I insist upon providing a quality handmade Wedding Album

[david_thomas___banned_from]

I refuse to let clients just buy my wedding photographs and insist

upon presenting my images in a quality hand made album made by a

trusted local firm. I feel it is an essential 'finishing touch'to my

wedding services. Do you feel this might put people off? Afterall my

wedding albums equate to about 20% of the wedding package costs.

[pavelp]

Yes, it might put people off. I'd try an alternate approach instead: show them that difference between pictures neatly organized in a beautiful album and pictures thrown in a shoe box. Let them decide whether the price of the album is worth the difference. My guess is that it will work much better than forcing the album on them without giving them any choice.

[scott_p__boulder_co_]

I think it could be putting people off. I offer a print credit in my package. They can use it on prints, albums or anything else. Maybe offer a little freedom in how they allocate the album money, some people want wall hangers, others want coffee table books and some will just surprise you.

[mendonphoto]

Hand made? Of course it's going to put some people off. But, if you're only going for the rich snobs with enough money and arrogance to care, maybe it's not a bad idea.

[david_thomas___banned_from]

Aaron, what a silly comment! I am not going for rich snobs, I am trying to present my work as well as I can. By the way I am a UK based photographer and an album of some kind is usually considered essential.

[timcorridan]

i'm not put off by the mercadies car dealer, just cause they won't sell me a nissan. but scince i dont have that kind of money, i don't even check them out.

[david_thomas___banned_from]

When first meeting potential clients, I always take a selection of hand made albums usually made with pressed flowers. My original post sounded somewhat dogmatic and I can assure you I am not like that in the flesh (although aaron probably thinks so!) Usually,99% of the time the clients can see the reasons why I insist on my photographs being presented in this manner.

[todd frederick]

There are many people who are into albuming or who would like to use materials that are not of the traditional leather or magazine styles. I respect that, and I think they should have that choice.

[crystal-lite]

I shouldn't think it would put people off, it's part of a photographers service to provide the album. I'm too based in the UK and do quite a few weddings and always provide an album of their choice with the photos.

My next booking, the bride's father only yesterday asked me to see what album that I provide. In the UK I have yet to see a couple not ask about an album along with the photos.

[nicola inglis]

Tell a couple of stories about friends who still had their precious photos in a showbox under the bed three years later etc etc. Let's face it, most of us know of people who have done this and it's not hard to imagine that they regret not having a beautiful album done professionally.

[stephen hazelton]

On your pricing, you might consider showing the album cost as a separate item, even if it is always part and parcel of your services. So if people are comparing costs, they don't just assume you are 25% higher than the next guy because of it.

 

I would think you'd always want to have a sample album to show them as well.

[fotografz]

Good for you David. Isn't presentation of some importance of story telling? Heck, I agonize

over the sequence and flow of an album.

 

I'm sorry, but the comment about rich snobs and arrogance seems inappropriate and

angry ... like getting an album is central to some sort of class war.

 

Besides, I like rich people because, as the bank robber Willy Sutton replied when asked why

he robs banks, "it's where the money is" ; -)

[blueworldstudios]

Anytime you make someone do or buy something they don't like or want, you're going to put

somebody off. We have a range of albums, and it's imposssible to predict what somebody will

like. We have had quite a few couples that really hated the look of a GraphiStudio, and

prefered a more traditional slip in, regardless of cost.

 

As long as you're OK with losing people who don't like your chosen album style, then you're

fine.

[kari douma]

I have always included albums in my packages. I am doing a major price increase, and the way I was considering it was to take the album out of my package, and keep my prices the same. Then if they wanted an album, they would have to buy them seperate, starting at 800.00. The problem I had was that I wanted everyone to receive a beautiful album. I didn't want to give them the option to not get one. So, after contemplating this, and deciding to take my album out of my packages, I went to a seminar. In the seminar the speaker said,

 

"It is like asking an author to write the story of your life. You choose him, because he is good. Then, after the story is complete, you say to him that you don't want to buy the book, just the words delivered in a box, and you'll put them together. That is what it is like when a client wants to buy your photographs not in an album. You have no control what or how they are going to put them together (or not put them together)."

 

What she said really struck me. I want to "write" the story of their wedding day for them, and present them with a beautiful "story" of their day in the form of an album. After I heard what the speaker said, I decided to raise my prices, still with the album included in every package. (I'm still scared I won't get any bookings with my new prices though! :))

[cjogo]

We have not sold an album in over 12 years..I only wish our B&G would budget ~ for a quality Wedding Album.

[libbie_mistretta]

When I was selecting my wedding photographer, we ended up with one who gave us the option of having an album or not, but he did show us, as somebody suggested, just how nice the albums looked and how convenient it was to have the best shots placed in the album for us. We ended up taking the album option and didn't regret it! I think presenting it as a suggestion, but then really demonstrating the niceties of albums and of your own page layout and design skills would help. I imagine just presenting a couple of really nice sample albums would sell the album almost every time!

[mendonphoto]

<p><i>I'm sorry, but the comment about rich snobs and arrogance seems inappropriate and angry ... like getting an album is central to some sort of class war.</i></p>

<p>Not angry at all. And, we're not talking about just "an album", this is about a hand-made album. Lot's of nice looking stuff comes off of assembly lines, and if you don't mind the possibility of your neighbor having one just like yours, you can have the same quality at a fraction of the cost.</p>

<p>I appreciate the importance of presentation. I can fully sympathize with insisting on a nice looking album. Insisting on a hand-made album, though, says to me that you're only interested in wealthy customers. Nothing wrong with that as long as that fits your marketing plan.</p>

[bill_clark___minnetonka_mi]

Have you looked at PictoBooks?

[djphoto]

"Insisting on a hand-made album, though, says to me that you're only interested in wealthy customers."

 

As the criminal said when asked why he robbed banks, "Because that's where the money is!"

 

If it's true that photographers usually do better when they find their own place in the market and don't try to be all things to all people, then this could certainly be an excellent way for David to create a niche for himself. What's wrong with that?

[david_thomas___banned_from]

Actually, my hand made albums are not particularly expensive being around one hundred pounds (UK) and thats with leaves and overlays (they're hand made too!)

 

Have a look http://www.denis-wright.com/

 

Most albums that come off a production line are ok for you communists! I'm off to watch Dr. strangelove or How I learned to love hand made albums and stop worrying!

[Dave Gardner]

Dave....we show our brides the albums that we like also...but we allow them to make their

own decision...not everyone has the same taste...and i would not want to seem pushy by

'insisting'.

 

dave.

[jkantor]

If you are booking as many weddings as you want to shoot, what does it matter?