Multi-event Maiyan Wedding Album Design for "Inspired By Studio"
Today's featured album design is the first one we had the pleasure of designing for the talented Eric Le of Inspired By Studio. Eric truly documented this multi-event wedding that highlighted a Maiyan pre-wedding ceremony, a traditional Sikh wedding ceremony, and a dinner reception with close friends and family with an artistic eye for powerful composition and a heart to see and capture the people and moments that were so special to them. It was so fun for us to see these colorful cultural events come to life through the pages of this album!
Eric ordered a horizontal album design which lends itself particularly well to documentary storytelling. He also utilized our Hands-off Service to make the revision process as smooth as possible -- allowing us to communicate directly with his client AND grab revision images from the full gallery of images as needed.
It is so hard for us to narrow down our favorite spreads from this powerful design, but here are a few that captured our hearts:
Eric ordered a horizontal album design which lends itself particularly well to documentary storytelling. He also utilized our Hands-off Service to make the revision process as smooth as possible -- allowing us to communicate directly with his client AND grab revision images from the full gallery of images as needed.
It is so hard for us to narrow down our favorite spreads from this powerful design, but here are a few that captured our hearts:
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
Thank you, Eric, for trusting us with your beautiful images!
Thank you, Eric, for trusting us with your beautiful images!
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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
North Carolina Ranch Wedding Album Design for CSaul Photography
"I'm so glad y'all love the design just as much as I do!! It was PERFECT! Thank you all for always making the process so effortless!"
This is the note we received back from North Carolina wedding photographer Courtney of CSaul Photography when we asked if we could feature today's album design! We have been Courtney's album design company of choice since 2014 and have so enjoyed working with her and her beautiful images! And whenever we get feedback like this, we do a little happy dance because this is our goal -- to make what could be a drawn-out arduous process as effortless for our pro photographer clients as possible!
This particular design was finalized in less than a week from the time the order was placed and we adore how it turned out! Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this stunning design:
This is the note we received back from North Carolina wedding photographer Courtney of CSaul Photography when we asked if we could feature today's album design! We have been Courtney's album design company of choice since 2014 and have so enjoyed working with her and her beautiful images! And whenever we get feedback like this, we do a little happy dance because this is our goal -- to make what could be a drawn-out arduous process as effortless for our pro photographer clients as possible!
This particular design was finalized in less than a week from the time the order was placed and we adore how it turned out! Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this stunning design:
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
Thank you, Courtney, for trusting us with your images and clients all these years!
Thank you, Courtney, for trusting us with your images and clients all these 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
Align's Owner Melissa Jill: My Album Story
Hey guys! I'm Melissa Jill -- the Owner of Align!
I wanted to take a second to introduce myself to those of you who may not know me.
I started out my career as a professional photographer based out of a Phoenix, Arizona where I shot weddings for 16 years. Five years ago I moved to Huntsville, Alabama where I am continuing to shoot weddings part-time but focusing even more of my energy on Align Album Design. I started this album design company back in 2012 as a way to help other professional photographers get a handle on their album workflow because I know from experience how tough it can be. Small business owners have A LOT of balls in the air at any one time.
I really value albums and always highly encouraged all of my photography clients to include one in their package. But my relationship with albums hasn't always been a happy one. I struggled like many photographers to learn how to sell albums profitably and efficiently and at times it was a rough road! More on that later!
I now live in Alabama with my husband, Bruce, and our little boy, Beau. They are my world:
I wanted to take a second to introduce myself to those of you who may not know me.
I started out my career as a professional photographer based out of a Phoenix, Arizona where I shot weddings for 16 years. Five years ago I moved to Huntsville, Alabama where I am continuing to shoot weddings part-time but focusing even more of my energy on Align Album Design. I started this album design company back in 2012 as a way to help other professional photographers get a handle on their album workflow because I know from experience how tough it can be. Small business owners have A LOT of balls in the air at any one time.
I really value albums and always highly encouraged all of my photography clients to include one in their package. But my relationship with albums hasn't always been a happy one. I struggled like many photographers to learn how to sell albums profitably and efficiently and at times it was a rough road! More on that later!
I now live in Alabama with my husband, Bruce, and our little boy, Beau. They are my world:
Our days are filled with raising a human, running a business, pouring into our church, and keeping up with family and friends. Oh -- and eating my husband's amazing cooking! I totally lucked out in that department!
So that's a little about myself. I LOVE what I do, but like many photographers, album design and workflow has been a pain point of mine. I remember sitting down to do my very first album after a client requested one during my first year in business and thinking... "This is going to be easy, I'll just throw this together." Turns out it wasn't so much. There was a HUGE learning curve and every time I thought I had one thing mastered, another issue popped up.
First there were gazillions of options -- which company do I use, which style album do I pick, which cover, which paper type? Do I design it myself or outsource it? Which software do I use or which company do I outsource to? How do I manage proofing with my clients? In addition to all of these choices, I hit so many obstacles with my client workflow. I waited FOREVER for clients to pick their images. Then when I figured out I needed to be pre-designing, I waited FOREVER for them to finalize their design. There were endless rounds of revisions, clients wanting to stuff every last corner of the design with images, and the list goes on and on. I was left wondering -- IS IT EVEN WORTH IT to sell albums?
Clearly I answered that question in the affirmative. And I've lived to tell about it. And not only that, but I figured out how to make albums PROFITABLE. For the last couple years we were in Phoenix, my studio's yearly profit from albums was close to $25,000. I share this only to encourage you that it is possible. And it IS worth figuring out how to navigate through the obstacles and frustrations!
Over the coming weeks I hope to share a few things I've learned along the way that have helped make my album workflow profitable and efficient. These tips will apply to Align clients, but they will also apply to those of you who design your albums yourselves. And while what I share has worked well for my studio, it's not the only way to do things. I hope this blog can be a place where we can have a conversation; where we can learn and grow from sharing our knowledge and experiences with one another. Life is always better lived in community. So I hope you'll join me, follow along, and share your insight in the comments!
To make sure you don't miss out on any of the upcoming tips in this series -- many of which I guarantee will be life-changing! -- click here to sign up to get them sent straight to your inbox!
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!
So that's a little about myself. I LOVE what I do, but like many photographers, album design and workflow has been a pain point of mine. I remember sitting down to do my very first album after a client requested one during my first year in business and thinking... "This is going to be easy, I'll just throw this together." Turns out it wasn't so much. There was a HUGE learning curve and every time I thought I had one thing mastered, another issue popped up.
First there were gazillions of options -- which company do I use, which style album do I pick, which cover, which paper type? Do I design it myself or outsource it? Which software do I use or which company do I outsource to? How do I manage proofing with my clients? In addition to all of these choices, I hit so many obstacles with my client workflow. I waited FOREVER for clients to pick their images. Then when I figured out I needed to be pre-designing, I waited FOREVER for them to finalize their design. There were endless rounds of revisions, clients wanting to stuff every last corner of the design with images, and the list goes on and on. I was left wondering -- IS IT EVEN WORTH IT to sell albums?
Clearly I answered that question in the affirmative. And I've lived to tell about it. And not only that, but I figured out how to make albums PROFITABLE. For the last couple years we were in Phoenix, my studio's yearly profit from albums was close to $25,000. I share this only to encourage you that it is possible. And it IS worth figuring out how to navigate through the obstacles and frustrations!
Over the coming weeks I hope to share a few things I've learned along the way that have helped make my album workflow profitable and efficient. These tips will apply to Align clients, but they will also apply to those of you who design your albums yourselves. And while what I share has worked well for my studio, it's not the only way to do things. I hope this blog can be a place where we can have a conversation; where we can learn and grow from sharing our knowledge and experiences with one another. Life is always better lived in community. So I hope you'll join me, follow along, and share your insight in the comments!
To make sure you don't miss out on any of the upcoming tips in this series -- many of which I guarantee will be life-changing! -- click here to sign up to get them sent straight to your inbox!
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
Colorful Tampa Wedding Album Design for Ailyn La Torre
If you're anything like us, you are going to swoon when you see today's featured album design!
Florida wedding photographer Ailyn La Torre's style is clean, bright, modern and classic. And we might add -- consistent. Her images are beautifully shot and expertly edited. She was the perfect photographer to shoot this playfully colorful wedding at the Tampa Yacht Club!
We've had the pleasure of designing close to 50 albums over the last few years for Ailyn. She loves to work with our designer Shannon who has worked hard to deliver album after album in Ailyn's preferred style -- a clean design to match her clean style that includes 4-6 images per spread, except for reception images which can be a lot more.
Ailyn used our Hands-off Service for this design, which really streamlined the revision process, and the album was completed in just over a month with only one round of revisions. We can't wait to share it with you!
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this stunning design:
Florida wedding photographer Ailyn La Torre's style is clean, bright, modern and classic. And we might add -- consistent. Her images are beautifully shot and expertly edited. She was the perfect photographer to shoot this playfully colorful wedding at the Tampa Yacht Club!
We've had the pleasure of designing close to 50 albums over the last few years for Ailyn. She loves to work with our designer Shannon who has worked hard to deliver album after album in Ailyn's preferred style -- a clean design to match her clean style that includes 4-6 images per spread, except for reception images which can be a lot more.
Ailyn used our Hands-off Service for this design, which really streamlined the revision process, and the album was completed in just over a month with only one round of revisions. We can't wait to share it with you!
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this stunning design:
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
Thank you, Ailyn, for trusting us with your clients and images!
Thank you, Ailyn, for trusting us with your clients and images!
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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
Intimate Michigan Wedding Album Design for Jean Smith Photography
The sweet couple in today's featured wedding album design got married in front of their closest family and friends at one of their favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The oh-so-talented Jean Smith photographed their day so beautifully.
When it came time to design their wedding album, the couple asked Jean to pick HER favorite images from the day for the album. And this is the result! The design was finalized within 5 days and printed by Miller's Lab as a 10x10 heirloom album that they will cherish forever!
This album is one of over 180 designs we have had the pleasure of creating for Jean and her clients over the past decade plus. We are SO BLESSED to work with such a talented, kind human.
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this sweet design:
When it came time to design their wedding album, the couple asked Jean to pick HER favorite images from the day for the album. And this is the result! The design was finalized within 5 days and printed by Miller's Lab as a 10x10 heirloom album that they will cherish forever!
This album is one of over 180 designs we have had the pleasure of creating for Jean and her clients over the past decade plus. We are SO BLESSED to work with such a talented, kind human.
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this sweet design:
To see the design in full, click through the slideshow:
Thank you, Jean, for trusting us with your images and clients!
Thank you, Jean, for trusting us with your images and clients!
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Design by: Rachel (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
Design by: Rachel (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill
