Wedding Photography Tips #24; Decoding Wedding Albums

Merry Christmas Eve!  I hope that you’re all in the company of family and loved ones this Christmas.

When I first entered the world of weddings I had no idea the difference between a $200 album and one that was $2000.  How could anything be that expensive, I mean really?  As I carefully investigated different albums I learn that there really is a big difference, it really is ‘you get what you pay for.’ Sure you can purchase a cheaper album, but the garentee that it’ll last decades just isn’t there.  Think of old books that they’re hinges start to wear out and fall apart.  Well crafted (and generally $800 plus) are going to stand up to time and countless uses.  The photos aren’t going to fade and the pages won’t turn yellow.  If you want your album to stand up over time it’s wise to spend a little more and get a well crafted album.

Flush Mount Albums.  These types of albums have the photos printed directly onto the page.  The pages are also thicker and will stand up on their own.  Almost like a mat board.  Cover choices depend on the album company your photographer uses, but range from Leather to linen and an actual photo as the cover.

Matted Albums.  Old School with a modern twist.  It’s not your momma’s wedding album.  The mats are sleeker and more polished the it’s counter part of the last 30 decades.  The choices for different mat openings has improved.  It’s a classic look that still feels modern and in my opinion won’t go out of style.

Coffee Table Albums.  These little guys often mask themselves under lower price ranges.  It looks similar to the Flush Mount, but the pages are thin and magazine like instead of thick.  Not all bad, but you do have to be careful where this type of book is coming from.  They can be cheaply made so take a good look at them and decide if the quality is there.  Most people can tell bad construction when they look closely.

Matted Wedding Album

I currently offer all three types of albums.  The coffee table book I offer is well crafted and I’ve made sure it’ll stand up to wear and tear.  With photographers that have been around awhile they’re probably using well crafted album company’s.  New photographers might not know the difference and be selling less the quality albums.  So just use your common sense and take a good look at the album.  Does it look like it could take a beating?