We work exclusively with Canvas On Demand and have always had wonderful results.  Our favorite photographs are always presented this way – a high quality print on artist canvas stretched over 1.5″ deep wood supports.

We’re able to order them in just about any size and are amazing when we order ‘em big… reeeeally big.  They stand out boldly without the distraction of a frame just as if it was floating on the wall.  They have a nice dustcover backing with the hanging hardware and bumpers installed.  I always tell people that I think the canvas makes their photograph look like it should be in a museum of art.

Here’s a few of the favorites from one of our last weddings… these are suggestions on how a photo would look as a canvas print.

So I took some time to reflect on how I’m doing with the 8 secrets…

1. Passion
   Our photography is a total labor of love.  We love documenting the happiest day of our clients lives – capturing that one special moment is a huge high for us!
2. Work
   Hard work has been my way.  Digging in and dedicating the extra hours to make it happen is worth it when we see the smile or tear on the faces of our clients.
3. Good
   We don’t judge our work against other photographers, but it has to pass our own test – does it make us happy?  Do we like it and are we proud enough of it to share with others?  We truly feel that we’re providing incredibly high quality products and services.
4. Focus
   Weddings, weddings, weddings.  That’s what we do.  We specialize in environmentally friendly wedding photography.
5. Push
   This is the hardest part for us.  Pushing through the shyness, self-doubt… it’s an area that I’m working on personally.
6. Serve
   Our clients come first – always.  But it’s not just about our customers.  It’s about our responsibility to the environment and to our community.  We take pride in our green business practices in addition to our community service and involvement.
7. Ideas
   While sometimes it feel like we’re beating our heads against a wall… we’re constantly thinking about what can be the next great style for a photo, or how to reduce our carbon footprint, or maybe the next greatest way to surprise our clients.
8. Persist
   Sometimes life gives you lemons and it’s hard to do anything but sit there and cuss about how you hate lemons.  Maybe I’m just a freek but I love lemons.  We do our best to look up over the pile of lemons and trudge forward with the next plan on how we can overcome our current hurdles.

All in all, we’re doing pretty good on the pursuit of happiness.  As photographers who love what we’re doing we’ve got an advantage… and we’re thankful every day for the great life we’ve got!

It doesn’t really matter… that’s not the point. The point is that they’re books. Most photographers love selling them because they may just be the most profitable item in a photographer’s price list. There is good reason why photographers hold books so close to their chests: we can justify charging an arm and a leg for a unique, custom designed book. It’s a book made with the photographers’ precious (and copyrighted) intellectual property and no one else will ever be able to design a book this special for a bride.

We don’t really feel that way. Dozens of hours are spent photographing, editing, retouching, color correcting, cropping, and adding artistic effects to the moments of your wedding. We Want People To See Your Photos.

The real reason that these books are so meaningful is the emotional connection that people make with the photos and the books.

That’s why we GIVE you the high resolution images on disc. That’s why we put your photos online for your friends and family to see them, download them, and even order prints. That’s why we don’t charge an arm and a leg for books. We’ve already given the images to you and most people feel comfortable enough hitting up Apple or My Publisher for a book of their photos for about $30. It’s a tough economy and most people don’t have the chunk of change lying around for some crazy expensive wedding album.

So we’re making the shift away from huge albums with leather covers imported from Italy towards a fast and affordable alternative. By providing a professional alternative to a homemade photo book from Apple we can make sure that everyone who sees your book loves it and all of the photos in it!

We know that our success is directly linked to the satisfaction of our current and previous customers. If it weren’t for their referrals, we’d have nothing.

Great Book + Great Price = Happy Customers (and Happy Us!)

This is where the Blurb book comes into play. They’re available in different sizes and can have a ton of pages in them (we don’t have to feel bad about giving you full page layouts showcasing your beautiful photos… it makes us feel bad when we do this in traditional albums where a two page spread may cost over $150). Did I mention that they’re just a fraction of the cost of a traditional album?

blurb

We’re giving this new idea a try so we’ll see how it goes.  In the meantime we still offer excellent album quality books from Couture Book, so if a Blurb book isn’t your deal… that’s cool, we’ve got you covered too!

We’ve seen lots of great comments about Blurb’s books and we’re hoping that they wow us.  Here’s just one of the comments that we’ve heard recently: http://www.weddingbeepro.com/2009/01/05/custom-photo-books/

Here’s one of the first ones that we’re entering: WedComp Winter 2008. I urge other photographers to also enter… come on, it’s only $10 to enter! Oh and the best part is that the proceeds benefit Thirst Relief International which provides drinking water to those in need around the world.

More information can be found at: http://www.wedcomp.com

WedComp Winter 2008 Photo Competition

Here’s a stock photo that hardly does justice…

We’ve got a sample in our studio to share with you when we meet to schedule your wedding!

• Travel + photograph a wedding = COOL!
  • Let’s face it, everyone would love to do their job and get a touch of vacation at the same time – let’s be real.
• Insurance…
  • Traveling with thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of equipment that is incredibly important to be in tip-top shape for a wedding is a bit of a stressful idea – not to mention the host of other things that could possibly go wrong.  That’s merely one of the reasons why we have a hefty insurance policy that covers not only our equipment but everything that we do (or don’t) do.  Additionally we’ve got an expensive network of peers that are available with loner equipment or can get us to the right store to get new equipment – pronto.
• Reimbursement for travel costs
  • We think that it’s great that you want us to come along with you to somewhere that we don’t ordinarily get to go so it’s only fair that you aren’t gouged on the travel costs.  Some people may feel that if someone else is paying that we’ll take nothing but the best.  On the contrary, we’re rather thrifty travelers and don’t need too much.  After we have a signed contract and deposit we’ll make travel arrangements getting the best deals available at the time and merely asked to be reimbursed for the actual amount of the travel (we’ll even give you the receipt).
• Creative scheduling
  • In order to get the best shots possible the photographer should probably do some scouting of the area and find some of the tiny places that can be the perfect backdrop to your photos.  This can be a bit difficult to do in a strange place and so timing is very important.  If we know the details about what is happening on your wedding day then we can be prepared and have done our homework in advance so that when we’re with you we get the great images you’re looking to see.

So, are you thinking about taking a trip for your ceremony or are you getting married somewhere outside of the central Indiana area?  Take us along – we’re great travel companions!

There are some other products that are offered by GraphiStudios and Zookbinders that are a little bit less mainstream and we’re excited to offer them.  For instance, Zookbinders offers a product called the Zook Box that is suprisingly affordable and available in sizes larger than you might think.  You get a nice little box full of matted photos that sit up on an easel.  Sizes range from 5×5 to 10×10! 

GraphiStudios also offers parent books and smaller pocket books that are priced low and available in large quantities so you can send a copy to everyone in your family or even get a copy for everyone at your wedding!