The Blackwell's Flushmount Album

I know what you're all waiting for- a long blog post! These are photos of a flush mounted album I just got back from Pictage for the Blackwell's wedding back in the spring/summer of this year at Crossing Vineyards. Before I shipped the album off, my dorkface, Charity, as I so lovingly call her, helped me photograph some sample photos so everyone can see what flushmounted albums look like and how they are designed. The photos are mounted flush with the pages. The pages are thick and sturdy.

Amy and Greg decided to see one another before the wedding for a "first look" which always works to the benefit of the bride and groom. They have some alone time before the day takes off in high gear. Every time I've witnessed a "first look" it has been a really special moment. This also allowed the couple to get right to the reception only a few short minutes after the ceremony concluded. Awesome concept.

I love the contrast of the warm photos with me and my heavy coat in the snow!

I'll tell you- through working with the photos on the computer and designing this album, nothing prepared me for how beautifully it turned out. Seeing the photos printed out large in the album was breath taking. This is a 20 page (40 sides) 10x13 black leather flushmounted album made by Willowbook.

What I typically do, is have the bride and groom pick out their favorite photos. Then I submit them to Pictage for design with certain specifications and directions. Then I look over it, change some things, then have my client review the book online before sending it off for printing.

Charity loved this page so she decided to take a detail shot.

The large groups we did after the ceremony. Isn't this setting ideal?!

Here I am like a proud mom about to send her kid off to college. Safe travels beautiful album!

Merry Christmas Amy and Greg!

Happy Valentine's Day!

A few weeks ago I announced that I would be running a special on boudoir photos for Valentine's Day. I had only a handful of ladies sign up, so I have decided to do the special again next year as well, only start advertising in December, rather than mid-January. This should give everyone time to work out and go tanning- not that you're not already TOTALLY beautiful and your men (or women) love you just the way you are! It's also a great idea as an aniversary or Christmas present.

During this shoot we had so much fun. I was even able to get someone to come do professional make-up from Empire Beauty Schools. Joy was awesome to work with and I will be able to help her build her portfolio. Give me a shout if you want Joy's info to have your make-up (she even does hair) done for your wedding day, or for any photoshoot or occation for that matter.

This is Joy on the left.

I started with some bridal shots for Andrea, which she is planning on using later as a groom's gift for their wedding that I'm photographing in May.With this Valentien's special, the girls each got a 10 page (20 sided) 5x7 album that was amazing. The special also came with full retouching of the photos. For any horizontal photo, I split them and made 2 5x7s into a panoramic 7x10. I must say that it was a brilliant idea.

If you think these photos look good, you should see them prined out in the ablums! I'm so happy with the way everything turned out. I hope their guys like them just as much.

Flushmount Album Design

I've wanted to share this on my blog for quite some time now. It is my studio's sample flush mounted wedding album. I like so many things about this album option- mainly that each one is fully unique. You can customize the cover and the client can have input on the design with unlimited changes. It incorporates a lot of images without having a bulky heavy album. Down sides are that it's more expensive than a traditional album and if you spill something on a page, it's not individually replaceable. I want to know who would drink red sticky Kool-Aid while looking at their $700 wedding album anyway? Oh YEAH! (said like the big Kool-Aid pitcher)I usually will have Pictage design the album, then I go back in and put my personal touch on it. I've had Pictage design 3 different options for a bride before, then we combined them into one design. This was a wedding I did for Kristin Kilker and Matthew Drummond in September of '07 at the Eagle Rock Resort in Hazelton, PA. Most possibly my favorite reception site ever. Everything was an unknown for me that day and I was so plesantly surprised by every aspect of the day.

I have added a ton of photos with several details for future brides and for Kristin and Matt, who have oddly enough, never seen this album before. They did not get an album in their package- I'm hoping this blog entry may change their mind :)

This panoramic photo overlooking the valley is one of my favorites of all time. This was one of my album specifications- use this photo as a large panoramic. A lot of these moments were unstaged and just so precious. In the photo on the left, one of Kristin's brides maids are fixing her dress and I just kept on shooting while no one was watching.

One of my favorite first dance photo. How could a photographer not love these huge windows?


This is the view of the Eagle Rock reception site from outside. I was about to get on the shuttle back to my car, when I turned around and saw how beautiful it was- and decided to capture this last photo in the album.I highly recommend a flush mounted album. As a creative person, I just think it's reaches another level through the design elements. You can really create something unique and suited to the bride and groom. Adding quotes and notes is another option you have with this design.

Now you've seen it, so what do you think?