This album design is a stunner! From the opening full page portrait spread to the sparkler exit at the end, every spread is a page-turner! 
 
J. Nicole is a talented Delaware-based photographer who we have had the pleasure of working with for 4 years now. Jessica shared with us that this couple planned their wedding from out of state during COVID lockdowns and had to reschedule and rely on the groom's mom to do most of the planning. As a result, Jessica met the couple for the first time on their wedding day. But you would never know it from these photos! The couple is so laid back and Jessica clearly was able to put them at ease and capture their wedding day beautifully! 
 
This album design came together so easily. The couple only requested two quick photo swaps and then approved it! After the couple approved their design, they used the remaining revision rounds to further revise the design for parent albums. To find out more about our recommended strategies for designing parent albums, click here! 
 
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this gorgeous design:

To see the design in full, click through the slideshow: 
 
 
 
Thank you, Jessica, for allowing us to work with your beautiful images!

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Design by: Denise (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill

New-Jersey based Jennifer Larsen is one of our beloved Client Advocates and she is no stranger to this blog! I checked, and this is the SEVENTH TIME we've featured one of her beautiful designs! Click here to see them all!  
 
Obviously we can't get enough of Jen's work and we just adore her as a person as well. She is so kind and encouraging! She also has a passion for hospitality and has translated that into creating a well-tailored client experience that goes above and beyond to serve her clients. 
 
Click here to watch a short video where Jen shares how she has elevated her client experience through her album workflow. It's SO insightful! 
 
As for today's featured album design -- it's another stunner from Jen! It's the perfect combo of capturing the personalities of the couple in the most timeless way possible. And this album is going to allow them to remember and relive this amazing day for decades to come! 
 
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this gorgeous design: 
 

Click through the slideshow to see the design in full: 
 
 
 
Thank you, Jen, 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

The number one rule in album sales is:

If you want to sell albums, you have to show clients physical studio samples. This can be a tough pill to swallow when albums run anywhere from $300 - $1,200 in costs for the photographer. And that's just the printing and binding. That doesn't take into consideration the costs and time investment in getting it designed and ordered. Yes, studio sample albums are an investment. But they are an investment that will pay off. 
 
A few years ago I decided to start offering Queensberry Duo albums as an option for my high end clients. These albums are gorgeous -- high end mat paper surrounds images that are inset in the pages, and images can even be mounted flush to the edge of the page. So it is a more contemporary version of a matted album combining both matted and flush-mount features into a high end custom product. The album I chose to offer is 18x10 inches horizontal with a dark brown micro-leather fabric. The cover material is so soft, I am tempted to use it as a pillow. The album is INCREDIBLE. But it's not cheap. The studio sample I wanted to get was over $1,000. Yikes! Not only does that money come out of my bank account, but that means I have to charge my clients $3,500 for an album of its kind. All sorts of fears went through my head. What if no one else loves it as much as I do? What if my clients don't see the value and aren't willing to pay the high price tag?

I swallowed my fears and took the leap. I ordered my studio sample and said a prayer right before my first client meeting in which it rested on the ottoman in my office. Kari, the bride, came in and we started out the meeting chatting about her upcoming wedding. When it came time to share my two album options, I showed her the standard, lower-priced album that comes in all of my packages, then I showed her the Duo. I explained its features and told her the price. She fell in love with it as she turned each of the textured mat pages and felt the micro-leather. At the end of the meeting she told me that she didn't have the budget for the Duo but that she wanted to see if she could move some things around to be able to increase her photography budget and include it in her package. And that's just what she did.  
 
The expensive Duo is not for everyone, but it does appeal to a certain segment of my clientele. And if they see it and love it, they are often willing to increase their budget, even though they never intended to spend $3K on a wedding album when they first walked into my office.  
 
You can't sell it if you don't show it. But if you DO show it, you might be able to sell something that your clients didn't even realize they couldn't live without until they touched it. That's the power of a studio sample album. 
 
Not sure where to start with creating a sample album? Read up on 5 features that should be included in every sample album in order to win the hearts of your clients and get them to say YES to their very own album! 
 
To help even further with your sample album needs, we've created this 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.

Take the leap. Invest in sample albums. Make them beautiful, unique, and exactly what you would want if you were a bride or groom. Then show them to your potential clients and see the investment pay off.

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Blog post written by: Melissa Jill

This week's featured album is just TOO PRETTY FOR WORDS!! We design albums that are printed by hundreds of other album printing companies, but today's album is extra-special because we both DESIGNED and PRINTED the finished album!  
 
Corinna Rose is an extraordinarily talented photographer based out of California -- her work always has us swooning. You just have to look through this entire album design to see how beautiful it is! We are so grateful to her for styling and taking these images of the finished 10x10 Align Legacy Book album in our Parchment Linen with gold foil debossing in Adelicia font. SO pretty!!

And here are a few of our favorite spreads from this album design:

To see the design in full, click through the slideshow: 
 
 
 
Thank you, Corinna, for allowing us to work with your beautiful images!

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Design by: Sarah (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill

Who else has simultaneously PHOTOGRAPHED and BEEN IN a wedding!? Show of hands? 
 
I've done it and it's no easy task. But it does make for a memorable day. 
 
Today's featured album design was done for Hailey Williams of Archer Inspired. She is a Southern California-based wedding photographer who we have had the pleasure of working with for a couple of years now. And this wedding is special because Hailey not only photographed it, but she was a bridesmaid! Scroll down to see her in the sleeved-dress! 
 
This is Hailey's best friend's wedding. She has known the bride since kindergarten so this day was incredibly special to her. She gets extra props for photographing the day in a long dress and with her heart bursting open at each turn. 
 
We love how this album design turned out! Here are a few of our favorite spreads:

Click through the slideshow below to see the design in full: 
 
 
 
Thank you, Hailey, for the honor of designing this incredibly special album!

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Design by: Denise (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill