Today we're pleased to introduce you to the lovely Nikki Santerre, Virginia-based fine art film photographer and Align client. We recently asked her if she'd be willing to share her thoughts on her journey into heirloom albums and we're thrilled that she agreed! We thought her insights into the role of the sample album within her business were especially helpful. So without further ado, this is Nikki!

Headshot by Shannon Moffit 
 

Hi guys, Nikki Santerre here. If you're a photographer who wants to start offering albums but is overwhelmed with how to start, I'd have to say that there is something truly magical about seeing your work printed within the pages of a quality product. My recommendation to you is to invest in your business and yourself by getting a sample album before you begin to offer them to your clients. That was the gateway drug for me. Once I saw what my work was capable of becoming within those pages, I knew it was a service I must provide to my clients. It speaks volumes to your work, more-so than any squares on social media.  
 
A little bit about me -- I am a self proclaimed "Heirloom Curator" who specializes in marriage and motherhood and uses both film and digital mediums to document my clients in their most precious seasons of life. 
 
When my clients book me for wedding day services, I send them a Welcome Kit that contains a bridal guide which highlights the most important details of their photography experience from start to finish. There is an entire section devoted to albums where I reiterate the importance of the album as an heirloom, not just for themselves, but for future generations.  
 
As I've priced myself into a higher-end market, my clients have become increasingly eager to invest in an heirloom album. I think my brides who are more inclined to invest in their wedding photography view the album as an important tangible result of their investment over and above the digital files alone. 
 
One of my biggest struggles when I first started offering albums was the TIME it took to create the design. In my first three years in business, I was a full time teacher, so time was a precious and limited resource. Enter Align! Outsourcing this portion of my business remains one of my smartest business decisions to date, especially now that I'm a mother. The time I would be spending designing albums I now spend doing things that fill me with more joy, like time with my family or writing for some of my favorite publications.  
 
When it comes to printing, I had been using the same album printer for the last three years. They offered a product I found to be both beautiful and valuable. Unfortunately, the company closed their doors (with VERY little notice to their customers) earlier this year. I was forced, very suddenly and at the start of wedding season, to find a company who also produced an equally beautiful product. Almost serendipitously, around the same time I received an email from Align saying they were going to begin printing albums. Alas, Align to the rescue, AGAIN! 

 

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Wow, Nikki, thank you so much for sharing your insight and album experience with your fellow photographers! You're amazing! And a BONUS thank you for sending us photographs of one of your recent Align Legacy Books! Our heart skipped a beat when we saw them! 
 
The following is a 10x10 Align Legacy Book with a Metropolitan-colored linen cover with engraving. The interior contains 17 spreads on our thick-page paper. Take a look...

For more photos of Align Legacy Books, check out the Align Legacy Books category on this blog. 
 
And to view Nikki's full album design in its entirety, click through the slideshow below: 
 

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