page. Here's a great example along with a few of our other favorite spreads from this gorgeous design:
We took a few extra rounds of revisions to really hone in on what Brianna wants for her designs. Ultimately when she sent us samples of her previous albums she loved, that really helped her designer, Sarah, understand what she was trying to achieve. Oftentimes it can be tricky to articulate what you are wanting, but you know it when you see it!
Sarah was able to learn Brianna's style which involves more spreads that are full bleed, and has designed 3 albums that fit her brand album style. We are hoping to get the chance to do many more albums together with Brianna in the future!
I think one of the reasons these full bleed collage spreads work so well for Brianna is that she employs very simple backgrounds for her images. So the design doesn't end up feeling too busy even though many images fill the page. Here's a great example along with a few of our other favorite spreads from this gorgeous design:
To see this design in full, click through the slideshow:
Thank you, Brianna, for trusting us to be a part of your team!
Thank you, Brianna, for trusting us to be a part of your team!
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Design by: Sarah (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Sarah (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
How to pick an album company
We get questions all the time from photographers (especially those who are just starting to offer albums to their clients) about which album companies we recommend. Choosing an album company for printing and binding can be a daunting task. After all, there are more than 100 out there to choose from -- all with numerous album styles and options. It's completely overwhelming -- where does one even START!?
There are two suggestions I have for finding a good album company to partner with:
1 -- Ask other photographers who are further along in their journey who they would recommend. Chances are, they've got some experience with a number of companies and can tell you some pros and cons about each that might end up saving you valuable time and money.
2 -- Do some research at trade shows. Trade shows like WPPI are a great place to touch, feel, and compare various products like albums. I believe I counted over 20 album companies represented on the WPPI trade show floor. Because albums are so tactile, it's helpful to be able to see and touch them in order to get a sense for their quality and whether or not they will appeal to you.
When you are talking with other photographers or with representatives from various album companies at a trade show, there are two things I would be on the look-out for when it comes to album companies:
There are two suggestions I have for finding a good album company to partner with:
1 -- Ask other photographers who are further along in their journey who they would recommend. Chances are, they've got some experience with a number of companies and can tell you some pros and cons about each that might end up saving you valuable time and money.
2 -- Do some research at trade shows. Trade shows like WPPI are a great place to touch, feel, and compare various products like albums. I believe I counted over 20 album companies represented on the WPPI trade show floor. Because albums are so tactile, it's helpful to be able to see and touch them in order to get a sense for their quality and whether or not they will appeal to you.
When you are talking with other photographers or with representatives from various album companies at a trade show, there are two things I would be on the look-out for when it comes to album companies:
By and far, these are the top two things I look for in an album company. I want to offer my clients a good quality product that will stand the test of time, and I want a hassle-free experience when I place my album orders. Oftentimes you can assess the quality of an album by handling it at a trade show, but the only way I've found to get a sense of what kind of customer service I can expect from a company before using them is to talk with their current or past clients. That's where talking with other photographers who have tried out various companies comes into play. From my experience, photographers are usually more than happy to either rave about their favorite company, or out a company for sub-par service.
Since I fall into the category of the aforementioned photographers, I'm happy to share with you the two companies that I have used for my albums:
Align Legacy Books (Pictured Above)
Queensberry
Queensberry has amazing quality and customer service. But it comes with a price. And I'm a little biased about our books we offer here at Align, but I think it's telling that I also offer them to my high end photography clients and they LOVE them! They are more moderately priced than Queensberry, so more accessible to more of my clients. I love being able to offer two very different types of albums. Click here to see a full blog post featuring my Queensberry and Align Legacy Book Sample albums! You can even click through the full designs at that link!
I think it's also helpful to see which album companies are most popular among Align clients. We've created a 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.
Since I fall into the category of the aforementioned photographers, I'm happy to share with you the two companies that I have used for my albums:
Align Legacy Books (Pictured Above)
Queensberry
Queensberry has amazing quality and customer service. But it comes with a price. And I'm a little biased about our books we offer here at Align, but I think it's telling that I also offer them to my high end photography clients and they LOVE them! They are more moderately priced than Queensberry, so more accessible to more of my clients. I love being able to offer two very different types of albums. Click here to see a full blog post featuring my Queensberry and Align Legacy Book Sample albums! You can even click through the full designs at that link!
I think it's also helpful to see which album companies are most popular among Align clients. We've created a 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.
I hope you've found this helpful! If you are reading this post and have a favorite company, please share why you love them in the comments below!
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Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Spring Minneapolis Wedding Album Design for Brooke Elisabeth Photography
We have had the pleasure of working with Minnesota wedding and family portrait photographer Brooke Elisabeth for 4 years now and we can't say enough good things about her and her work! Her photography style is so clean and classic and her images draw us in every time they come across our screens!
This particular album design came together so well. From the time Brooke submitted the order form to the time the final files were delivered was 12 days flat! One quick revision round for this 20 spread design and DONE! We love it when we can help photographers check one more thing off their lists!
Brooke, like many of our clients, has a preferred designer on our team that she likes to work with consistently -- in this case, Kari -- and Kari has really dialed in Brooke's design style which is on the more minimal side of our Classic Design Style. She gravitates to spreads with 1-4 images per spread.
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this stunning design:
This particular album design came together so well. From the time Brooke submitted the order form to the time the final files were delivered was 12 days flat! One quick revision round for this 20 spread design and DONE! We love it when we can help photographers check one more thing off their lists!
Brooke, like many of our clients, has a preferred designer on our team that she likes to work with consistently -- in this case, Kari -- and Kari has really dialed in Brooke's design style which is on the more minimal side of our Classic Design Style. She gravitates to spreads with 1-4 images per spread.
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this stunning design:
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
Thank you, Brooke, for trusting us to be a part of your team!
Thank you, Brooke, 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
Design by: Kari (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Outdoor Michigan Wedding Album Design for J&N Studios
Whenever we get the chance to design an album for Michigan Luxury & Travel Wedding photographers J&N Studios it is a TREAT! Nathan's imagery is exquisite and beautifully curated. And whereas most of the albums we design are of a square format, Nathan always orders horizontal albums. While less common, horizontal layouts offer a lot of flexibility and lend themselves well to story-telling.
This Ann Arbor, Michigan wedding day looks like it was practically perfect in every way. We made sure to highlight Nathan's best images as focal points throughout the design and we love how it came together!
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this stunning album design:
This Ann Arbor, Michigan wedding day looks like it was practically perfect in every way. We made sure to highlight Nathan's best images as focal points throughout the design and we love how it came together!
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this stunning album design:
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
Thank you, Nathan, for trusting us to be a part of your team!
Thank you, Nathan, 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
Design by: Shannon (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 Huntsville & Phoenix-based 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 Huntsville & Phoenix-based 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
