Appendix: Presenting the Product to the Client

The wedding is over, the images have been sorted and edited, and the couple is back from the honeymoon, so now it is time to show the couple their images. You can do this using a printed proof album, but more likely in this digital era, you will use a Web gallery that is accessible from any computer. This way the client can easily share the photos with friends and family, no matter where they are, and can pick the images they want for prints or put together an album like the one shown in Figure AA-1.

Web galleries

The Internet has made it really easy to share images with your friends and family, and wedding photographers have been able to use it to streamline the delivery of images to the happy couple. Having a Web gallery is not only a good idea, but is also absolutely necessary in today’s digital age. The good news is that you don’t need to know a lot about the Web gallery creation process because there are a lot of prepackaged solutions you can use. A few things to keep in mind when picking out a Web gallery solution include:

• Ease of upload. Because you don’t want to spend a lot of time uploading all the wedding images to the gallery, look for a solution that allows you to automate the process so that a large number of files can be uploaded at once. I use Pictage (www.pictage.com) for all my web galleries, which makes it easy for me to upload my images with the choices shown in Figure AA-2.

• Ease of use. Use a solution that makes it easy for your clients to view their images, order prints, and share the Web gallery with others who might want to buy prints.

• Copyright safeguards. Because you want to sell prints, it is important that the Web gallery doesn’t allow users to take your images and print them elsewhere. The solution needs to have a way to stop unauthorized downloads.

• Ordering prints. Because the goal of the Web gallery is to allow the clients to look at their images, and then order prints, the Web solution needs to have an easy way for them to order prints in various sizes. The Pictage Web gallery enables users to purchase different sizes of prints and packages from a drop-down list, as shown in Figure AA-3.

While I use and recommend Pictage, there are other options, including services from Zenfolio (www.zenfolio.com) and SmugMug (www.smugmug.com). You should spend time looking at the options the various services provide and decide which service will best meet your needs.

Proof books

Even in this digital world, many people still want to see their wedding images in a printed proof book. This allows the couple to share the proof books with people who don’t have a computer or aren’t computer savvy or don’t have a high-speed Internet service. There is also something warm and comforting about sitting down together and looking through an album of images that just doesn’t happen when people gather in front of the computer screen.

It is not necessary to offer a wide variety of proof books, and keeping it simple works well. Keep in mind that a proof book is not a wedding album, and it only needs to show the images at about 2 inches × 2 inches, as shown in Figure AA-4. To make your proof books the best books possible, keep the following things in mind:

• Keep the book design simple and update it when necessary. A simple design is timeless, and it lets the images speak for themselves. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t occasionally update the look and feel of the book to better show your work. Plain backgrounds work really well and don’t distract from the images themselves.

• Tell a story. The order of the images in the book is important: They should follow the order of the events during the day, telling the story of the wedding beginning with the bride and groom getting ready, followed by the actual ceremony, and then the reception. You can use the portraits as breaks between the storytelling sections.

• Make sure the quality is excellent. Because the proof book will be passed around and viewed by many people, it is an extension of you and your business, and the quality affects future potential clients. Make sure that the quality is something you are proud to show your clients.

Many times you can arrange for a full-service company like Pictage to create the proof books along with the Web galleries, so that all print orders can be done online.

Prints

Digital cameras, the Internet, Web galleries, and electronic photo frames have changed just about everything to do with photography, but there is one thing that still hasn’t changed, and that is the photographic print.

Some items to consider when you pick a print supplier are as follows:

• Quality is extremely important. After all the work that went into planning the wedding and all the work that went into photographing the wedding, don’t undermine it now by producing inferior prints. The solution here is simple: Use the best quality; it is your reputation that is on the line. Many print companies have custom options for premium service, like the premium prints at Pictage shown in Figure AA-5.

• Ease of use is key. Make it easy for your customers to order prints, and they will more than likely order more. Remember that part of earning a living is to sell products, and the main product is the print.

• Sizes matter. Make sure that the provider you use for the prints offers a wide variety of sizes. Not everyone wants the same size prints, so make it easy for your customers to pick the ones they want.

Many companies offer complete packages, including Web galleries and online print ordering geared toward wedding photographers. Make sure that the company you use to print your images will do so in a professional manner. Remember that your reputation is at stake every time a customer orders and receives a print.

Those important extras

Most wedding photographers now offer Web galleries, proof books, and prints, so what can you do to stand out? One thing is to offer some extra options, those special touches that will allow you to stand out from the crowd. There are two extra options I’d strongly suggest you consider offering your clients: a wedding book and canvas prints.

Wedding books

Most couples want to have a traditional wedding album or wedding book with their memories of the day neatly laid out. There are many options when it comes to wedding books, including those that are part of the Web gallery and print packages through companies like Pictage, but these are usually limited in their designs and options. Because the wedding book should be a special item, and unique to the personality of the couple, I suggest using a company that can create a personalized book, like those shown in Figure AA-6. Just make sure that the company creates a top-quality product, because the book will be passed around and shown off.

A way of making your wedding photography service stand out above the rest is to work with a graphic designer or design service when creating the wedding book so that it really is a piece of art. Two companies that I have worked with, Graphistudio (www.graphistudio.com) and La-vie Album (www.la-viealbum.com), offer extremely high-quality services and products. These companies help the clients design a custom layout and look for their albums, like the one shown in Figure AA-7.

Canvas prints

Most people have home printers that can do a pretty good job printing a photo, but few are able to print on canvas and have the image gallery wrapped (where the canvas is stretched so that the sides wrap over the wooden frame and the art is secured to the back of the wooden frame.) The high-resolution print quality combined with the old-fashioned look of a gallery wrap turns your regular wedding image into a real piece of art, suitable for hanging proudly in a home. I enjoy using the services provided by Pixel2Canvas (www.pixel2canvas.com) — it provides excellent service and amazing products, as shown in Figure AA-8.

Again, there are many print providers and, even though I am very happy with the companies I use, it does pay to look at all your options and find the one that best suits your needs. If you take one thing away after reading this appendix, it is that you need to make sure that the products you supply to clients are top-quality products, because the prints and products are a representation of your work.