Mrs. Ant, New York/Jamaica
Age and Occupation: 25, PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Finance
Engagement Date: July 26, 2005
Wedding Date: November 18, 2006
Blogging Since: February 15, 2006
Venue: Rockhouse Hotel
About Me: I live in New York but I'm planning a destination wedding in Negril, Jamaica. My fiance and I are high school sweethearts!
The Mysterious Album & How To Get one
August 21st, 2007 @ 4:49 pm by Mrs. Ant
I. DIY Album Design
II. Album Design Process
III. Pictobook Album
Reasons why high quality albums (such as flushmounts) are so mysterious:
- Album companies do not advertise to the public
- Many album companies do not sell directly to the public
- Instead, many only deal exclusively with photography studios
- Album companies are very protective of their price lists
- The only way to see and feel multiple albums in person is at a photography trade show
Because of this, a bride & groom have very limited options. If they want a high quality album, there is essentially only one way to get their hands on one, and that is through their photographer.
In my opinion, this poses some problems because:
- Brides & grooms usually book their photographer based on his/her photography skills and rates (without doing as much research on album design skills and rates)
- Photography and album design are very different artforms. A great photographer could be a horrible album designer.
- If the bride & groom can’t get an album anywhere else and they are clueless about album prices, the photographer does not have as much incentive to offer competitive album rates and designs.
After my last post, I received an email from a Pictobook representative:
“Please make it known that . . . we do not make a business of working directly with brides. We have already received complaints from our clients about this.”
My thoughts in response to this are:
- Why don’t album companies offer their products directly to brides? (It does not have to be offered at the same wholesale photographer’s rate.)
- Why are photographers so interested in maintaining exclusive access to albums and album prices?
I absolutely adore wedding photography. I want wedding photographers to be able to make a good living doing what they love. BUT… I also want to protect the interests of brides & grooms. Limiting their album purchase to just one vendor (their photographer) and keeping them in the dark regarding album prices does not create a fair market environment.
This is the only wedding-related expense I have seen where the couple has such limited choice. Of course, brides & grooms can and should be savvier and do more research on albums before booking a photographer. But I really think that it’s asking for too much to have to find just one studio whose photography style, package rates, and album design style completely match their needs and desires.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue, whether you’re a bride, groom, photographer, or album company.
Ways to get your DIY album design printed and bound on a high quality album:
- Through a photographer for a reasonable processing fee. This is how I did it (Thank you, Tony!). Some photographers choose to outsource their album designs. In this case, the photographer would be “outsourcing” the album design to you, the bride/ groom.
- Through a middleman that sells albums directly to the public. Their print & bind prices are actually published online. However, the digital flushmounts they offer may not be of the same quality as luxury flushmounts like Pictobook.
- Through the actual album company. Many of them refuse to deal directly with brides. But from personal experience, some are willing to do so. It doesn’t hurt to try by contacting them and explaining your situation nicely. They will probably charge you higher than the wholesale rate, but shop around and see if anything fits your budget.
I was planning to write a post about different album types and album companies (Glossary + Albums 101). But this series is taking so much time and effort to put together. (For those new to weddingbee, I have a full-time job in biodefense research and all the bloggers on this site are volunteers who want to help other brides.) Also, many of you who were originally interested may not be anymore after reading what I had to say. I do not think I will be continuing this series unless there is enough (serious!) interest.
60 Responses to “The Mysterious Album & How To Get one”
i think this series has been very informative and would hope that you can continue but also understand you are a volunteer.
Hi Mrs. Ant! Your series has been incredibly helpful to me. I’ve come across the same dillemma and although I didn’t do as much research as you did, I’m certainly very grateful for the information that you have provided. I think I’ll end up going the same route that you did in partnering with my photographer to design my own album. But I do like Pictobook from what you’ve described, so I will definitely ask her to look into Pictobook for printing.
Understandable if you don’t wish to continue the series… but know that you have been very helpful! And if you do decide to post the Glossary + Albums 101 in the future, I think it would be helpful as well!
Thank you for the work you have done towards this series.
I agree that it is hard to find a photographer that can shoot well and then put together a great layout to send off to a printer for the album.
Our photographer is shooting and giving us edited images. We will need to create our album so I am beginning the research process to find a printer that will take my DIY layout. If you can continue what you are doing I’d appreciate it. However, I understand that this is not your paying gig.
I am interested (seriously!); please continue!
The fact that the companies and photographers are so protective about their pricing says “SCAM” to me! It’s always bad if they don’t want you to have that information!
i’m interested too!!!! i got a email back from pictobook and as i understand where they are coming from. i was slightly offended that they mentioned that they are not giving up their 200 book a year business to save a bride a few bucks. i wasn’t looking to save a few bucks….. i just asked how to order. a simple, photographers only works for me. 
anyway i’d love to see your series i really really do follow your tips 
when you have time of course 
Please continues the series, Mrs. Ant (as time allows, of course)!!
ditto #6- SBH!
Thank you Mrs. Ant, this has been incredibly helpful. I think i’ll look into those two sites you posted for creating albums for my parents since it seems like it’s difficult to secure a luxury flushmount like pictobooks.
Mrs. Poppy, I would’ve been incredibly offended at that comment! Seriously, it’s not like brides are trying to “get one over” on photographers or album companies. Most of us just don’t know how the industry works. Afterall, we’re doing all this for the first time! I’m really against judging before evaluating for myself, but I think their response lacks professionalism.
I’d love to see more info about it, perhaps you could delegate it to another bee?
Thanks!
I’m also very interested in learning more from all your research. And I, too, find it very unfair that the albums market is so jaded. I don’t think they understand how brides of today are…we’re very hands-on and love to do things ourselves (DYI)….we’d only want a venue to where we can put our creative juices to work and see an amazing outcome from it. That’s all we ask for…..
Please continue!!!
please do mrs ant! i’ve been following these series silently gr8t job!!!! it’s not just album companies.. same thing with invites manufacturers, they only sell to dealers. that’s how they keep prices high!
mrs ant, your entries have been very helpful. im very interested in learning more from you (if you want to continue) since i’ve been designated the “wedding album gal” for my siblings who have gotten married since i know photoshop. so your pointers/insight/advice has been and will continue to be very much appreciated =)
Great series. I was hoping to make my own album but I now see all of the convenient roadblocks that there are. This is hugely helpful.
Extremely Helpful. One of the best entries on weddingbee.
This series is great. I too want am just having our photographer provide us with images on a hi-res disk. So I will definitely want to do the layout for our album. Your time in putting this together is much appreciated.
I have a quick question and thought maybe your experience would be helpful. My FI and I are both newspaper journalists, so we plan to use the services of a photojournalist I used to work with who does weddings on the side. Would someone like that have access to working with PictoBook and the other similar companies, or are they looking for someone who only does studio and wedding photography?
We reluctantly bought an album through our photog at a ridiculous price because we couldn’t find the same quality of album anywhere else. Because it was so expensive, we will not be able to give one to our parents. I would love if you continued this series, it is very helpful!
I’m with the other ladies. I’d love for you to continue, and I’m seriously interested in your series. I also completely understand that you have other things to do.
Mrs. Ant — I would so love it if you would continue this series if you have time. The info is truly invaluable. Our photographer gave us a special deal, which includes all the files, but no album — I’m doing my own, like you. I thought I’d forgo the fancy flushmount and use Blurb.com, but I am in serious lust with your Pictobook album!
I work in book publishing, so I know that it’s expensive to re-set the press to do small runs of single projects, but they would have to re-set for each bride, even if she’s part of a group a photog submits, so that doesn’t strike me as a logical reason for limiting sales to photogs only. The only reason I can see is that they’re assured of repeat business. Since, as we all know, you can get anything if you’re just willing to pay, they should offer one-offs to brides, even if they have to charge.
Could WeddingBee petition to be considered another vendor? There certainly seem to be quite a large number of us who would want to use their services! =)
My photographer, Danny Weiss, knows that I do graphics design and have experience in desktop publishing. So although we’re getting an album from him, he also said that if we want to (of course we want to!), we can design our own and he will order it for us - just like how Tony did for you.
This has been a great series! Please continue it but only at your leisure!
Mrs. Ant, thank you so much for the posts that you have written thus far. Since we are getting a disk of the images instead of an album, we have been trying to figure out the mechanics of getting an album made.
I know how much time it takes to put together posts, but if you are able to finish the series, it would be much appreciated.
Mrs. Ant, I think your series has been super informative and helpful. Even Mr. D was reading through your posts and marveling at all your knowledge! I completely agree with you that it’s not a very fair market out there on SO many aspects. It doesn’t make sense to me that there isn’t even an OPTION for brides to DIY sometimes. I totally feel your frustration….
Mrs Ant,
Your personal (and professional) life obviously come first, don’t feel compelled to further contribute on this topic if time doesn’t truly allow.
That said, your reports have been very informative to me and many, many others.
Hopefully I can use one of the resources for the parent’s albums. Unforatunately we couldn’t afford to include their albums in our package.
Thanks again for your contributions to WeddingBee!
Okay, I’m going to try and shed some photographer’s input on this whole topic.
I think many photographers feel that they want to have creative control with anything that comes from their studio. Now this is not to say that they JUST want to see ALL the money come to them, but they want to make sure that whatever is attached to their name or business has their standard of quality, thus, they don’t release negatives. They want to make sure that prints that were made with their photos meet their quality standards. Obviously now-a-days, many consumer items are near par with pro, but I think some photographers still want to make sure that anything attached to them come with a seal of excellence.
At the same time, yes, it is a loss of sales to the photographer if you go directly through the album company. And because of this, photographers can and do get upset at companies and will no longer do repeat business with them. It’s nothing personal against brides, not trying to “hide” such information or “take your money”, but it’s the ugly side of business and the need to make a living and pay the bills. Previously, when film reigned king, photographers didn’t make a whole lot of money upfront by shooting because of overhead costs, and made most of their money in the backend, by print and album sales. Now that times have changed with digital, photographers can now accordingly charge upfront to take in account of print losses if they give away negatives (which is why photographers cost way more now than they did back then), but there are many things that didn’t catch up to that.
Especially now with technology being the way it is - more digital SLR’s are coming down in price and becoming more consumer-friendly, computers have bridged that gap between designer and consumer. As well as anything else. Our culture is definitely one of DIY, which is understandable - especially if you’re a hands-on person. (like myself ;))
I personally think the option of going through the photographer to get it printed is a great way, if you’d really like to design your own album, and have that option.
Talk to your photographer if that is really what you want to do - communication is always key.
Just want to address the issue some brides think there’s some sort of a scam in the business. It is not the case. If you buy pasta at a restaurant for $15 and that cost only $2 to make. Is that a scam? No. Businesses need to make money to survive.
No, it not a scam, IF you can make the “pasta” yourself at home, if you choose. The scam comes when the industry won’t allow you to make the “pasta” at home. There should be the choice to pay for someone’s services to make it for you, or have the access to make it at home.
I was thinking about using http://www.bound2remember.com since they do flush mounts and work directly with the public. Does anyone have experience with them? Our wedding isn’t until the end of next month, so it’ll probably be January before I get around to laying out and designing my album.
Another person chiming in hoping that you continue your posts on this topic (but at your own pace, whenever you have time). These posts have been super helpful. I’ve dealt with a lot of the same issues you describe in trying to get a nice album made. I too wish there was a middle option where we could create our own albums and get them printed somewhere nicer than MP. I totally understand why photogs charge so much for albums. They take a heck of a lot of work. Mine (created entirely by hand in photoshop) took over 100 hours (including time spent researching album companies), spread out over 6 months. But I loved doing it and think it looks pretty darn good. And the $3000 I saved was definitely worth it. I think a lot of brides underestimate how difficult it is to create a professional quality product. However, if brides want to invest the time, and know what they’re doing (or are willing to learn), I don’t see why they should be prevented from doing it. I’ve seen plenty of “amateur” albums (yours included) that are better than many pro albums. I loooved our photographer, but didn’t love his designs. Frankly, I think the album I designed looks better than his albums. It does seem like there’s a market niche for design-savvy (or just DIY) amateurs who are willing to pay for a quality album but want to do the designs themselves. Maybe someone reading your posts will start something like this. I’ll get off my soapbox now. Hope you keep posting! Btw, your album - and wedding - are beautiful!
Sounds like there’s plenty of opportunities for enterprising album companies to fulfill demands for “open-to-the-public” album print requests……and probably make a higher margin than what they normally get from photographers.
I’m surprised that photo album companies wouldn’t want to work with brides - seems like a few good reviews here or on the knot would bring in tons of business. I’m paying a premium to own the rights to my photographs, and I don’t understand why album companies wouldn’t want my business. For the record, I am buying an album from my photographer, but I’d love to make ones for our parents.
For you design-savvy brides, you might want to look into a private bookbinder (I just happen to be one!). You can still get a high-quality flush mount type album, with a TON of different options that you wouldn’t get with the major album companies.
Food for thought. If you’d like more info, feel free to email me.
please keep writing! i’m only familiar with some cheap ones like blurb and only of one high end one, asuka….
i am a photo nut and really appreciate your posts
Mrs. Ant,
Great post! Some fellow photographers brought this to my attention…
My $0.02 for what it’s worth …
I’d love to see EVERY bride & groom have some sort of an album or coffee table book of their pictures. If they are investing in a professional wedding photographer to capture their special day, shouldn’t there be a way to enjoy these images?
A few months ago, I asked an audience of (mostly married) professional photographers and designers to raise their hands if they had an album of their own wedding and only two out of hundreds do. Why not? You think they of all people would take the time!! Because albums are VERY time-consuming and VERY expensive to produce. You have to understand the mechanics of sometimes two or three or four different design programs, have training in design and retouching, business tax IDs to show album companies, go through hours of reformating and proofing, etc.
Back in the days, when photographers attended school to learn their craft, they were taught the ENTIRE process of what makes photography an art… envisioning an image before pressing the shutter all the way to presenting a final art peice to the customer. This means printing, retouching, making artistic choices on how to present it best. Some of the most sought-after, award-winning photographers receive recognition because of what they do with the images AFTERwards. With all that said, like someone mentioned above… some photographers are not “designers” so that’s where this conversation comes in.
If you look at professional design companies, they charge a minimum of $200-500 for design (just the labor - it’s expensive!) One of the companies I believe that is BEST in the industry (been doing it for 100 years) hand-stiches the books together and then to the leather… it’s no small process. They can RUSH it but it still takes 6 weeks. These things have to “cure” and be “sealed” and “laquered.” I’d like to visit a factory sometime - fascinating! So if we wonder why albums are expensive it’s because of the labor and materials.
I also must agree with the “pasta” example above too… Photographers have to put food on the table just like everyone else… and they do so by providing photographic services and products.
IMHO, it would be a shame to invest in wedding photography and only have 4×6 prints or a disk of images to show for it. The only photos my parents have out (besides ones I give them) to enjoy are senior portraits a photographer took enough time to sell to us framed and finished. The rest are in boxes in the basement turning yellow…
Look for a photographer who will show you an album investment list ahead of time and who provides you with options to suite your taste. Most will provide two or three options or one top-notch one. Also look into putting an album on a gift registry if it’s not in the budget - one of my best friends did this and was much more appreciative of the album vs extra china or empty frames.
My little sister is getting married next year and she loves the great ideas here. Keep up the great work wedding bees!
Cheers!
liana
No, it not a scam, IF you can make the “pasta” yourself at home, if you choose. The scam comes when the industry won’t allow you to make the “pasta” at home. There should be the choice to pay for someone’s services to make it for you, or have the access to make it at home.
I think the large difference here is that if you make the pasta at home, will it be the same or better than at the restaurant? It would probably depend on your own skills.
Like I had mentioned before, album companies don’t deal with brides mostly because it is taking money away from the photographer, and it can harm company relationships. Personally, I’m all for the idea of going through your own photographer and having them go through the company for you with a small processing fee. In the end, all parties will be satisfied.
it’s really simple. just look at car dealerships. car manufacturers won’t sell directly to you. why? because that’s what they have dealerships for. they won’t compete with their dealers. photographers are just like that for album companies. album companies do not want to sell to brides for the simple reason that they do not want to compete with the photographers whom they sell to.
I truly thank the photographers for joining this conversation and trying to share the story from their side. I have actually been exchanging (friendly!) emails with some photogs and both sides have learned a lot more about the other.
I do not think any of these analogies work. You can cook pasta yourself at home. And manufacturer suggested prices for cars are publicly published.
For me, the bottom line is:
I am glad that I had the choice to design my own album. It turned out beautifully (view album in “DIY Design” link) and I was able to save thousands of dollars.
I believe that there are other brides just as digitally and graphically savvy who can also do a great job. I want them to be able to have the option to DIY and I want to make that process easier for them than it was for me.
“It’s your wedding, and they are your pictures.”
I tell that to every single one of my couples.
Think of it like a meal. Sure, we all could make dinner, but ever now and then its nice to have a fancy dinner out. Something to remember, an experience, a memory. Where the food is fantastic, the service is amazing, and the atmosphere is exceptional.
To me albums are like that. Not every couple wants one, some can’t afford it due to the expense of the wedding, some are DIYs and want to do it themselves, and then there are the ones who prefer the album to come from their photographer.
Most Album companies are Wholesalers, they sell only to suppliers. This happens with your clothing, food, and everything else you buy. Few places sell directly to the consumer for tax reasons.
The album companies have a reputation to keep. The photographers have a reptuation to keep. The brides don’t want to get ripped off. Everybody is looking out for themselves.
Now, with digital photography, and desktop publishing software becoming more common (and easy to use) it’s easier than ever to make your own album.
I know for a fact that there are several companies that will help non-photographers put an album together. It just depends on what you want, and how much you are willing to pay.
mrs. ant,
i forgot to make 1 more point, album companies usually are not big. they don’t have many people to deal with a lot of customers. it is then more cost efficient for them to deal with just photographers who are repeat buyers and already know the process than deal with hundreds of brides whom they may need to support one by one.
anyway, as you have pointed out. there are ways to do it on your own by going thru your photographer and some middlemen. congratulations on your work and you’ve done a good job. have a blessed married life.
And, of course, I am glad that this series has been useful to WB readers. It totally was not my intention to fish for compliments. But the responses have given me a good idea of my audience size and how helpful the posts have been so far. It’s good to see that so many brides are seriously interested in designing their own album.
Please look out for the next post some time in September.
Michelle, your photojournalist friend should be able to register with most album companies. According to Leather Craftsmen, things that help to prove you’re a professional include: Sales Tax Permit, Business License, Telephone Book Listing, Website, Pro Lab Account, Business Advertisement in a Newspaper or Magazine, PPA Membership
Ahhh I thought Tony played a part in this ; ) I was thinking of asking him when I was ready to make my own album for his connections. Good to know the wheels have already been greased in this direction heehee
Most everyone above has already said what I planned to comment, but I’ll add my two cents anyway. Mrs. Ant, I think you’re doing a fabulous job with this series, and I’ll totally be bookmarking it to come back and read again after my wedding in April 2008. I chose my photographer based on the quality of the sample images they showed me, and the fact that the digital negatives were included in the price.
I’m moving cross-country after my wedding, and really looking forward to having the time afterwards, while I get settled in a new life, to look at my pictures and put my album together myself, as well as albums for my mom, and my future husband’s parents. I’ve used Snapfish in the past, and I’m loving what I’ve seen of Photobook, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that seeing your album caused some serious drooling. If Pictobook were an option for brides, I would be happy to pay their prices — assuming they were reasonable for the services provided.
Thanks also to the photographers who’ve commented above. Having your insider information really helps explain the process, and the costs.
Anyway, I will end just my adding my agreement to another commenter’s suggestion — what about wedding bee itself being a “vendor” for Pictobook?
I think your serious is INCREDIBLY helpful as I am trying to put my options together for an album and am struggling as I can’t find any companies that are the quality that I want that will work directly with me!!
I really appreciate all the info. I didn’t really know anything about the album process and only a little about how the actual photography works.
I hope you continue with this series.
Also, your albumn is really beautiful
This is by far the most interesting and helpful series ever. Please if you can continue. I love to see your research. When I booked my photographer, our package included an album but I would love to be to get a flushmount album for our parents too. I’ve been researching for a company but unfortunately ran into the same problem with most brides, reputable companies will only work with photographers.
Please continue. I look forward to this series and want to make the best choice for my album. Thank you for your time and for sharing your experiences, it has been extremely helpful!
I feel like I hit the jackpot reading your post!!! I’ve been trying to design my wedding album for several months now and it seems so overwhelming but your posts have been so helpful and organized. Thank you so much!
Please continue the series. =)
I would love to continue reading this series! More info about album options, definitions, and possible vendors!
The debate about “what’s fair,” etc, is interesting…. but ultimately I think it makes sense that an album company dealing only with photographers (and maybe sometimes a designer–which includes you, Mrs. Ant, in your special case–hired by the photographer) is a different business than one that works directly with brides who want some say in the design.
And actually, there are companies that do that, in various ways–just not with some of those high quality options like flushmounts. Basically every online photo prints service has options for bound photo albums.
Also bookbinder (#31)- your email address and/or company website don’t come up for us readers. More info?
i think WB brides want to hear more about where we could get our hands on great bookmaking companies that sell to the EVERYONE. mrs. ant i really want to hear more about your research on the different companies out there…if there are certain companies who do not want to sell to brides, then, fine…but i am sure there are a few number out there that sell to everyone.
I posted earlier, but I forgot to say: THANK YOU to Mrs. Ant for all your hard work in researching this topic and sharing it with us, and what a beautiful job you did your album!
I talked to my photog, and did more looking into what it takes to put together a Pictobook-style album. It’s a lot of work both on the album maker and photog’s parts, and I fully respect that. I don’t think the pricing is out of line at all (well, maybe a little on the album makers’ side…), though, given how much work they are to put together, even doing the design myself and ordering an album through my photog will be very expensive (probably out of our range). I was just SO CRAVING a flushmount after seeing Mrs. Ant’s gorgeous one that I had to learn more. I still want one, so maybe I will just save up. =)
No matter what format I eventually get an album in, my true reason for wanting to do it myself is b/c I am incredibly picky and A.R., and I suspect many Bees are too. I know what a pain I am and I don’t want to inflict that upon any designer. I mean, I’m the kind of person who asks the art director to redo everything because I want an element moved .25″ to the left…and then asks for another redo b/c that move made everything else look “funny.” If I had our photog do an album, I think I’d have to pay her $10,000 to put up with me! =)
OOPS! Sorry about that! If you would like more info, or even photos of the types of books I produce, please feel free to email me at:
tx.bookbinder @ gmail.com
I will say this about my books - if you love Pictobook, or any other company, for that matter, I can often replicate the style. The options are endless, and I would love to work with any of you!
Photographers– I am willing to pay $15 for the pasta at the restaurant even though I know it is $2 at the grocery store, because I can’t cook worth a darn and I know the restaurant does it better.
What is shady is when the restaurant and grocery store conspire to hide from me the cost of pasta.
rzblna- so you know exactly how much the restaurant pay for the pasta? Or how much the grocery store pays for the pasta? Or any other thing for that matter?
No, for the post part, we as consumers know that the stores/retailers pay less, but we don’t know HOW MUCH LESS. It’s guarded in just about every industry because the fear is (and rightly so) if people knew how much the markup was, they would feel they are getting ripped off. Not that they are, but when you see the discrepancy in pricing and not a long run-down of costs and time related to that markup it’s easy for the consumer to get bent out of shape. It’s standard business practice all around in the retail market.
As for the album companies not selling to the general public and that being some sort of conspiracy…… it’s the same with just about ANYTHING we buy. We can not go to the direct manufacturer and purchase from them, we have to go through a retailer. And as stated above, and even in Ms. Ant’s information, it’s not that brides can’t purchase albums directly, they can order through many different companies, but if they want some of the higher quality albums they need to work with their photographer on that, just like anything else, we have to go to the appropriate store to buy what we desire, and pay the markup cost for that retailer to afford to do business.
Mrs.Ant,
Thanks so much for your very helpful posts. This has been a great series, and I really hope you continue it. It’s been interesting to hear from the photographers and bookmakers in these comments. I do appreciate what they had to say. I certainly don’t think it’s a scam, or that photographers/bookmakers are trying to cheat anyone. I understand the business model of selling only to photographers. If I were a bookmaker, I probably wouldn’t want to deal with brides either. I’m sure there’s a steep learning curve with designing books, and while it might be worth guiding a photog through the process when you know they’re going to be repeat customers, it’s just not worth it to invest so much customer service time in each individual bride.
And I don’t think that photographers are doing anything improper by charging a lot for these albums. The time that goes into making these books is worth the price photogs charge for them. I understand the argument that the photog wants to be in charge of the final product, since it’s a reflection of their work, their art. However, by giving negatives/files away, the photographer is giving that up to a certain extent. There’s no way to get that control back once the files have been given. It’s not just low-end photogs that give files away; many of the top photogs in the country give clients a DVD of all the color-corrected high-res images. Clients are willing to pay such a high upfront cost because they understand they’re paying for the photographer’s time, talent & vision. They don’t want to be nickel & dimed for every print. But if the photog gives the files away (which I’m all for, and which seems to be the direction the industry is going), then they can’t get upset at what’s done with the files. If a couple wants to make their own album, what’s the big deal?
I guess I just wish there was a middle ground. I understand the arguments for both sides, but seems there must be some way for couples to get a quality album (something nicer than MyPublisher/Shutterfly) even if they can’t afford to pay several thousand dollars for it. This is certainly true in other aspects of wedding planning … the DIY couple can cut costs in virtually every other arena by doing the work themselves. The weddingbees in general place a very high priority on photography. I don’t think we’re talking about scrimping costs on the *photographer* him/herself. I’m all for dedicating a substantial chunk of the wedding budget to hire the best photog possible. But the album? I think that’s definitely a place where a DIY couple could save costs. And there are a lot of very talented and design-knowledgeable couples out there (especially on WB!). Shouldn’t there be some middle ground for those who want quality albums and are willing to do the work themselves?
Eve..
As Mrs. Ant has discussed already, she showed us ways to get to middlemen so we could create our own layouts. I went to the one she mentioned albumart.com and they have high end books like the zookbook and graphistudio (which btw, is competitor of pictobooks). I’ve seen graphi books from my photographer and they are high quality flush mounts that are thinner than the zookbook. Graphi albums are also being sold by photographers for almost the same price as Pictobooks. Zookbooks are great too they have thicker pages for those who want a more traditional look.
I think what the photographers here have said are just for us to understand the process and not feel like we’re being ripped off or scammed. I agree with what Ms. Jen said. Everything we buy from paper to food is bought wholesale by the retailer.
I found this thourough explanation by googling
http://photolovecat.blogspot.com/2007/03/album-resources.html
very thorough explanation!
[…] I. DIY Album Design II. Album Design Process III. Pictobook Album IV. The Mysterious Album and How to Get One […]
Hmm.. do you guys know what the mark up on that engagement ring was? Did any of you demand to know? I mean, because let’s face it… if we want to talk about getting ripped off! If you asked, do you think the jeweler would tell you? Absolutely not.
There are plenty of albums available to the general consumer, but the reality is the photographers need to have companies who deal with them directly.
I think this discussion is great. My husband and I are wedding photographers, and every album we create takes more hours than we care to count. Making our first album was so confusing. We’ve perfected it over the years, and are able to offer our clients any album they want, for the price of design, the album, and dealing with the album companies, many of whom are not customer friendly. Each album company has different requirements for ordering, ways to submit prints, etc.
Costs involved:
Design time: 40 hours (what do you like to be paid for a week’s work?)
Adobe Photoshop $500+ (we only have to pay this every year or so, software updates are not always free)
Adobe InDesign: $400+
FTP Software:$20+
Prints: $200+
Photoshop Classes: $500+
The Album themselves: $200 (naugahyde peel and stick 10×10 10 page with cameo picture, probably not what you’re dying to have)-$5000+ (Your Heart’s desire)
I understand DIY, love to DIY, want our clients to be able to DIY, but unless you know a lot about design, photo software, ALBUM COMPANIES etc. this is not an easy process.
I would love to have our clients submit their album designs to us, we could take a few more weeks off a year, and save a ton of money. We are happy to be the middle man between you and the album companies, for a small fee to cover your army of questions, misunderstandings, mistakes, learning curve, and all the things we go through every time we decide to change album companies. (i.e. not a small fee)
One example, each album company counts pages differently, some count sides of a page, like the book you’re reading, other’s count the physical page (what you’d rip out of a book), some will print on the first page, and count that in pages, other’s don’t. (crazy making things like this)
I know many of you who want to DIY know what goes into an album. In a perfect world, you’re photographer could/should let you, and help you with the album companies. We will if our clients ask, but I must admit, I know they will take up a lot of our time with questions, and we’ll have to charge for our time, add that to your time, and I’d say go on a minivacation, and throw down some cash to your photog.
I am a photographer, designer and recent bride. I made a deal with my photographer that I would design and print the album. I decided on Pictobooks. They were great to me however, I can see album companies would not want business from non-professionals. It was alot of technical terms, alot of graphical and measurement requirments and certain formats needed. Of course it also protects the photograpger.
My point is it is not worth it for companies to open up to the public when all they will get is problems and issues.
I had my album designed, printed and bound for about 25% of what the photographer wanted to charge me… I did my research and I found a company that one of my bridesmaids used for her wedding album, http://www.charlesriccodesigns.com I went with a 10×10 15 page (30 sides) flush mount album and I sent them about 90 photos, about 5 days later they returned a beautiful design online, made a few changes and the deal included free shipping, free imprinting, etc. total $449.00 (my photographer wanted more than $1,500 and charlesricco’s album is much better quality. I also did the research about designing my own, but I just do not have the time to put in becoming a graphic designer, i just wanted a great album at a great price. You can also link from http://www.bridesincorporated.com for other albums such as coffee table books. Check it out, my experience buying my own book online was terrific at http://www.charlesriccodesigns.com
