I photographed Liz & Austin’s wedding in Maryland last fall.  A few weeks later, Liz told me they were interested in having me design a wedding album.  We went over all the different types, and Liz choose my fine art book.  It’s a hard cover book with a full photo wrap.  The pages are thick but still paper, not mounted board, and the printing is top of the line inkjet, creating beautiful rich colors.  These books are great when you want lots of photos.  Liz & Austin’s book (I use album & book interchangeably) was almost 50 pages and truly tells the story of their wedding day.

Some photos of the book are below.  I will followup with a post of several of the photo spreads inside.

The cover is custom designed for each of these albums, using your wedding photos. Below, you can see how flat the pages lay, giving you a very large spread. This book is 9×12, so one spread can be filled with an 18×12 photo (or several smaller ones).

In the next photo is an example of seam in the middle binding.  If you look at the middle of the photo, you see a tiny line where the book folds.

You can see how substantial this book is. There is something special to me about a heavy wedding album. I just want it to have that certain feel.

The bottom album is a 10×10 black leather flushmount with custom imprinting. Lots of clients were asking to have a photo on the front and have more options, so after lots of research I choose this new book, with three metal cameos on the cover.

On top, this leather is the most luxurious I have ever touched. It is off-white and so soft. This is a 5×5 mini album, typically used as a duplicate wedding album or for portrait clients. On the front you see a metal cameo. The photo is directly printed on the metal. Inside the pages are thick, like the flushmount but it is actually inkjet printed.

Of course, all the options can be mixed up to choose the exact perfect book for you. The off white leather can be on a large 12×12 flushmount, or a fabric cover can be on the mini book. Metal cameos of any sizes can be added anywhere too!

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It comes in a variety of colors, all super soft leather. This one is smoldering brown. It’s pages are thick. It’s 12×12 leaving plenty of room for really big photos, or designs with lots of images. I designed this sample album using Kayla & Skyler’s wedding photos in Salem, Oregon.

And then there are Little Kisses… You can get 4×4 duplicates of these books that are fun to toss in your purse or give to your bridal party. They come with the same covers, thick pages, and photographic prints. Linen versions have just come out too. I need to get my hands on one of these.

If you read my blog often, you probably realize I get excited about albums. I photograph plenty of weddings where the bride and groom receive a high resolution dvd as their end product, without a book, but I just love when the couple wants a wedding album. Designing the pages and having something tangible to hold onto just makes me feel like the wedding photography is truly complete.

I almost forgot. They come in these fun pretty flowered linen bags!

Should we order a package that includes a wedding album?
Maybe. I think the most important thing is to have the images of your wedding day captured. You can not do this later, and you can get an album later. Albums do add a lot to the cost of a package, and if budget is a concern, I would first choose your favorite photographer and get the photography coverage you want. At the same time, albums are less expensive as part of a package then they will be at a later date, and you may be like me, finding your cd collecting dust.

Are there other album options?
There are professional coffee table books, matted albums, and eco-friendly books. Coffee table books are casual ink jet printed hard bound books, that are a fun way of sharing with friends and family. Matted albums are a bit more traditional but beautiful.

What about prints?
I offer printed proofs in a keepsake box. It’s kind of fun to spread a big box of photos out on the floor (or maybe that’s just me). You can print your proofs yourself from your dvd if you prefer. As much as being eco-friendly is important to me, there is a part of me that wants everyone to have a set of professional printed proofs. Because of this I have priced my proof box at just above cost.

What if I want to share my photos digitally?
You’ll have your high resolution dvd, and your web gallery, for sharing your wedding photos. You’ll also have small images for easy sharing on Facebook and email. These are all included in your package. If you’d like a dvd slideshow set to music, this can be added.

Do I wish we ordered a wedding album?
No. At the time, it wasn’t an option financially. Though maybe it could have been if we didn’t elect to spend 10 days in Jamaica…

Do I wish we had one?
Yes, and I will eventually make us one, hopefully before our ten year anniversary!

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Ecotrust is across from Jamison Square, which made for an interesting morning. I did something I don’t normally do when I have a business meeting. I brought my toddler along. I don’t know how some moms do it, having a business discussion and having the little one there. I’ve seen moms make it look easy, and thought I could pull it off. My energetic darling sitting on my lap lasted about a whole three minutes!

So we left Ecotrust and I think let’s go see the fountain at Jamison. My little one, Mackenzie, runs in. I can barely get her leggings and shoes off quick enough. I roll up my jeans, take off my blazer, and look around. At least I’m not the only one whose toddler is swimming in a diaper.

Thirty minutes of fun later, I realize the parking meter has definitely expired, so I grab my protesting daughter out of the water, walk down the street barefoot, with my baby (she now seems like a baby again) on my hip in a soaking wet diaper. I get to the car to find that I don’t even have the diaper bag with me! Luckily, there is a spare dipe in the Ergo and a towel loose in the trunk. I manage to change Mackenzie into a dry diaper in the trunk, and get her buckled back in her carseat for the trip home.

Business and Mama time – lesson learned. Keep them separate, as I have usually done. Considering, the meeting went fine and we had a blast playing in the Pearl. I am usually very prepared and give whoever I am with 100% of me, which certainly was not the case yesterday morning.

Back to the wedding album…

This green wedding album is from Wild Magnolia Design, in Santa Monica, California. It is handmade by a small sustainable company. The cover I choose for Ecotrust is a peace silk, accompanied by a handmade end orange/brown end paper. These albums come with different endpaper options, and a variety of covers, including hemp. The pages are made of thick recycled paper, and are archival.