Monday, July 27, 2009

New Addition to the Family!

We recently got a new addition to the family. Just last week, in fact. No, it's not a baby- not a human baby anyway- it's a Puppy! He's a Labrador/ German Shepherd mix, supposedly. I see the Lab in him, but not so much German Shepherd. We'll have to see if the Shepherd manifests itself later on, I guess. He's so much fun and so full of energy. He loves water, and loves to chew things, unfortunately. He also happens to make for a great photo prop:

He's grown a lot in just the week we've had him. He seems to be pretty sharp and is showing potential for becoming a loyal companion. We have yet to name him, so if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Lates

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Photo Books and Invitations and Products Oh My!

As was seen in the previous post, I had the privilege of shooting Azariah's Senior Portraits. She had seen a photo book that I designed before, and decided to get one of her own.

If you're unfamiliar with photo books, they're a really hot item right now. They have been out for several years now, but recently have become more mainstream and common. There are myriad different companies that make photo books, and the challenge is finding one that makes a quality product at a reasonable price.

This particular photo book is hand-crafted with great attention to detail. Premium Fuji Crystal Archive™ Album photo paper (High-quality archival paper) provides excellent resistance to fading.

The Custom Hardcover book is laminated for durability and superior longevity.
(Click the photos for a closer view)


The highlight of this book, which is my favorite feature, is the Leporello binding process. Instead of more common stitch-bound books where you can see the stitches in the gutter, Leporello Binding ensures the book lays flat for double-page spreads and panoramas that just look amazing.


Some books use thin, magazine-like paper with press-printing.But this books pages are nice and thick, almost like posterboard or cardstock paper, printed with a photo-printing process for a true photo print in book form.




These types of books are HUGE in the wedding photography industry, and are becoming more and more popular among seniors and others looking for classy, quality keepsakes that last generations.

You can't really compare them with traditional 'drop-in' albums where you 'drop-in' the photo prints. While they will get the job done, photo books have a custom-designed layout displayed in a story-book format. They're not just photos on a page, it's your moments in life as told in a book.


Below is a traditional photo album filled with Polaroids and school certificates and class photos. It's obviously well-aged, and on the verge of falling apart. And yes, that happens to be my photo album...




I've also been printing invitations and announcements. These are high quality double-sided UV-Coated photo prints on cardstock paper with custom designed layouts and messages on them. They look great, are very handy, and are very affordable.


For your next photo session, I would highly recommend a photo book. They look good in pictures, but they really are impressive when held in hand.

Feel free to ask about other products available as well. We have things like large canvas prints (they look awesome stretched over a frame like a fine art painting), greeting cards, sign-in books and more.

Until next time,

Lates