If you’re considering purchasing a wedding album you probably have tonnes of questions. On this page, you’ll find answers to most of the common questions that brides and grooms have regarding their albums, the design process, the printing process and the overall quality of the products. The answers to some of the questions are quite general while others are geared specifically to how Ten·2·Ten Photography produces albums. If you’re not a client of Ten·2·Ten Photography, you’re more than welcome to read our article but I do suggest that you ask your own photographer for their answers to these very same questions as different businesses operate in different manners.
If you find that you have questions that aren’t address in this section, please feel free to email us at info@ten2tenphotography.com and we will be happy to add it to our list!
Is this whole FAQ section just a big sales pitch?
It’s a great question – and you know, there’s a reason why I put this first on the list! If you’ve taken the time to have a consult with me, you’ll know that I am not the ‘sales pitch’ kind of gal. I’m more of a “tell it as it is” type of person. I included a wedding album FAQ section on my website because I want my clients (or anyone reason this page for that matter) to make an informed decision when it comes to their wedding albums.
This still sounds like a salespitch… convince me otherwise.
Would I like it if you bought an album from me? Yes, yes I would. Will I manipulate you and guilt you into buying that album from me? No, no I wont. I would love to be able to sell an album to all of my clients for several reason – the most important being that when my clients buy a professional album from me, my work looks GREAT in it! Sounds selfish, I know – but it’s true. I take the utmost care when it comes to editing my photos and, in a perfect world, they would only ever be displayed as professional, color-corrected, ultra high resolution images. When clients use their DVD of images to create their own DIY albums, the colour, quality, sharpness and overall design of the album pales in comparison to a pro album and as they show this DIY album to their friends, my work inevitably ends up being judged based on the quality of the album. I don’t like it when my work is judged on factors that are beyond my control but I understand that some people are dead set on making their own album no matter what so that’s why I include a print release in all of my wedding packages.
Are modern couples buying wedding albums?
Yes, modern couples are buying wedding albums. Granted, it’s not like it used to be in the “old days” though! Back in the good ol’ days of film, you had no choice but to buy an album full of prints if you wanted to get your photos. There was no “everything on DVD” option back then. Nowadays, you’ll still find that there are a lot of couples who are buying albums because they are savvy shoppers and know the value of the product they are receiving. There are; however, still couples who are opting to simply look at their photos on their computer/from the DVD and some that make their own albums; but at least 3 out of 4 brides who are shoppers for photographers in the mid-price range (ie: $2,000-$4,000) purchase some type of album of large wall print.
Do I really need a wedding album?
Only you truly know if you need an album. Although it’s true that a large portion of modern brides and grooms are investing in professional products (be it albums or prints) only you can assess your own needs and determine which route is best for you. If you want an album but are concerned about the financial investment, talk to your photographer and discuss the option of creating a payment plan.
What’s the difference between traditional binding and lay-flat/flushmount binding?
Lay-flat (also known as ‘flushmount’) albums are bound in a special manner which allows the book to open a full 180-degrees without any bumps or lumps in the middle. This allows you to showcase a picture in the middle of the book and not lose any of the image inside the binding of the book. Traditionally bound books have that “bump” in the middle so that the albums don’t lay totally flat when lied down. Take a peek at the images in our wedding album sample pricing – you’ll see that the traditional Hardcover book has a distinctive “bump” in the middle while the Lay-Flat and NeoClassic books lie perfectly flat.
Do I really need the special add-ons like a protective box or a dust jacket?
No – add-ons such as boxes and dust jackets are not essential to a wedding album although they do have both a practical purpose as well as add a touch of beauty and uniqueness to your product.
Do you use drag & drop templates to create our album?
Absolutely not! There are many companies that sell photoshop album templates for photographers but, personally, I’m not a fan. When I design an album, all the designs come straight from my own imagination. My album layouts are like fingerprints: each one is unique to the couple!
What is a ‘side’? What’s the difference between a “side” or a “page”?
Often times client get confused between the term “20-side album” or “20-page” album. Some companies may have a different definition of ‘side’ and ‘page’ but for Ten·2·Ten Photography, every page has 2 sides. If I were to tell you to go to your printer and get me a page of paper, you would come back with 1 sheet of paper, right? And that page of paper has two sides – the front side and the back side.
Hopefully that’s cleared things up.
How many photos can I fit in an album?
Because the albums are designed by us without the use of any templates, we can fit as many photos into the album as you would like. In order to keep a particular style to your album; however, we recommend the following:
- 0.5-1 images per side: Album style is very modern and chique. A beautiful way to showcase your fine-art style wedding photos.
- 1-1.5 images per side: Allows for showcasing of your favourite photos while still maintaining storybook feel that tells the story of your day without distraction.
- 2-2.5 images per side: A story book style album that combines many photos to tell a story without the option for larger displays (ie: more of a ‘collage style’)
- 2.5-3 images per side: Adding this many photos per page can start to cause a lack of photos as well as distraction in the overall album flow. Although one or two spreads can feature this many photos (often used for reception candids) we recommend a cleaner, sleeker design for your professional quality product. If a client truly wishes to have this many photos per page, we recommend large sizes such as 12×12, 10×15 or even 16×20 (a special size we can order from our suppliers).
How many sides/pages should my album have?
The majority of brides and grooms opt for a 30-side album; however we offer everything from 20 pages to 60 pages. Chat with your photographer about the style of album you want and what you’d like to feature in your album and they can help estimate the number of sides you require. Some couples choose to showcase only their formal photos in their album while others include everything; from details to dancing.
How long does it take for me to get my album?
Once the final layout goes to print, the printing process takes approximately 8 weeks but can vary slightly based on the companies seasonal workload. (Orders that go in around the holidays may take longer as it is their busy season.)
Where do you get your albums from?
There are two different companies that I use for album printing. The first company is called AsukaBook and the second company is called Forbeyon.
Do I have access to those sites to see what your cost actually is?
You are always welcome to view the Asukabook site as well as peruse the Forbeyon page; however, registration is limited to professional photographers with proper licenses and tax ID#’s.
When you purchase a professional wedding album from your photographer, you’re paying for not only the cost of the supplies of the album but also for the professional design of the album (and depending on the photographer, the cost of revisions may be included, too). When I determine the cost of a wedding album, this is how I break it down:
Cost of the materials + Taxes + Shipping Fees + Design Fee
Even if you ended up with access to the companies price lists and knew what my costs were, it really wouldn’t matter as I don’t mark-up my materials cost: I make my profit on the design fee associated with the preparing the album. There is generally about 35-45 hours of design time per 30 page album.
Why do you use Asukabook and Forbeyon as your album providers?
There are many album companies that professional photographers can use and, like public labs, they come in a variety of qualities. I’ve seen the quality of other professional album companies and I’m not impressed. I love Asuka and Forbeyon because their albums are built to last and put together with the kind of care and quality that you can only get when you’re dealing with print houses who are truly passionate about what they do.
Asukabook and Forbeyon are not the cheapest album providers: my material cost is higher than if I were to go with other companies, but as I said above – my profit comes from the design fee and there is no markup on the materials. This is how I can offer these extremely high quality items to my clients at prices that other GTA wedding photographers have a difficult time competing with.
What size of wedding album do brides and grooms normally get?
Brides and grooms opt for either 10×10, 12×12 or 15×10 albums. If their parents order albums, they typically order slightly smaller sizes such as 8×8 or 8×10. Sometimes brides and grooms will opt for ‘pocket albums’ as mementos for their bridal party; the miniature 5×5 softcover album is perfect for this!
How come it costs me $50 bucks to make an album online, but I have to pay you several hundred dollars? What gives?
Boy, this sure opens a big old barrel of worms. I have an entirely separate page written about the pros and cons of professional wedding albums and I would encourage you to read through that if you want a thorough answer. If you’re looking for the condensed version, here it is: DIY albums are made from a DVD of .jpeg images while pro albums are made from the ultra high-resolution raw files. The colour, sharpness and clarity achieved from these pro files far surpasses anything you can get from a jpeg no matter how ‘professional’ a DIY site claims to be. DIY sites do not offer colour calibration so your colour is often skewed from what a pro album would be and a DIY album is not built to last. You get what you pay for! If you want cheap, you’ll get cheap.
Do I get discounts if I buy multiple albums?
Yes, I offer a 10% reprint discount on any regularly priced album. Reprint discounts are available for identical shape, size and style of album.
Where can I view an album price list?
I think hiding prices is stupid so I have everything on display for the public. Because my pricing sheet is so vast, you can view sample pricing here or, if you want to tackle a look through the massive wedding album pricing sheet, you can download a PDF copy of it right here. All my prices include the applicable taxes – that means that what you see is what you pay!
Walk me through the process of buying an album – what happens and how long to things take?
- You tell me you want to buy an album.
- We discuss your style, your vision for your album and discuss the size of album that may best suit your needs.
- Once you’re happy with the size and style you’ve chosen, an invoice goes out and a 50% deposit is required prior to the design beginning.
- When the deposit is received, the design begins. This can take several weeks depending on seasonal workload and the size of the album being designed.
- I present an online proof of the layout to you. You get given the opportunity to make changes (ie: Proofing #1)
- If you want to make changes, I’ll go back to the drawing board and make the necessary adjustments. The amount of time this takes depends on seasonal workload and the complexity of the changes that are required. If you don’t want to make changes, you can make your final payment and it can go to print!
- If you decided to make changes to the album, I make the necessary adjustments and then present you with another online proof of the layout. You get given the opportunity to make further changes (ie: Proofing #2)
- If you want to continue making changes, you can. If you’re happy – it can go to print.
- Every client gets 2 opportunities to make changes (ie: proofing session #1 + #2)
- If you want a third, fourth, etc. proofing session there is an additional charge for that – but to be honest, no one has ever needed it!
- Once you’re happy with the final layout, you make your final payment and it goes to print.
- The album prints and ships to me. I examine it for any physical flaws or damage that may have occurred during shipping. (I’ve never had an album damaged – they ship in massive boxes with several layers of protective materials – but I like to have a look anyways!)
- You come and pick up your beautiful album!
When do I need to pay you for my album?
Payment is done in 2 installations: installation #1 is due prior to the design process beginning and installation #2 is due prior to the album going to print.
Why do you offer early bird discounts on wedding albums?
There are 2 main reasons that I offer discounts for early-bird purchases and here’s #1: As much as you may not want to hear this: life goes on after the wedding ends! Brides and grooms become newlyweds and that get a new house, move in and redecorate, go back to work, start having families, etc. As life goes on, some newlyweds forget about their albums and prints and never get around to ordering them and frankly, that’s really sad! I offer the discount to encourage brides and grooms to get all the final details (ie: albums) taken care of ahead of time.
Reason #2: Offering early bird type discounts helps me estimate my workload better. Although I’d be happy to make your album for you 11.5 months after you walk down the aisle, I would prefer getting it done earlier (ie: I’d prefer not to be making 2011 albums in summer of 2012 when I’m shooting those weddings).
What if I change my mind after I give the okay for the album to be printed?
Some things in life are final and your official “okay to print” is one of them. Our clients get given 2 opportunities to proof for free and have additional proofing opportunities available for a small fee. We also meet in person and have countless email and phone discussions about your wants and needs regarding albums. There is plenty of time to change your mind during the consults/emails/phone calls/proofing sessions but once the album goes to print, there is no ‘going back’.
Why do I have to pay the balance before the album goes to print?
The payment installment #1 pays for the design fee of the album. Then you pay installment #2 before it goes to print as the majority of installment #2 covers the materials fee/taxes/shipping that I am charged by the print house. If you want it printed, you have to pay the 2nd installment – pretty simple.
What if I’m not satisfied with my purchase? What if I don’t want to keep it?
The only reason to not be satisfied with the album is if there’s physical damage to the album that may have occurred during the shipping process. I always examine the albums for quality before handing them over to clients so that in the event that the album were damaged, I could address the issue promptly with the printhouse. When you come to pick up your album, you’ve paid for it completely and it is yours. If you don’t want to keep it for whatever reason, it would make a lovely gift for your parents or in-laws.
How long do I have to order the album?
I keep all of your digital files (the ultra high res raw images) for 365 days from your wedding date. Your album deposit must be placed within those 365 days.
I want an album but I don’t know if I can afford the 50% deposit right away. Do you offer payment plans?
Unlike car dealerships, I don’t offer financing – but I am willing to negotiate a payment schedule if the client truly is in need of it. Whether you purchase an album and pay for it in two instalments or we work out a payment plan, the design will only begin after the first 50% of the total cost has been received. If you are currently a client and wish to order an album yet feel like you may benefit from discussing payment plans, please email me for more information.
How can I purchase a wedding album without breaking the bank – do you have a registry for wedding albums?
I don’t have a registry per se but I do sell Printed Media Gift Certificates in any amount. If you want a pro album but feel you cannot afford it, I recommend sharing this info with your family and friends and asking for our gift certificates as wedding gifts. If you’ve like more information about our Printed Media Gift Certificates, simply follow this link.
Why are you so willing to answer these questions openly and honestly?
If you’ve read through this whole list of questions and answers you probably have realized that I take a rather open and candid approach with my clients. I don’t believe in keeping secrets – wedding planning is stressful enough without your photographer being elusive and vague. In my experience, honesty and openness are two crucial components of a great relationship with my clients.
If you have any other questions regarding wedding albums, please feel free to contact me at info@ten2tenphotography.com and I will add it to the list!
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