Best Handmade Albums | Charleston Wedding Photographer

Posted on April 19, 2012

After spending many months researching album options, I have chosen a wonderful vendor to create heirloom photo albums of your weddings and portrait sessions. Red Tree Albums is based in Kentucky, and they have all the photos printed at one of my favorite labs, ProDPI. The print quality is unsurpassed, and the quality of these handmade albums is top-notch. Best of all, the cover choices are beautiful — luxurious leathers, sumptuous silks, lovely linens. (Trust me, I’ve seen some albums where the options were too reminiscent of 80s wallpaper to stand the test of time.)

After I design your album and upload the approved layout, ProDPI creates full spread prints, in this case, 12×24 inches. The lab ships the images to Red Tree, where they mount and trim the prints, bind the pages and create the covers. Enhancements include debossed names on the leather and suede covers and cameo cutouts (a favorite image in a window) on the fabric albums. The pages are seamless, so there is no gutter to interrupt the wow factor of your storybook. Check out Red Tree’s blog for other gorgeous examples of ways to customize your wedding story with cover choices, cameos and various fonts of debossing.

I created my sample album as a 12×12 book. This one has 24 spreads since I shot a poolside barbeque and the rehearsal dinner before the wedding. Options for parent albums include custom books in smaller sizes or their mini albums. At 5×5 inches, the well-priced minis are the perfect brag book for toting everywhere and sharing. Same fantastic quality in a smaller package.

Even though my wedding photography packages include the disc of hundreds of full-resolution images (which I encourage you to print and display), I truly believe everyone should invest in an album so you can appreciate your photos and share the story in a more personal way than on a monitor or smart phone. You’ll enjoy it now, and your children will love it later! If it is not in the budget during wedding planning, take a tip from my savvy brides and plan on my creating one as a wonderful first anniversary gift.

Debossed suede heirloom photo album. Carolina Photosmith.

Heirloom-quality handmade wedding albums, a 12x12 and a 5x5 mini album.
Like your grandmother’s monogrammed silver, your wedding album will become a family heirloom.
Luxurious leathers, lovely linens and gorgeous silks. Best cover choices for your custom wedding album.

Pictured here are the 5×5 mini album and a 12×12 book with 24 spreads.
Red Tree Albums offer heirloom quality for your wedding story. Pictured here are the 5x5 mini and 12x12.

Huge wow factor with seamless gutter in this 12x24-inch album spread

Flushmount wedding album by Carolina Photosmith

5x5 Mini album is the perfect size for toting. Or resting on a picket gate.

12x12 flushmount album. My, what big pages you have. All the better to see your wedding images with.
Heirloom-quality wedding albums with gorgeous fabrics, luxurious leathers.

Red Tree Album in cappuccino nabuk. One luxurious heirloom.

Contact Jen to discuss your wedding photography needs and check out these beautiful albums.


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Kameryn & Kyle | Fun Charleston Engagement

Posted on April 8, 2012

Another fun Charleston engagement session soaking up the splendor of spring! Kyle and Kameryn are obviously adorable, so the average Joe with a camera phone would have no issues snapping a photo worth keeping. Thankfully, they chose me to wander around with, and they were up for anything. Scaling rusty staircases, splashing about, sharing a playground with kids, sure! Anyone else get glimpses of Kate Hudson? Looking forward to their September wedding at Old Wide Awake Plantation. Congratulations you two!

Charming engagement session on a spring afternoon in historic Charleston.

Kameryn and Kyle are hardly wallflowers, but they look adorable against this Charleston backdrop.
Finding a nook amid the lush plants of a Charleston spring.

Stealing kisses on a Charleston threshold during a fun engagement session

Bear hug for his bride-to-be at Charleston's Pineapple Fountain

A Charleston re-enactment of historical significance: Kyle's proposal to Kameryn!

Engaged couple taking in the Charleston Harbor at Waterfront Park

Ambling down cobblestone streets during a fun engagement session in historic Charleston

Stairways and nooks throughout downtown Charleston make for fun engagement photos

Colorful DIY Save-the-Date at a lush Lowcountry park

Treehouse engagement session on Gilligans Island. Or maybe it was just Mount Pleasant, SC.

Colorful spring engagement session at a Charleston county park. Relaxed and fun!

Magical mossy oaks make for a dreamy setting during a Charleston engagement session with Carolina Photosmith

Top of the world with a kicky chick in cowboy boots at this fun engagement session in Mt Pleasant, SC

He scoped her out, and now they're getting married! With a bit of rainbow flare.

Kids at heart, these two shared a laugh and braved the slide during this engagement session..

Sweetness on the dock at Palmetto Islands County Park

A splashy finale to this engagement session with a quick romp in the sprinkler.

Check out more engagement sessions, and take a look at some of my wedding photography. I am always looking for more fun couples to photograph. Contact Jen to arrange a time to discuss your wedding plans.


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10 Comments so far

  • Philip Dean says:
    April 11, 2012 at 1:18 pm -

    Kam and Kyle, these are awesome. But Kyle, it kinda looks like you left Kam hanging in the slide picture. She’s sliding and you’re just hanging out up top.

  • Nikki says:
    April 9, 2012 at 7:11 pm -

    Wow! These are stunning Jen, they must be so,so happy with them. Gorgeous colors, beautiful locations and stunning moments captured. You’ve done an amazing job here.

  • Shella says:
    April 9, 2012 at 5:34 pm -

    These two are so so adorable! What a beautiful day for a beautiful session, love!

  • Leo says:
    April 9, 2012 at 3:53 pm -

    Adorable is right! Love how much fun they’re having and especially love the shot with them among the moss – that one’s simply stunning.

  • nick says:
    April 9, 2012 at 2:55 pm -

    These are great! so light and airy feeling!

  • Heather says:
    April 9, 2012 at 2:35 pm -

    They are SO cute!! I love love love her outfits!

  • Gavin Farrington says:
    April 9, 2012 at 2:31 pm -

    Congratulations Kameryn & Kyle! These are great, Carolina. I especially love the shot standing on the bench at the end. The moss gives it great dimension.

  • kit says:
    April 9, 2012 at 2:00 pm -

    Beautiful photos! I love their style! That red dress and boots are too cute! Love that black in white shot with all the leaves in the foreground.

  • caroline says:
    April 9, 2012 at 12:47 pm -

    Love their emotions and the backdrops are gorgeous. You’re making me miss Charleston :)

  • kenny says:
    April 9, 2012 at 9:33 am -

    The 3 black and white photographs are really nicely done, especially the one with the fountain in the foreground.
    Nice mix of fun ( running through the sprinkers, the slides in the playground(?) ) and relaxed, romantic shots.





Kayla & Brian | Plantation Engagement

Posted on March 26, 2012

Congrats to Kayla and Brian on their engagement! They met in Denver and will wed in Montana this summer and will live in Charleston after the dust settles. We had such a fun, relaxed plantation engagement session. I love their style and was glad she heeded my advice to wear color with their boots. The jewelry that matches her eyes was her fab idea. With spring flowers blooming early this year, it was a perfect weekend with lots of color and enough breeze to keep the bugs at bay. Too bad these two already have a Montana photographer lined up for their August festivities — I was all ready to cash in some frequent flyer miles and shoot their dreamy Big Sky wedding. Have a great summer, you two!

Engagement photography in the great outdoors by Carolina Photosmith.

Engagement photos in dappled light beneath mossy oaks on a Charleston plantation
Sundrenched couple on a gorgeous spring afternoon at Boone Hall Plantation
Soaking up a Charleston spring with sweet kiss during a beautiful outdoor engagement session.
Kayla and Brian's engagement session on Charleston plantation by Carolina Photosmith
Soaking up a Charleston spring during a relaxed outdoor engagement session.
Boone Hall engagement session full of spring, history and a frisky horse
Spring engagement session with azaleas, wrought iron and plantation beauty.
Engagement photography beneath Boone Hall's magnificent oaks
Charleston engagement photos with moss-draped oaks and wisteria vines
Colorful plantation engagement session beneath mossy oaks at Boone Hall Plantation
Groom shows off his favorites - beautiful fiancee and shiny truck at Boone Hall Plantation
Happy couple soaks up the spring during an afternoon photo session beneath mossy oaks
Cowboy style engagement session by this Charleston's plantation's cotton field

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