My new photobook

Sarah, I was wondering how your family liked their gift. I bet they have shown it to everyone they know already.. :-)

Oh yes, they totally have. My FMIL was telling me how her sister came over and she got the book out and then my FFIL takes it with him so he can show his friends! My parents took it to work already...They already are talking about the wedding book!

Sarah the book came out wonderfully. It amazes me how much photographers charge for the picture book. I am so glad that you and Tammy tried this route. Granted that we talk often, now I know that it IS truly possible to create one myself and save several hundred dollars

question...as long as I get the digital images I could do this on my own right? I figure I can, but I wasn't planning on ordering prints or books from my photog just because I think I would like to do it myself, if I could come up with something like this...

Photographers charge what they do for albums/books because there is a TON of time that goes into them. The albums I use are extremely well made and will last a lifetime and I have to cover my costs of what the album companies charge me plus the time it took me to design it.

The albums I create are an extension of my creativity and the final product that I deliver my clients. They represent my work and who I am. This is why I charge what I do. I'm a firm believer in paying for what you get and I try to have my services and products reflect that.

here are some samples of my higher end Italian made albums. The first one is a metal cover. The second one is silk

first











second

Yes, there are several different websites that you can use to make this type of photobook. If you are interested in the exact one I made, you need to PM Tammy (host) to order it through her.

The expensive part about the book I made is that it is leather and 12x12. There are many great books that you can order in 8x11 and other sizes, but also in a linen book- which is what I ordered for my parents and grandma.

Actually, I think I had promised someone pics of the linen book. I'll post those in a sec...

I totally agree with what Jonathan has said. I think mine turned out so well because of extreme attention to detail. I am not exaggerating at all to say that I have over 60 hours into my photobook. Make sure you consider that when you decide whether to make it on your own or pay someone to do it. I know that photographers charge alot for theirs, but if you consider how many hours it takes to do it, the money is well worth it. I could probably make my wedding album in 20-30 hours, I'm guessing. I'll let you know in 5 months!

Jonathon I have no doubt how much people put into these books. I am a scrapbooker and I know how long just one page takes me. I just know that I would personally love to make my own book because it would be my own views of the day and my feelings and emotions going into the book I am going to share with my friends and family, and hopefully children one day.

Wow Jonathan- those are gorgeous! I don't even want to know how much something like that costs!

 

Here are a couple pics of the 8x8 linen books I made for my parents. The layout and pictures are exactly the same as my big book, except the linen book has a picture on the front, and the pages are obviously smaller. I put my hand in one pic for scale...

 

Loomis has become such a camera hog since I'm always taking pictures of stuff for the wedding, he has started coming over and posing whenever we get out the camera now. He is sitting like this right next to the table where I was taking pics of the linen book. Isn't he cute! Can you tell I have the day off today and obviously have too much free time? lol

I completely understand. Scrapbooking is huge right now. I have no problems with my clients making their own albums or scrapbooks. Most of them order the DVD with the digital files so they have all the photos to use. But... all my packages come with an album that I design and create because that is how I want to showcase my work. Not everyone is a good designer and I can't trust that all my clients if left to their own devices would create something that I would want my work in. does that make sense?