Ok so you hired a professional wedding photographer, they did their thing and captured perhaps thousands of beautiful moments and memories, and you got all of the photos on one (or several!) USB drives. What do you do now? Well, first you probably post hundreds of them on Facebook or Instagram to share your happiness with friends and family - and the world -  but after that, these beautiful images often just collect virtual dust. You occasionally open up a slideshow to run on the TV when guests come over, but for the most part the images are largely forgotten. This is a photorapher's nightmare!

While the shoot-and-share method is a viable one and something can be said for the total freedom of choice of what to do with your photos with this option, this method is often so overwhelming that the digital images never become what they could be. I first found my passion for photography in the darkroom enjoying the hands-on approach of printing images from film, so perhaps I am biased in this matter. But, in my opinion, an image has not reached its full potential as a storytelling photograph until it has been printed (on any number of surfaces and materials) and can be tangibly enjoyed. This is, of course, why I've built my business around fine art photo albums; as a visual storytelling of your special day, few photo products compare. 

Last weekend I got to enjoy my favorite part of the process - delivering the finished products to two people who put their complete faith in me to capture the most exciting day in their lives to date. Alex and Zack were the epitome of my ideal customer - they were looking for a photojournalistic style but also left the creativity up to me and most importantly they knew the value of printing their images to enjoy in multiple forms.

They, of course, ordered an album, and they had so many "favorite" photos that they completetly filled their alotted 100 pages! Theirs was by far the biggest book I've produced and working to make hundreds of images fit in a 12 x 12 bound frame was quite a task. But I love how personal it is. They incorporated abreviated versions of their ceremonial readings which added an air of whimsey and romanticism to their album. Each spread has its own theme with pages just for family or for friends or for even just one moment, while still following the whole flow of the evening.  Per their request, the pages are extra thick so that they easily lie flat like a coffee table book. And the canvas cover beautifully bounds the heirloom together, reflecting its artistic integrity and showcasing the images that is the reason for the whole evening. 

As new homeowners, they were also excited to purchase some wall products and I love how their classic wedding portrait looks on 16 x 20 canvas! Sometimes it really is best to go with a timeless image. 8 x 10 and 4 x 6 prints rounded out their personal wedding collection so that they can fill their house with love and memories. 

It was such a joy to watch them look through their products, smiling when they smiled and laughing when they relayed stories behind certain photos. As wedding season kicks back up again I'm looking forward to producing more beautiful heirlooms for my couples!