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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.

Like your grandmother’s monogrammed silver, your wedding album will become a family heirloom.

Pictured here are the 5×5 mini album and a 12×12 book with 24 spreads.

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

Gorgeous Greetings from Tiny Prints

Posted on December 2, 2011

I am so excited about my new partnership with Tiny Prints! Their wonderful designs and fantastic customer service will enable you to spread Christmas cheer and holiday merriment with more choices than ever before. In years past, I have designed two-sided cards, which customers have enjoyed. As I’ve become busier, I have chosen to outsource this task to the experts. After all, Photoshop is not my strong suit, and I am not a graphic designer. As a photographer, I’d much rather be taking pictures or editing them. (Maybe I can actually rally my troops for a family photo and create my own card before Groundhog Day!)

Tiny Prints offers so many unique choices, including two-sided designs, ornament cards and rounded corners in a multitude of color schemes. There is even a Studio Basics collection that includes great cards and party invitations designs at a lower price point, starting at $.79. This is a great option for budget conscious shoppers who still value a premium card design.

One of the reasons I chose to align with Tiny Prints is their stellar customer service. Before each order is shipped it is hand reviewed (by a human!) for any issues, so you’re guaranteed to receive high-quality cards.

Best of all, there are a couple of great promotions running, so it is not too late to get your cards ordered and check that off your list. Happy shopping!

A final reminder: I will waive the $75 full-res-image fee if you’d like to use an image I took for you this year. Just e-mail me, and let me know which one, I’ll upload it and provide you with a key to start working on your design.

Also, take advantage even if you are using your own photos. I’ll keep you apprised of the deals, and I have set my preferences so that no mention of my studio is on the back of the card. Go forth and spread merriment!

Flushmount Wedding Album {Charleston Wedding Photographer}

Posted on March 17, 2011

As a Charleston wedding photographer, I have the opportunity to capture all kinds of wedded bliss. My photography packages include full-resolution files on a DVD, enabling the couple to decorate their home with some favorite images. Many brides aspire to whipping up a photo book using the images, but the reality of newlywed bliss often puts DIY projects on the back burner as the couple returns from honeymooning to write thank-yous and get back to work.

I recommend every couple purchase a custom album of archival quality that you can enjoy for decades. The images in this flushmount album are printed on photo paper, so the colors and resolution are just as they should be. The images are mounted onto thin black acid-free cardstock and then bound in a design that enables the pages to lay flat (nothing disappears into the black hole of a gutter, like a magazine). Cover options include various linens, leathers and pleathers, with or without a cover window. The book has an impressive heft, a sign that it was carefully constructed to last you a lifetime.

Gorgeous Greetings

Posted on November 3, 2009

Just assembled a few more samples of my custom card offerings! Richly textured and printed on both sides of pearl or recycled card stock. Click on thumbnail for larger view. Available in groups of 25 cards with envelopes.

It’s not too late to book! Weekend sessions are almost full, but weekday afternoons are an option.

Cards, Canvases and Keepsakes Galore

Posted on October 19, 2009

Yes, I can help you with Christmas cards! I offer press-printed cards on recycled card stock or a luminous pearl-finished art paper. Samples are in the works, so stay tuned.

For displaying your session images, there are plenty of options. Your lasting memories will be printed on Kodak Professional Endura paper with a lustre finish. Another choice is a storyboard, which includes a collage of several images from your session. Standard storyboard sizes are 10×20 or 12×12. They are printed with a linen finish and mounted to a 2mm piece of styrene for added stability (and a shelf life similar to Twinkies). You can display storyboards on a shelf or easel, or pop them into standard store-bought frames.

Thinking big? Consider a gallery-wrapped canvas! A large canvas makes a great statement over a mantel, sofa or piece of furniture. A semi-gloss coating gives it just enough pop and protects your art from UV rays and scratches. Groupings of smaller canvases can be crafted as well. The sky’s the limit!