Need Album in 3 Weeks

[a2rob]

forbeyon denied my request eatlier this year to register with them. They stated that I was not a professional photographer. So I decided to stay with Graphistudio.com. Got to love their metal covers.. Black River Imaging is my another favorite album company, but you will have to design your own studio album..

[The Loft Studios]

EXACTLY.....
How can some photographers not have a Studio, meet a client in a Coffee Shop and claim to have shot an elegant Wedding in Venice
Most if not all Sample Albums have a fews pages of one particular wedding and then a few pages of another and so on..... How can anyone claim this as their work, not to mention the wording that describes the type of finish and paper that is written throughout the Album from page to page. I show my Wedding Albums as my work and then show the Sample Albums to give them an idea of the different textures of paper as well as other features and options that manufactures have to offer. I get a lot of Bride wanting to mix different surfaces and textures of prints together in one Album. And unless you have many of your own albums to present to them showing all of these options, your best bet is to go with a Sample Album. And 6-7 years ago, Album Companies were not "giving" away their Samples..... you had to purchase them.

Originally Posted by AllenAyres

There have been some funny stories I've read about photographers who used those same albums... and while they may have not explicitly claimed the work was theirs, they may have forgot to mention that it wasn't - particularly the graphi (apparently it isn't as obvious the photographer handing them the album didn't shoot the wedding in Venice ;) ).

There were some quite irate brides when they'd see the album in mulitple studios - one photographer went so far as to actually claim the images as his, that the family cried when he showed them his work, and that the company liked him so much they paid him to include his images in their sample :D

[ronocnikral]

Originally Posted by The Loft Studios

I never made the statement that I was showing them the Album as my work..... for you to assume that is "bad practice".
I was showing them the Album so they could get an understanding of the quality, build and look. It's clearly printed on the Album that it's a "Sample" as well as it's printed who the "many" photographers are that appear in the Albums.
At the time I needed the Albums, I didn't have the time to build 4 or 5 Albums and send them off for several weeks to have manufactured..... and I wanted these specific "Brand" albums and no other.

i still think it is bad practice. why would you want to show something that doesn't have your work in it? we know sample albums are needed, so why delay (rhetorical, i'm not really interested in hearing why)? maybe it worked out for you, and i hope it did. but, i think we can all agree that showing your work in an album is better than showing someone else's in an album. and while I understand there can be extenuating circumstances, i would never advise to do order a company's sample.

i would only call it unethical if people didn't explain that it isn't their work, whether you "forget to mention it" or if you claim it is yours. and certainly, from what I know about your situation, I wouldn't say what you did is unethical.

[The Loft Studios]

Originally Posted by ronocnikral

i still think it is bad practice. why would you want to show something that doesn't have your work in it?

I explained earlier why I show Sample Albums, for all of the paper textures, features and options that an Album Company offers, no other.

Originally Posted by ronocnikral

We know sample albums are needed, so why delay (rhetorical, i'm not really interested in hearing why)? maybe it worked out for you, and i hope it did. but, i think we can all agree that showing your work in an album is better than showing someone else's in an album. and while I understand there can be extenuating circumstances, i would never advise to do order a company's sample.

I can't understand what makes you think that my clients didn't view "my work". I had several of the Art Leather Futura Traditional 8x10 Albums to show them, (which I did), along with 16x20 Wall Portraits, but I had no Flush Mount Digital Albums at that point and time. They wanted to view a "Flush Mount Custom Digital Album" with all of the borders and effects that go along with it. Again, I explained earlier since I didn't have the proper time to design 4-5 of newer style albums, and send them out, and wait for the 4-6 week turn around, purchasing the Sample Albums was my best option.

Originally Posted by ronocnikral

I would only call it unethical if people didn't explain that it isn't their work, whether you "forget to mention it" or if you claim it is yours.

I TOTALLY agree.....

[toverman]

I think if you were going for just one album to show a client now, you might build an album of a complete wedding (like the one you photographed recently). It would have to have good flow and design that tells the story and really shows what they would be getting by hiring you. But I'd also take along a portfolio of prints as big as you can stand (no smaller than 8x10, in my opinion, and even that is on the smallish side for sparking sales).

[ronocnikral]

Originally Posted by The Loft Studios

I explained earlier why I show Sample Albums, for all of the paper textures, features and options that an Album Company offers, no other.

Brian, I would suggest swatches and paper samples. i would also suggest getting a sample album, with your work and design, that you want to sell with all the bells and whistles. as i said earlier, show how you want to sell. We also take out some swatches that we don't like (usually cheaper options) to keep from confusing clients. If you present too many options, it can confuse them. We have had great success presenting a couple options and letting people pick from there (the choice is more around colors, not if they should add a cameo or not). People pick us for our style and trust us when we pick something out for them. About 85% of our clients end up getting an album, and very few get anything different from what we show, that also means they skip the base size of 10x10, b/c we don't show it. may be a good number, may be bad, but we are happy with it. ymmv.

mark probably has great success too. our experience has just been to keep it simple.

[a2rob]

Originally Posted by The Loft Studios

I explained earlier why I show Sample Albums, for all of the paper textures, features and options that an Album Company offers, no other.




I can't understand what makes you think that my clients didn't view "my work". I had several of the Art Leather Futura Traditional 8x10 Albums to show them, (which I did), along with 16x20 Wall Portraits, but I had no Flush Mount Digital Albums at that point and time. They wanted to view a "Flush Mount Custom Digital Album" with all of the borders and effects that go along with it. Again, I explained earlier since I didn't have the proper time to design 4-5 of newer style albums, and send them out, and wait for the 4-6 week turn around, purchasing the Sample Albums was my best option.




I TOTALLY agree.....

....agree with Mark on this issue..

[bhurdle]

OK... First, I didn't realize so many posts were here. I thought I'd get them in emails but you only get one or two I guess.

Second, thanks for the advice... all of it. A photog I consult with from time to time in Atlanta (almasy.com) suggested PictoBooks because of their Bijou line of albums. Basically a "budget" album. I got in touch with them and they have a good turn around for that line... the others are still 4-6 weeks.

They also have studio sample albums. I was going to make a Bijou album and "check-out" one of the nicer samples. Now... based on all the advice, I'm not sure if I should. I was planning on showing my album as a "parent" album but showing the others also.

Now I gotta make a 10-16 spread album pretty quickly. My wife suggested a portfolio album when asked the PictoBook rep suggested an album from one wedding to show a bride that I can handle a full wedding. I'll have to think on it overnight.

Thanks, All.

Brian

[ronocnikral]

PictoBooks is awesome!! It is our best seller. I would suggest going up to the signature line. 1. If you show the bijou, you will sell the bijou. when i said we eliminated some swatches from our inventory the bijou swatches were some of them. sell something that will give your name a little more expensive feel. 2. with the signature line you get PB's awesome presentation box, you don't get that with the bijou. 3. you mentioned a parent album, duplicate discounting with picto is only available in the signature line. although, the bijou is cheaper than any duplicate pricing. I understand the signature is more expensive...

I also agree with what the picto rep said...just me though. good luck!

[toverman]

I agree with the Pictobook rep, mainly because I said that up above. If you want to sell albums, show what a couple can expect by showing a complete wedding. Supplement that with a portfolio of prints showcased in a professional way (a nice art portfolio can work well in a pinch).

[Bennie]

Originally Posted by AllenAyres

There have been some funny stories I've read about photographers who used those same albums... and while they may have not explicitly claimed the work was theirs, they may have forgot to mention that it wasn't - particularly the graphi (apparently it isn't as obvious the photographer handing them the album didn't shoot the wedding in Venice ;) ).

There were some quite irate brides when they'd see the album in mulitple studios - one photographer went so far as to actually claim the images as his, that the family cried when he showed them his work, and that the company liked him so much they paid him to include his images in their sample :D

I've know people that have done that too. Same type of folks that lift images off of other people's site and then claim an assistant did it, or whatever. Sad.