Albums - Vanilla Photobooks

Wedding albums
KIT BAG4Albums
Wedding
IN-DEPTH
FEATURE SPECIAL
Top wedding books
for every budget
8-PAGE
GUIDE
96 digital photographer
Albums
If you photograph weddings then you can maximise your profits by
offering a stunning photobook or album as part of your package
One of the most important moments in any
couple’s life is their wedding day, so what better
way to showcase all their beautiful images from
the event than in an album. Wedding albums come
in all shapes and sizes, materials and finishes, and how
you present a body of work can make the difference
between an average job and a really fantastic one.
Not only does an immaculate wedding album act
as a great keepsake for the happy couple, but it also
provides a fantastic advertisement of your work for all
the people they show it to. Remember this is your shop
window for future clients, so make it is the best it can
be within your budget constraints.
Whether the wedding album is for a client, friend
or family you want their memories from the day to
capture every moment in the best possible way and
within their budget. If you’re after the best then you’ll
need to be prepared to spend, as professional-grade
presentation is pricey. If you’re on a budget, there are a
number of cheaper options on offer, and we’ve sourced
the best around from the hundreds available out there.
To help you on your way to creating and crafting a
beautiful wedding album or photo book, here’s Digital
Photographer’s ultimate guide.
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digital photographer 97
Wedding albums
KIT BAG4Albums
8
High-end consumer
photobooks
Design and print high quality
photobooks at an affordable price
Landscape S - Hard Cover
it’s all in the detail
Include a mix of portraits of the couple,
group shots and close-up details for a
true record of the day’s events
Company: Bonusprint Price: From £10 Web: www.bonusprint.co.uk
Showcase special wedding images in this small photobook from Bonusprint. The
book will hold 24 to 120 pages and the option to print pages in high gloss will cost
an additional 10 pence per page. The turn-around time from ordering to delivery is
seven working days. These books make great affordable gifts for family and friends.
Bonusprint provide easy to
compile, affordable options
If you want to create your own
wedding album, and budget is a
big consideration, there are
many high-end consumer
websites you can create wedding photobooks from.
If you’re going to go for this option then you need to make sure
you’ve considered the layout of the album and that the images complement
each other. Just because you’ve gone for the budget option doesn’t mean it needs to
look it, so spend some time considering print options of pages and the cover if you’re
going down this route. 8
Square Photobook
Company: MyMemory.com Photo
Price: £20 Web: www.mymemory.com
This book measures 20x20cm and can contain between
26 and 100 pages. Photographs are printed on 300gsm
paper giving the book a durable and weighty feel. The
front cover can be personalised with your own
photograph and text heading.
Think
whether your
shots will suit
the square
format
XL Photo Paper Photobook
Company: CEWE Price: From £45.99
Web: www.photoworld.co.uk
This hardback-cover book measures 30x30cm.
Each image is printed on lustre print paper to
deliver high-quality results. An additional eight
pages cost £10.50 per batch and the album from
day of ordering should arrive within 11 days. This
option is also available on a glossy photo paper
finish for a really pro feel.
“Just because you’ve
gone for the budget
option it doesn’t mean
it needs to look it”
Lay flat, what’s
it all about?
Lay flat is a term referring to when
the pages in the book open up and
lay flush without bending. If you
want to present a large image across
a double-page spread then this is a
great option to consider.
You should avoid placing your
main subject in the middle of the
spread (i.e. in the book spine) as this
will ruin your image. Think about
choosing images with some empty
space in the composition if you want
to add text to the page.
GET
35%
off everything at
mymemory.com
You can conveniently add in
pages in bundles of eight if you need to
(excluding prints)
This example is from Vanilla
(www.vanillaphotobooks.co.uk) and
illustrates the lay-flat format
Use the promo code
DIGIPHOTOWED35
offer ends 30 September 2012
top picks4More budget options that wont break the bank
Photo Book Landscape L
Company: Albelli Price: From £25.95
Web: www.albelli.co.uk
This photobook from
Albelli measures
28x21cm and can be
finished in a high gloss
or lay-flat finish (costing
for these options
varies). For the cover
you can select either linen or real leather. This is a perfect
option to offer clients looking for something extra
special, without breaking the bank.
98 digital photographer
Book/XXL Landscape Photo
Company: Jessops Price: From £55
Web: http://photo.jessops.com/photo-books.html
The XXL
Landscape
photo book
can print up
to 154 pages
and measures
39x28cm.
Personalise the hard front cover with an image or select
the linen or faux leather option. A portrait orientation
book is also available that starts at £46.
Large Square
Company: Bob Books Price: From £37.99
Web: www.bobbooks.co.uk
This hardback book option
from Bob’s books gives brilliant
colours and super-sharp
quality. It has a full wraparound laminate cover and
images are printed on 300gsm
Satin photo paper. The book
offers complete lay-flat binding, showing off doublepages for best results. They are available in a variety of
sizes including Large Square, Landscape and Square.
Photo Book XXL (landscape)
Company: Pixum Price: From £50
Web: www.pixum.co.uk
For those special memories
Pixum’s largest photobook
measures an impressive
42x30cm. Again a
personalised hard cover,
linen or faux-leather option
can be included as the
front cover. With the linen and leather cover option eight
additional pages costs £8 or extra pages with the hard
cover costs £6 per eight.
Large square
Company: Blurb Price: From £33.95
Web: www.blurb.com
Blurb has many
book-printing
options all
located on their
website. For
those looking for
something extra
special take a look into Blurb’s ProLine printing options.
The larger book options make an impressive-looking
album perfect for showcasing your images.
Elegance Photo Book
Company: My Pix Price: From £30
Web: www.mypix.com
For those looking for a
cheaper alternative option
then the Elegance Photo
Book from MyPix.com
works out as great value
for money. Extra pages
are 59 pence and the front
cover can be customised in
a glossy satin finish. The books pages are sewn and not
glued meaning they will be more durable.
digital
digitalphotographer
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Wedding albums
KIT BAG4Albums
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top picks4
The best of the rest
professional products
Premium Photobook
Company: Photobox
Price: From £100
Web: www.photobox.co.uk
To create a Premium
Photobook go online to the
Photobox website, click on
the premium option and
start building your book. The
cover on the premium option
is constructed from a luxury
silk-style padding, which can
be personalised along
with the spine. This
book will hold from 90
up to 120 pages.
Pro wedding
books and albums
Lay-flat wedding photo book
Company: The PhotoBook Store
Price: Prices start from £185
Web: www.thephotobookstore.com
Create a professional-looking wedding
presentation album using these niche products
If you want to offer a pro-finish book that
steers away from the traditional wedding
album, then there are plenty of high-end
options that you can tempt your clients with.
Modern wedding albums display your photos
printed within a completely bound book as opposed
to inserted prints that you find in traditional albums.
If you’re thinking of going down this route
there are plenty of aesthetic aspects to consider,
including things such as the weight of the pages,
whether they come with a presentation box and
what the cover material is made from. Many
companies offer a selection of cover options such
as acrylic, leather and linen. You can also find books
that feature thick glossy card pages as opposed
to regular paper. Get a feel for what your wedding
clients’ tastes are and choose all of these different
options accordingly.
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Make the most of your
double-page spreads with
a lay-flat book like this
wedding album
Lay-flat wedding photo books are bound in genuine
white leather with gold embossed titles. The
pages are printed on HP photo satin paper using
HP inkjet technology to produce amazing
detail and perfect colours. The lay-flat pages
are 1mm thick to allow for double page
spreads, which fold out flush when open, with
no bending. This option is excellent value for
money considering the materials used and the
quality of the handmade product.
Picture boxes
Want to impress your
clients in an alternative
way? Why not present
images in a picture box?
Here are our top picks:
Sim2000
Picture boxes
Company: Photocreator
Price: From £120
Web: www.photocreator.co.uk
This 30x30cm book from
Photocreator comes with a
luxury presentation box. For the
cover either select the genuine
leather option or use a picture teamed with leather spine
and corners. Print images from 30 to 60 pages.
Price: From £25
Web: www.sim2000imaging.com
These hardwearing and scratchresistant keepsake boxes can be
personalised with an image, and
come in a range of sizes.
12” Square Wedding
Layflat Photobook Real Cream Leather
Company: Vanilla
Price: Start at £134.99
Web: vanillaphotobooks.co.uk
The 12 inch square wedding
book from Vanilla offers clients a professional finish and
includes a luxury black presentation box. The album can be
designed from 24 to 60 pages and images are printed onto
Mazina 216gsm paper and include a overall Flood UV gloss
varnish for a quality finish.
Fine Art
Wedding Album
Company: Venice Album
Price: Available on request
Web: www.venicealbum.com
The Venice album range has
been designed to suit your
client’s taste. Whether that
is romantic, casual, modern or classic there’s something
there for everyone. Covers can be personalised with a
photo or crafted from leather or Eco-Leather.
AsukaBook NeoClassic Book ™
Company: Silvanna Album Designs Price: From £448
Web: www.silvannaalbumdesigns.co.uk
The modern design
of this album
includes a unique
slide-in presentation
case and space to
keep a DVD. This
particular album
comes in 8x11 inch
or 10x10 inch with
20, 30 or 40 pages.
100 digital photographer
Double Opening
Dazzle your
clients with this
unique wedding
album format
Company: Avita Albums Price: From £60
Web: www.avitaalbums.com
The double-opening album is a unique
product from Avita. The album opens to
the left and the right, and comes in three
available sizes, 8x8”, 10x8” and 12x8”. The
albums can be made from different
materials including canvas and acrylic.
This gives photographers a unique edge
by offering a new product to clients. All
albums are completed in a leather
briefcase or presentation box.
Folio Albums
Company: Folio Albums
Price: Prices start from £210
Web: www.folioalbums.com
This product has been designed
with simplicity in mind for
photographers and clients. A
bespoke product can be crafted
from a range of options including a
paper selection of art white, art
cotton or gallery cotton, and the
cover can be selected from
contemporary leather, photo cotton
or silk. Prices vary throughout.
The Fine Art album
Company: Colorworld Imaging
Price: Start at £100 Web: www.
colorworldimaging.co.uk
The Fine Art album range from
Colorworld Imaging uses white
un-textured matte paper to
produce beautiful, high-quality
results. Covers can be
selected from their
Renaissance genuineleather covers including
the new Macrosuedes,
Buckrams and
Metallics options.
This is one of the
latest products
from the
company.
A chic, yet
modern
finish
like this is
timeless
Venice Album –
Book box
Price: From €52.50
Web: www.venicealbum.
com
This elegant way to preserve
images and present albums
to clients can be personalised
with a cover image.
Brodies Portfolios
Price: From £130
Web: www.
brodiesportfolios.
com
These boxes are
made to order and
can be crafted
from leather, vinyl
or cloth. Boxes
come with a
clamshell
opening. If you
want to go a
step further, a
bag can also be
made for the box.
digital photographer 101
Wedding albums
KIT BAG4Albums
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Pro traditional albums Bellissimo Apertura
Impress clients by presenting their images in the very best wedding albums
If you’re shooting a fancy wedding, you’re client is more than likely to expect
immaculate presentation. At the top-end of the wedding album market there is a
vast range to choose from, with a huge number of different approaches that vary from
a traditional album style to something with a more modern finish. Once again, think
about the extra details such as presentation boxes and all the other final touches you
can add, which help to make their wedding album, and memories, extra special.
We’ve narrowed down the search and found what we think to be the crème de la
DP
crème of high-end wedding photography albums for you to offer your clients.
Company: Loxley Color Price: Prices start at £280 Web: www.loxleycolour.com
The Bellissimo Apertura is a luxury wedding album supplied in a hand crafted box.
The album comes in three sizes 14×14, 12×12 and 10×10 inches square and there
are four mount options to choose from. You can include up to 40 pages.
Make an
impression
with this
handcrafted
album
Become an
approved
supplier
Many high-end wedding
album manufacturers will
only supply their
products and services to
pro photographers. This
ensures their products
always look great and are
not tarnished with poor
photographic work.
Graphistudio is one of
the largest wedding book
producers in the world
and is one such company
that requires proof that
you are a full or part-time
professional wedding
photographer before you
can offer their products
to your clients.
In order to become an
approved supplier visit
www.graphistudio.com
and fill out the
Photographers Inquiry
Form. You will then be
contacted by a
representative who will
ask for proof of your work.
It helps if you have a body
of work online to show off
your skills.
Siena
Company: Album Epoca
Price: Available on request
Web: www.albumepoca.com
Album Epoca have a vast
range of wedding conceptrelated albums on offer to
the pro photographer. The
classic Sienna comes in
brown or ivory bookmark,
with the option for gold or
silver page edges. The cover
is constructed from leather
and linen.
Select a high-end finish to
really give the wow-factor
Duo
Company: Queensberry Price: Available on request Web: www.queensberry.com
Mario Acerboni,
Tethus Luxury Black
25 Black Leaves
This classic option from the New Zealand-based company Queensberry, uses a
contemporary mix of matted, full bleed and flushmount pages combining style and
elegance in one album. This album is sure to keep the fussiest of clients content.
Company: Parker Photographics
Limited Price: £428.74
Web: www.parker-photo.co.uk
The Mario Acerboni range available from
Parker Photographics will not disappoint
those with high standards. This album is
available in QL (14x11 inches) or AL (10x10
inches) sizes in the Acerboni Luxury Leaf
system with either black or white leaves. Allow
six to eight weeks for delivery.
These sleek, wipe-clean albums
are perfect for showcasing work
Go classic with this chic and simple design
Matted Album
Company: Sim2000 Price: Available on request Web: www.sim2000imaging.com
The elegant Matted Album has a
timeless look and feel. The mounts
come in a choice of black and cream
and the cover can be crafted from
leather or suede. The layout can be
designed through the free SimWare
software and images will then be
individually checked and colour
corrected to ensure quality results.
“If you’re shooting a
fancy wedding you’re
client is going to
expect immaculate
presentation.”
Sim2000 make
colour correction a
top priority
Latina Album
25 pages
Company: One Vision Imaging
Ltd Price: £231.75 excluding VAT
Web: www.onevisionimaging.com
This 12x12 inch wedding album
is available in four sizes (prices
vary) and comes in a black or
white finish. Have total
confidence in the final
outcome, as the company
offers a complete print and
build service.
One Visio take full control
of the production process
top picks4High-end products to suit your clients needs
Kensington Wedding Album
Company: Aspinal of
London Price: £120
Web: aspinaloflondon.com
This handmade album is
hard bound and comes
complete with 50 acid-free
cream card pages. You can
personalise the leather
front cover by embossing
names and dates in gold foil.
The classic design exudes
traditional charm.
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Major Professional
Company: Heritage Photo Albums Price: From
£104.48 Web: www.heritagephotoalbums.co.uk
This complete wedding album system with overlay
mounts and pages from Hertitage Photo Albums will
hold 60 5x7 inch
photographs.
The leather grain
cover comes in
various colours
and a gift box
is also supplied
with the album.
The Designer Album
Company: Albums Australia Price: Available on
request Web: www.albumsaustralia.com.au
This
elegant and
professional
album
includes both
mat-style
pages and
flush mount pages. A special lip mechanism joins the
pages eliminating wear and tear, making this a great
option as the client’s main wedding album.
Desire
Company: GFSmith Price: Available on request
Web: www.gfsmithphotomount.co.uk
This wedding album is
bound in soft faux leather,
and comes as standard
in black or ivory, but if the
client wishes to customselect another colour,
there is the option. The
Desire Album comes in
sizes of A3, 14x10 inch,
12x12 inch, and A4.
Colorworld’s Lifestyle range
Company: Colorworld Imaging Price: Start at £89
Web: www.colorworldimaging.co.uk
These albums are
available in sizes 8x8
inch, 10x10 inch and
12x12 inch with a
maximum page count
of 12 double spreads.
Colorworld’s Lifestyle
range comes with extrathick pages making it sturdy, durable and perfect for a
small wedding photograph album.
Crystal glass cover
Company: Avita Albums Price: From £60
Web: www.avitaalbums.com
The crystal
glass is an
upgrade from
the normal
acrylic cover.
It is harderwearing than
a normal acrylic, and looks classy with no difference
in weight compared to the acrylic. This product is only
available in 12x18 inch.
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