Business | Unsolicited Advice- Comparing Apples to Apples (for brides!!)

Today I want to chat about something couples seeking a wedding photographer should know.

Some of you may have heard that we decided to make some changes to our wedding pricing structure. For the last 2.5 years we have been strictly a la carte. Meaning, everything you purchase, you choose from a list… nothing is “packaged” together. We liked it this way because our couples could get exactly what they wanted, but we’ve been learning that brides in our price point expect to get a package deal…. so we’ve tried to oblige. (email me for our full price guide!)

Well, when you’re out pounding the pavement (or websites) looking for your perfect photographer match, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples…. here’s what I mean….

One of our packages includes a 10×10 flushmount album with 20 spreads (40 pages).  The average bride does not know what flushmount or spreads mean…. educate yourself on what you’re actually buying.

Flushmount:

Have photographic prints. The images are actually photographs bound in the book instead of being press printed like magazines.

Thick pages: has a sub-straight between 2 photographic prints on either side. Usually 2mm thick. (our Finao albums have a black sub-straight & RedTree Albums have white)

Lay flat binding: the pages lay flat across the middle & don’t make a deep V, like a magazine does

The print goes all the way across the crease with no gutter in the middle.

Spreads: are 2 pages side by side, like you’re looking at an open book.

Page: half of a spread

Leaf: 2 pages back to back

Lots of photographers will include an album… when you see a photographer offers a certain album in their packages, find out what kind of album it really is…. it might be a flushmount, it might be a coffee table book, it might be a press print book…. It might include the 10 spread minimum (instead of our 20).

(Coffee table books & press books are going to have magazine-like pages that can easily be ripped)

Make sure you fully understand the quality of the items you’re buying. Not all albums are the same!

Here’s my favorite sample album we have, it’s a 10×10 RedTree flushmount album in the Almond cover with a matching 5×5 mini!

This post is not intended to say that books other than flushmounts are bad…. it’s just to educate you on the different options 🙂