Photographer's Guide to Wedding Album Design and Sales PDF
Preview Photographer's Guide to Wedding Album Design and Sales
P H O T O G R A P H E R ’ S G U I D E T O Wedding Album Design and Sales Second Edition BOB COATES Amherst Media ® PUBLISHEROFPHOTOGRAPHYBOOKS Copyright©2008byBobCoates. Allrightsreserved. FrontandbackcoverphotographsbyBobCoates. Publishedby: AmherstMedia,Inc. P.O.Box586 Buffalo,N.Y.14226 Fax:716-874-4508 www.AmherstMedia.com Publisher:CraigAlesse SeniorEditor/ProductionManager:MichellePerkins AssistantEditor:BarbaraA.Lynch-Johnt EditorialAssistance:JohnS.Loder,CareyA.Maines ISBN-13:978-1-58428-235-8 LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2007942658 PrintedinKorea. 10987654321 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, me- chanical,photocopied,recordedorotherwise,withoutpriorwrittenconsentfromthepublisher. Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the author’s experience and opinions. The authorandpublisherwillnotbeheldliablefortheuseormisuseoftheinformationinthisbook. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ..............................6 AlbumDesignandProduction .................29 AlbumProduction ...........................6 FinalThoughts ............................29 AlbumDesign ..............................9 AboutThisBook ............................9 4. BOB COATES .............................30 Marketing ................................30 1. AMANDA SUDIMACK .......................10 Consultations ..............................30 FilmorDigital? ............................10 Pricing ...................................31 ImageEditing .............................10 WorkingwithanAssistant ....................31 AlbumDesign .............................11 Workflow .................................33 AlbumTypesandProduction ..................13 AlbumDesign .............................33 AdditionalAlbumOpportunities ...............15 AlbumProduction ..........................34 SellingAlbums .............................15 FinalThoughts ............................35 FinalThoughts ............................16 2. YERVANT ...............................17 MarketingandCustomerService ...............17 EngagementPortraits .......................18 TheWeddingDay ..........................19 Workflow .................................20 Pricing ...................................21 AlbumDesign .............................21 AlbumProduction ..........................23 FinalThoughts ............................23 nt. 3. ANDY AND BRIAN MARCUS ..................24 Yerva MarketingandCustomerService ...............24 by n g Pricing ...................................25 esi d d TheWeddingDay ..........................25 an es g DeliveringtheImages .......................28 ma I TABLEOFCONTENTS3 5. JEFF AND KATHLEEN HAWKINS ...............36 nk. Marketing ................................36 uissi B Advertising ...............................39 oe J by TheConsultation ...........................39 h p a PrivateTimeontheWeddingDay ..............40 ogr ot h Workflow .................................40 P AlbumDesignandProduction .................41 FinalThoughts ............................41 6. KEN SKLUTE .............................42 EngagementSessionandConsultation ...........42 SalesandMarketing .........................44 Pricing ...................................45 Workflow .................................45 AlbumProduction ..........................47 FinalThoughts ............................47 7. MICHAEL AYERS ..........................49 AttractingClients ...........................49 ConsultationandPricing .....................49 AlbumDesign .............................52 AlbumProduction ..........................52 PresentingtheAlbum .......................54 FinalThoughts ............................54 10. MARIE LABBANCZ ........................69 8. JOE BUISSINK ...........................55 Workflow .................................69 Marketing ................................55 Pricing ...................................71 SalesandCustomerService ...................57 AlbumDesign .............................72 Pricing ...................................59 Marketing ................................73 AlbumDesign .............................59 FinalThoughts ............................74 FinalThoughts ............................61 11. MARTIN SCHEMBRI .......................75 9. KEVIN AND CLARE KUBOTA ..................62 Marketing ................................75 WorkflowandProofing ......................62 ConsultationsandCustomerService ............75 AlbumDesign .............................64 EngagementPortraits .......................76 AlbumProductionandMarketing ..............65 Pricing ...................................76 Pricing ...................................67 TheWeddingDay ..........................78 AdditionalAlbums ..........................67 WorkflowandAlbumDesign ..................78 FinalThoughts ............................68 AlbumSales ...............................79 FinalThoughts ............................81 4PHOTOGRAPHER’SGUIDETOWEDDINGALBUMDESIGNANDSALES 12. CHARLES AND JENNIFER MARING ............82 15. SUSAN AND STEWART POWERS .............103 ExcellenceinPrinting .......................82 AttheWedding ...........................103 ConsultationandCustomerService .............82 Workflow ................................103 Pricing ...................................85 Proofing ................................104 AdditionalProducts .........................86 AlbumDesignandProduction ................106 Workflow .................................87 Pricing ..................................107 AlbumDesign .............................88 Marketing ...............................108 AlbumProduction ..........................88 OtherAlbumTypes ........................109 FinalThoughts ............................88 FinalThoughts ...........................109 13. BRIAN AND JUDITH SHINDLE ...............89 APPENDIX1 GettingStarted ............................90 ALBUM DESIGN OVERVIEW ...................110 LocationandFirstImpressions .................91 Covers ..................................110 Marketing ................................91 Slip-InBooks .............................110 CustomerService ...........................91 BoundBooks .............................111 Pricing ...................................92 Reversible .............................111 GiftCertificates ............................92 FlushMount ...........................112 Service(andSales)Opportunities ...............92 MagazineStyle .........................112 TheWedding ..............................93 PressBooks ............................113 Workflow .................................94 ImageBoxes .............................113 AlbumProduction ..........................95 ImageArchives ............................95 APPENDIX2 FinalThoughts ............................95 ALBUM DESIGN TERMS ......................114 TypesofAlbums ..........................114 14. JB AND DEETTE SALLEE ....................96 CoverDesignTreatments ....................115 SalesandPricing ...........................96 OtherBookParts ..........................116 TheWeddingDay ..........................96 Workflow .................................97 APPENDIX3 AlbumDesign .............................98 ALBUM MANUFACTURERS AND SUPPLIERS ........118 AlbumProduction .........................101 WeddingAlbumManufacturers ...............118 OtherAlbumTypes ........................101 WeddingAlbumSuppliers ...................121 FinalThoughts ...........................102 INDEX ..................................123 ImagesanddesignbyJBandDeEtteSallee. Introduction Change is inevitable—and it’s happening at an ever- availabletophotographers.Theadditionofpress-printed quickeningpaceinthedigitalrealm.Onlyfiveyears albumshasaddedimmenselytothemix. ago I was asking photographers about digital pho- Many photographers, if not most, are now using tography and finding many stalwarts who “would never digital exclusively and printing their own images using godigital.”Thesedays,it’sgettingharderandharderto findanyonewhoisshootingfilm.Thosewhodoremain There has recently been tendtobehybridshooterswhousebothfilmanddigital, claimingtherighttoolfortherightjob. an explosion in the choices that are available to photographers. Album Production Thatsamerapidpaceofchangehasoccurredinthepro- duction of albums. Where there used to be a few major the latest ink-jet technologies. As a result, many photo players and some smaller fringe album companies, there labs, in an effort to stay in business, have purchased has recently been an explosion in the choices that are album-bindingequipmentandaddeddigitaldesignserv- bri. m e h Sc n arti M by n g esi d d n a es g a m I 6PHOTOGRAPHER’SGUIDETOWEDDINGALBUMDESIGNANDSALES Im a g e s a n d d e sig n b y B ria n a n d Ju d ith S h in d le. icestohelpmeetthedemandsoftoday’sphotographers. Yet, while there have never been more choices avail- Some are, frankly, not so good—but many are setting able to photographers when it comes to album types, the bar higher and higher in an effort to stave off new production methods, and finishing options, every inno- competition. vation seems to be a double-edged sword. With all the INTRODUCTION7 nt. a Yerv by n g esi d d n a es g a m I choicesavailable,itcanbedifficulttosettleonanysingle tured linen paper and metallic and silk covers available album company. Most album companies offer various from GraphiStudio offer another look that my clients linessoyoucanhavedifferentproductsavailableforyour enjoyasanalternative. clients, but each facet of each line has its strengths and NotonlyarethechoiceshereintheU.S.expanding, weaknesses.Noonecompanyhasthebestofeverytypeof opportunities are growing worldwide. With digital files album.Forexample,IstilluseLeatherCraftsmenformy noweasilytransferredviatheInternet,albumcompanies traditionalbindingandflush-mountalbums,butthetex- fromAustralia,Japan,France,Britain,andItalyaremar- 8PHOTOGRAPHER’SGUIDETOWEDDINGALBUMDESIGNANDSALES keting their services very aggressively to American pho- This book is more than a “place this picture here” tographers. As a result, researching a complete list of guide.Checkoutthesephotographers’ideas.Takesome albumcompaniesforthisbook(seeappendixthree)was inspiration from this photographer, a slice of guidance harder than ever. At the recent PPA and WPPI conven- fromthatone,andtwistanideafromanother.Whenyou tions the number of companies promoting album pro- haveharvestedallyoucanandmeldedtheideastogether, ductionwasphenomenal.I’vedonemybesttobringyou youwillhaveaproductthatisuniquetoyourbusiness. acomprehensivelistofwhat’scurrentlyavailableandwill When I decided that producing wedding albums was apologize in advance for any that are missed—or, as will an artform that preserves the couple’s wedding memo- inevitably be the case, the new start-ups or failures since ries, I started searching for information on how to pro- thelistwascompiled.TheonlyconstantIpredictforthe ceed. I found none on the bookshelf, but got some tips nextcoupleofyearswillbechange. fromotherphotographers.Igatheredmoreinformation at trade shows, but it was rife with sales hype. While I Album Design eventuallyfoundtheproductsandsystemsthatnowwork Anotherareaofgrowthisinthenumberofalbumdesign forme,ittookyears.IhopethatthisneweditionofThe houses and the software available for designing albums. Photographer’sGuidetoWeddingAlbumDesignandSales Due to the especially volatile nature of this category, I will help make the process easier for you than it was for haven’tattemptedtocompilealistoftheseservices.Just me—andthatitwillsaveyoubothtimeandmoney. beawarethattherearelotsofoptions;you’llneedtodo someresearchtodeterminewhatwillbestfityourneeds andworkflow.IshouldalsonotethatIproduceinstruc- tional wedding album design DVDs through Software Cinema(www.software-cinema.com)thatteachyouhow touseAdobePhotoshoptolayoutalbums.Threeother photographersinthisbookalsoselltheirownalbumde- signsoftware:YervantoffersPageGallery,MartinSchem- brisellsYSI(YouSelectIt),andKevinKubotahascreated AutoAlbum.Allareworthcheckingout. About This Book This book contains information from top professional photographers who have been in the business for many years and have found solutions that work for them. Throughtheseinterviews,Ifoundthatalbumdesignac- Im tuallybeginswithmarketingandisshapedbysuchthings ag e s as the interview with the bride and groom, the proof- an d d presentationmethod,thealbumcompany,andmore.In esig n fact, as you read this book, you’ll see that every part of by B o yourbusinesshelpstoshapeyouralbumdesign.Because bC o a marketing and business ideas are so important, I started tes. aphotographers’websiteandmonthlynewslettertoad- dresstheseissues:www.successful-photographer.com. INTRODUCTION9
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