stacy Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 We're working on new packages and I would really LOVE to not offer flush albums anymore- 1. They take a long time to design 2. I would rather have clients walk out with something more elegant 3. I just don't like them as well as a more simple- traditional album with one image per page. The down side to this is that it's the most popular album we carry. So I'm wondering- who does NOT offer flush mounts (aka coffee table books). Do you have many people ask for them? We'd still have to give them to people for 2006 who have booked- but I'm thinking perhaps the trend will be over in 2007? What do you think? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_schilling___chicago_ Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 IMO it is not a fad and will likely become even more sophisticated rather than die out. A studio that takes a "we don't do it" stance might open an interesting niche in your market though, who knows? I think that alot of photographers can get bored with the "been there & done that" of popular images...very much like the bride in B&W with the bouquet in color, almost all the brides still love/want that image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vladimir_pcholkin___washin Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 I don't offer flush mount books for the same reasons. Also I had a few reports of page curls. When you flip pages you actually touch photos(fingerprints). Since pages are actual photos if any hard matter gets between pages you get scratches on your images and you can't replace them(in matted albums you can). Very few people asked me about it recently. Most clients really like classic albums(I use Renaissance and Art Leather) and even if they ask about flush mounted books, after above information they change their mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
april_rocha___south_centra Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 I do not offer flush albums. I'm not a big fan of them and I think in 10 years they will be very dated. I go for more traditional/classic albums. I use leather craftsmen and cypress albums. I have not found it has hurt my business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry schaefer - chicago, Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 What in technical terms is the "flush" album? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steakandale Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 I would imagine that flush mounts do not last, or will show a lot of wear over time. I can still look at our Art Craftsmen wedding album from 1985 and (I dont reccommend white!) it is as good as new on the inside (all MF 8x10's). That might be a good selling point for traditional and not choosing flush-mount. Maybe you could take an artistic, and quality stand against using them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conraderb Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 cheap albums, generally speaking, do not last. I don't have any long term experience with graphistudio albums, but I ordered a sample set, and the quality of their binding is as good as any album I have seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_dutchman1 Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Stacy -- I was in a similar situation with coffee table books. I hate them, and I think even the simple and elegant designs looks corny. But, they are our best seller and clients love them.<br><br> I decided to do three things:<br><br> 1. Raise the price. <br><br> 2. Limit choices. The options can overwhelm clients, so I have three page/cover options they choose from. Very simple.<br><br> 3. (Most important) The client can select the photos, but they have no control over the design. Once ordered, they receive the finished product within 8 weeks. And I let the album company do the designing. I make a few suggestions (i.e., which images should be full page, panoramic, cover image), and they do the rest.<br><br> Once the client selects the images, I spend about one hour retouching photos and prepping the order. I ship it off and that's it. Simple. I still don't like the coffee table concept, but who am I to dictate taste to someone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_dutchman1 Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 BTW -- it's a trend, but a probably a long term one. I've been offering GraphiStudio for close 2 1/2 years, but most of the couples I meet with have never seen anything like it before. It's not something I have to sell hard. Couples either have to have it, or they hate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
think27 Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Hi Stacy - I don't "offer" magazine style albums or flush albums. If I can't convince a client to do a more classic Seldex Album with wonderful and plentiful mat selections... (I like a combo of one per page with multiples per page to tell a story). I will find a way to do it but I have not had any customers disagree with me when I show them a sample of the seldex (or Queensbury or Jorgenson can be used as well). Even when they've seen a "flush" or magazine style album somewhere else - I have not lost a customer and only one was going to do a magazine style album and then changed her mind when she saw my sample.But that's me... Seems to be I'm lucky with the type of clients I get in my area perhaps. In my humble opinion...... "Some" (not all) of the magazine style albums will look dated (think "Golden Girls" clothing vs "the little black dress".) You can always were that classic black dress through the years. IF I were to design or have someone design a magazine style album - I'd make it simple and classic. I don't know if the "trend" will be over at some point... I have a feeling it will be or the "layout style" may change. I don't worry about it though. Suggest that maybe if you have a really nice sample of a Seldex or Jorgenson album - you may be able to get people to change their focus. They are super looking albums! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacy Posted February 3, 2006 Author Share Posted February 3, 2006 Thanks for the replies so far! Currently I offer matted albums from Leather Craftsmen and from Cypress as well (nice website April!). And until we added those flush mounts they sold very well. Mary- for Seldex albums do you have to put them together yourself or do they do it for you? I have no interest in mounting the photos- I get them crooked and it looks a mess! It seems like in my area anyway Wedding Photography is spinning like a wheel- a giant wheel with about 200 photographers. Each one is offering more and more- 500 5x7s and a 50 page flush mount and 13 16x20s (ok now I'm exaggerating). But wedding coordinators are calling and telling us if we want to be in the "A" list we have to raise our prices-etc. To raise prices we would need to offer more in packages, but that's not what I want to do. It's getting to be insane. I feel like I need to breathe and take a step back-get off the wheel- refocus... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
think27 Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Stacy - You can order the Seldex book with your choice of mat overlays adhered for you and you slip in the photos. I do my own. It's easy...! Just take the image....one at a time if there are multiple openings...fix it so it is how you want it...flip it over and use hermafix to adhere it to the back of the overlay. Look at it again and if it isn't straight - you can easily fix it. Then you put the mat down on the page....pull about 1 inch of adhesive strip off each corner - set it so it is on the page correctly...hold down the page and full the strips out and press down. Done! It takes me about 1-2 hours to put a book together. The beauty is that sometimes I change my mind about the layout as I'm doing it and I have the control... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacy Posted February 4, 2006 Author Share Posted February 4, 2006 Thanks Mary- It sounds hard to me, but I'll take a look! I'm going to Vegas for WPPI in April so I'm sure there will be lots of albums to see there too. I just know I can find something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurenm Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Stacy, thanks for this posting. Being new, I've only just really learned what a flush mount is. I will say it is kind of cool to be able to have them designed with the little pictures overlapping, and full page prints, etc...I've quietly thought I didn't like them either and wondered about fingers touching the pictures and how will they survive in years to come. I wondered as I haven't seen any traditional matted albums if they were even still used. I would definitely want a traditional album for my wedding pictures! By day I work with old family papers, scrapbooks, photos and have disassembled my own ancestors in order to divide up photos either to share with other family members or in the case at work, to store in appropriate files with each person who's in the photo. Probably of little concern to anyone but me, but I wondered when the couple is no longer with us, their children, grand children, great great, etc... are left with one album with photos permanantly attached which if they have even survived this long cannot be divided amongst their ancestors. weird traditional thinking on my part! Anyway, enjoyed the posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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