Understanding Wedding Photography Packages {Part 1 – Photo Books and Story Book Albums – Suppliers and Reviews}
Many photographers packages are designed to be inclusive of what other photographers believe is the norm, and then again to be competitive against the “norm”. The high end photographers put much emphasis on printing and albums. And I do too! However, the album and printing category is as diverse as the amount of wedding photographers there are, as is the variance in their pricing.
Before I do my best to give you an explanation of how to decipher the ever so similar wedding photography packages, and what it all means, I encourage you to ponder one thing. What are you left with years down the road after your wedding? Likely the images and products from your photographer, and likely besides your memories, not much else….Basically its really all about the Album.
Albums to me are the most important physical product that you are left with from a wedding photography package. In South Africa there are very few companies that make high end albums for photographers. Most companies that do albums also offer their services to the general public, at the same price that the photographer will purchase the albums for. So for instance, if a photographer offers you an album and their prices are considerably low for an entire package with an album, it is very likely the album is a low cost album. The advantage however is that the photographer will design the album for you, and that is where they make a mark up, and provide you a service. Most high volume album distributors offer you free design software….and using it is so easy that you can just design it yourself in about an hour or so. The software is great for someone without design experience, so if using this software you are limited to where you can go with your design….but likely it will do the job!. There are also many album companies that sell their products online. So in many cases when hiring a photographer who is happy to offer their services in the low cost bracket, then they are likely using these free software services and may not really offer you any advantage over a photographer who has an in house designer.
I have provided a list of low to medium range cost album companies, that you can use to easily design and order your album from. These companies are all preferred suppliers to many photographers and provide excellent service and great products (for the price.)
When wondering why you would pay one photographer R18000+ for a package that includes an Album…and another R5000 that includes an album you have to remember that the album can cost anywhere from R25 – R10000 (or $5 – $1500 US). Would you really see benefit in paying someone next to nothing when you can have all the control and just drive down to the local lab they use? By hiring a high end photographer you are going to get a high end album product and also a professional design service. There is a huge difference from slotting images into a template (which anyone can do) and utilitising the skills of a professional graphic designer. Its something you should find out when you meet with your photographer or discussing albums.
To make it easy for you I have given you a list of album companies that you can use as a photographer or a client, and also listed the best of the best and to give you an idea of the kind of money a high end album can cost….hopefully you will see there is very big difference in album quality and pricing…just like there is a big difference in hiring your photographer.
Low Cost Photo Books (R25 – R2000)
Blurb Albums – (United States) http://www.blurb.com/ (Prices for albums start R25 or $4 US!! – An American Company with exceptional customer service, that offers a range of great low cost albums, and software to use to easily design your album and get many copies for friends and family. Delivered to your door and all done online. If anything goes wrong they will escalate and replace your products, no questions asked (from what some photographers have reported)
Low & Mid Range Bracket (R500 – R4000 per Album) The Coffee Table Book and Story Book Album.
Definition : Coffee Table Album : A coffee table album is generally considered a low cost album and is printed on various types of photographic paper. Normally the paper has a lamination to protect the paper and is usually double sided. Because of the quality of paper and binding, these books have a limited life span and can easily get dented. After a few years, or even a few months the book can become quite dented up and after many years, well you get the picture.
Definition : The Story Book Album : The name coined around the idea that the book will have a design that tells the story of the wedding day. These albums are flush mounted albums, and lie flat and are usually double sided. These albums normally come with gloss, metallic of matte finish. Depending on the style of binding, the books usually have a seamless centre. They are great for double page spreads and when large awesome for massive landscape images.
Orms Pro Photo Albums (Cape Town) – http://prophotoalbums.co.za/ (Orms is offering the lowest cost album in South Africa from my experience R500 and Up. These albums are great if you are looking for a easy and quick album (or lots for the family), but the paper is very flimsy and gets dented very easily. So not a good option if you are looking for an album to last you for life. However, they are starting to offer other albums that the higher end album companies provide. So in a way they are covering the low and mid range brackets. Orms also offers free software and their album division is well run and helpful.
Creative Albums (Cape Town) http://www.creativealbums.co.za/ Likely the favourite amongst Cape wedding photographers. They offer a variety of albums, paper types & provide free design service with all their albums (A Big Plus, just give them the images and they will do the rest for you). The reason they are almost the industry standard, is by their reliable products, free design and their cost is budget friendly. R600 and Up.
Designer Albums (Gauteng) - http://www.designeralbum.co.za/ (A big photo lab at Waterkloof Mall…A one stop shop, and they provide free software so you can download your album software and upload your completed design) Designer Albums have a huge presance in South Africa and especially amongst the Gauteng region.
Furi Fine Art Albums (Gauteng) http://www.furifineartbooks.co.za (Started orginially by a local photographer and then sold on to another group of people. Furi like the other companies offeres all range of albums from the classic coffee table albums and the story book range. Im not sure if they have design software but I do supply you with , the last I checked they didnt. Great service and used by many photographers in South Africa.
Studio 22 (Cape Town) – http://studio22.co.za/ourphotobooks.htm (Studio 22 is my most recommended lab to use amongst this list). Run by Kurt and Colin Sunkel who have more experience in the wedding photography industry than possibly anyone else. Their service is unmatched and they do make all the albums that you would require in this price bracket. They offer professional printing and very awesome framing. Also you can buy all your gear here, and if they dont have it they will get it for you. You feel like a friend when doing business with them, and most photographers in the Cape Area do their printing
High End Albums (R3000 – R10000)
The Kyla Print Co – (Cape Town) http://www.kyla.co.za – The Kyla Print Co, is totally unique from any album company that I have ever come across. The reason is, the Kyla Print co don’t make any standard albums and work with the client to create a custom designed album based on their preferences. The client has a choice on the type of cover, type of paper and the style of binding. One can chose what material they want as a cover and what kind of paper that will go in the album, Kyla even have albums made using archival canvases instead of paper. Photographers who use Kyla all have their own range of albums from us, so that every album is unique to that photographer and the albums are built around their brand and logo so they can supply their client albums that are exclusive to them. Kyla also works with the general public, and offers an in house design service. The paper in the albums are all giclee printing which is archival printing using either the premier Hahnameule single and double sided papers, and also the new high end range from Epson (Cold Press and Hot Press). The books are bound by hand using the traditional hard binding hand binding and custom made box is made for every album. A great idea is to chat with Kyla about ideas to create awesome covers. An example would be using two or three different materials to create your own style of cover. The Kyla Print Co, is not a huge outfit and has a small presence, and is run by a small group of people who are obsessed with with perfect printing and the best binding possible as a standard.
Asuka Albums : (United States and Asia) – http://asukabook.com/ You must be a photographer or approved to order from Asuka. Many of the worlds best photographers use Asuka, and some of the best in South Africa use them also. Great photographers Jules Morgan and Dror Eyal use Asuka. So when paying for a high end photographer like that you realize that the quality of your album is as good as it gets. Asuka has a range of albums covering all the styles and always bringing out new ranges. You can ask to see their prices and if they approve you, you can then use their online software to design and order your album.
Graphistudio : (Italy) http://graphistudio.com/ Graphistudio is one of the oldest or the original company to supply a range of albums. Although some have mixed reviews about the products and service. They like Asuka have a range of albums and you will need to register with them to get pricing on their products. You cant go wrong with books like this and if you are client and your photographer is supplying the books then you know that you have spent well! Their website is full of information, and they even go as far as sponsoering photographers and creating products around big name photographers like Yervant. I would really encourage to check out their site to get a full understanding of the reach Graphistudio has and how diverse their products are.
