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As we talk to customers, some times it gets downright funny trying to make sure we are using terminology in the same way.  Coffee Table book, flush mounted book, magazine style, digital. It can be frustrating at times, but mostly funny!

Digital Album: With the advent of the digital camera and it’s explosion in the consumer market, digital covers a wide gamut of products and ideas. It could be a collage of images, an image that covers a full page spread or a design that is viewed online.

Flush Mount: This is another term that has become generic. In this case the flush mount is an album where the picture is the page. It can be printed directly on the page paper or printed on photographic paper that is bonded to the page paper.  The image goes right to the edge and mats are not used.

Coffee Table Album: Usually a hard cover album with flush mounted images. The pages usually are thicker and have a center board material with images bonded front and back.

Magazine Style Album: A magazine style albums usually have slightly different page construction, the image is printed on the page and has the look and feel of a magazine. These thinner pages will create a much thinner album as well.

Do these definitions sound about right to you? Do you have different ideas? Share yours by commenting below.

This is a question that seems to be asked a lot not only from clients but from photographers as well. Here are 5 reasons why you should have an album in your studios packages.

1) Protect images: Make sure that the albums you use have archival pages and mats to protect the images long term. This also protects the images from fingerprints and scratches.

2) Create an heirloom: Who doesn’t enjoy looking through Grandma & Grandpa’s or Mom & Dad’s wedding albums? Just check out Twitter! We see comments like this all the time. An album with images to share from this special event means creating an heirloom to share with your family.

3) Make em’ portable: Even with the ability to share images online there is nothing quite like taking a photo album sharing stories as you view the album.

4) It’s all in the presentation: When you present an album of images that your client’s have selected and the design you have created, there are few things quite as powerful as that moment.

5) Your photography is art & should be treated as art: You have invested time, money and effort in developing your skill and starting a photography business. What you offer your client is your skill and expertise in capturing special moments of that day. The result? You have created art and your work deserves to be treated as such!

There is definitely a perceived value issue to be considered here as well. Compare the value of your art delivered to someone on a CD vs. art being delivered in a beautifully designed bound album. What fits best with your branding and marketing efforts? Delivering a completed album is also a finishing touch on the experience you have given your clients, a powerful combination that will help distinguish you from your competitors.

When we first started devloping our album design software we surveyed photographers about what features they were looking for and here are a few of the results:

• Intuitive design
• Quality re-sizing
• Large variety of available template options
• Ability to create and save custom templates

Maxima Xpressions has been designed to meet these needs:

• The interface and tools are intuitive and easy to use as you design your album.
• When exporting your order, you have complete control over location, resolution and file type.
• With hundreds of templates to select from, you have the option of using as is or editing to create your own new template.
• Maxima Xpressions also offers you the option of starting fresh and creating something completely unique just for you.

Come join us for a training webinar to see how it all works and how easy it is to get started. Click here for our complete webinar schedule.

The photojournalistic style of photography is still going strong.

This stylized wedding album design style is not going anywhere soon. In fact boundaries are being pushed with unusual locations,  grungy looks and urban settings, traditional poses are no longer the norm. Whoever would have thought a few years ago that “Trash the Dress” would become so popular!

Simplicity still has it’s place

Rather then stiff formal poses, informal casual shots are being requested and asked for. Who would rather see Grandma with a big smile and enjoying herself rather then the forced one that often is the result of formal posed images.

Detail shots – rings, flowers, kids, shoes, dress – can’t forget these! The detail shots are important!

We also see that a modified traditional style photography is making a resurgence. With today’s digital flush mount albums you have the opportunity to use a more traditional style of photography while still projecting a contemporary look & feel.

Black & White images

From the images we receive for album designs we see a trend of incorporating even more black and white images. By taking away the color the heart of the image seems to stand out, special moments in black and white make a huge impact on the design of the album.

Does location affect trends?

Absolutely! We see and hear it all the time in talking with our customers. What is hot here in Tualatin, Oregon probably is not in LA or NY or at the very least the same trend but with a new twist.

How do you stay on top of trends?

What is your method of checking on trends, style of photography or album design?  And how do you differentiate between a flash in the pan novelty to a new direction in the photographic marketplace? Tell us about your resources by commenting below or send us an email us.

The Orion & Equinox line of photo albums offers professional photographers the opportunity to present their clients a wide variety of flush mount wedding album options.

A blank canvas

A flush mount album gives you a blank canvas to work with, an opportunity to let the creative juices flow and get to the heart of the wedding story.

While this might be intimidating for some photographers, for others it is a creative challenge to relish. This is your opportunity to work on and refine your design style, a style that becomes your brand and helps you stand out.

The Orion offers a great starting point – standard cover sizes ranging from 5×7 up to 11×14 and 12×12 with a wide variety of cover materials to select from. Each design decision made is a layer that affects the final presentation. From image design to the final look of the cover you have the choice of how your brand will be portrayed and remembered.

This album is an economical entry into the world of flush mount wedding albums.

Step up to the Equinox - Now your canvas has grown and expanded, with even more cover options and custom cover sizes. Step up from the traditional album sizes and design an album that helps tell the story. When you take a 10×10 image and crop it down to say a 9×10 or 10×6, it changes not only the composition of the individual images but the flow of the entire album.

The custom size cover you select will create interesting design challenges that may force you out of your comfort zone, not always a bad thing!

Upsell opportunities

Having a mix of these 2 types of flush mount albums is a great way to create upsell packages that are easy for your clients to say yes to.