maile_lani Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 <p>I've decided to also have a physical portfolio to bring my my client meetings. My clients always see my website before they meet with me, but I feel like digital images are really flat compared to the real thing. I want to have something that will wow my clients, still be slightly funky and modern (in keeping with my brand), but without the cheap DIY feel. I've thought about doing a coffee table book type thing (like an album I guess), but I don't know if that really works. Do you guys bring example albums, or have an actual portfolio of images? I've never had a hard copy portfolio before, so I really don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'd like to still use the real photographs I get from WHCC, while still looking professional. What do you guys do? :)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed_farmer Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Generally, sales people will tell you that you sell what you show. Do you want to sell albums? If so, you need to have sample albums. This is the only way to show your clients what they will be getting. If you are not selling albums, go with matted prints like you would put into an "image box" from an album company. This will allow you to turn over images faster and even customize your samples to show the same location as the new client's wedding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitch_w1 Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 <p>With sample albums you're really killing two birds with one stone. The albums, like a portfolio, are a showcase for your work and are a selling tool at the same time (assuming you are offering albums). I go to client meetings with at least one press printed book for tighter budgets and one beautiful leather album representing the higher end. Press printed books are generally pretty inexpensive to make and many higher end album companies offer 30-50% discounts on studio sample albums. I just ordered a stunning new studio album who's cost was quite manageable after the 50% discount.<br> Keep in mind brides often want to see how you would cover a wedding from start to finish and an album is the perfect vehicle to demonstrate this. But you can also create a "best of" album which takes your most stunning imagery from any number of weddings and compile them into one gorgeous album.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maile_lani Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 <p>The image box idea is great :D Thanks! What do you think would be a good amount of photos to show? I was thinking maybe 10 or 15, but I don't know if that's too many/too little! Oh, and is standard 8x10 or 5 x7? Sorry for all the questions, but thank you for your help :)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maile_lani Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 <p>@mitch - Yeah i've thought about having two sample albums as soon as I can afford the extra money on them :) I love Wild Magnolia Design and Cypress Albums... sigh :)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitch_w1 Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 <p>Maile, PM me for my album costs if you want. I won't post them here as it is a public forum. With discounts maybe not as prohibitive as you might think.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedding-photography-denver Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 <p>Maile, I usually bring a few albums of past clients who's books are a good cross section of the type of books I offer. They also serve as my "hard copy" portfolio. This allows a client to see my work on both the images, but also how they may be used to good effect in a designed book.<br> Check out Forbeyon's line of books and also for a less expensive alternative, you may just have a book from Mpix or someone offering those quick and dirty type books (although they are neither quick nor dirty).</p> <p>What really does the trick for me is the slide shows. More clients sit a watch those than look at the books. However, once the slide show is done, often times they prospective clients like to sit with a book in their hands and flick the pages as we talk about their day.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_murray1 Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 <p>You can also use a physical album from a single wedding to show off how you perform consistently. It's one thing to show the best 0.1% of your entire wedding experience and wow a potential client, but quite another to drive home the fact that they can expect excellent results for their entire wedding instead of a few real keepers so long as the album is exceptional. It gives you an advantage over other wedding photographers, who for all they know, may just be a broken clock that's right twice a day.<br> A hardbound book in coffee table format generally gets the job done better than anything. It's not cheap, but it doesn't pay to be frugal when showing your work to potential clients.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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