Creating an Album

Hi Friends,

Below is some information about me putting your album together, but before we start, click HERE or the picture below to see some album examples as this is what we will be doing together.

And now we begin... some reading but it will all make sense.

There are two ways start the album, a HARD way and an EASY way.  (Please choose the easier way, please choose the easier way) The easier way is to...

...download all the photos on to your computer, and start choosing and sorting the photos on your computer.  If you are not sure how to download, go HERE, and then see below for specific instructions.

If you choose the more complicated way, then keep reading. You will read in other places that this is the more difficult way to choose and sort, but it still works.

The harder way is to...

...choose your album photos on my website without downloading to your computer, instructions are HERE ... but you have to read the rest of this page before you begin.

If you have already made a favourite group on my website, and now you need to sort them into Small, Medium, and Large, then go HERE... but you have to read the rest of this page before you begin.

This video below will remind you why have chosen this path, and what you will get out of it.  If you have a minute, watch to the end. If not, keep reading...

A touching visual story why your wedding or mitzvah photo album is timeless.

Creating the Album

We offer Handcrafted, Custom Designed, Museum Quality Albums that will be in your family for many years to come. 

This will not be a typical 'web' photo-book like a ShutterFly album.

Many hours of planning, editing, selecting, and Photoshop design work, result in a printed and bound piece of art.

The instructions below assume you have downloaded to your computer, but if you have chosen on my website, they still apply.  Just let me know once you have chosen and are ready to move on.  If I have not answered a question, please email me.

What You Have To Do

Ok, you have made the wise choice to show your simcha to friends and family in a stunning heirloom album, and not just show the photos on your iPhone.  Good job!!  So there is quite a bit to do, mostly on my part.  Your job is to choose and sort the photos, that's it.  Let's break that down. 

You need to DOWNLOAD the photos to your COMPUTER.  Then you need to create a FOLDER in DROPBOX on your computer.  Call it 'ALBUM'.  Inside this folder, make three more folders called LARGE, MEDIUM, and SMALL. Once you have that, you are going to drag photos from your download folder into the three folders you just created.  Approximately 20-30 into the LARGE, 20-30 into the MEDIUM, and 35-50 into the SMALL.  (The ratio is approximately 2:2:3, obviously more photos means a bigger album.  I will let you know if I think it is too few or too many or if the ratio is wrong.  Too many small photos, and the album will start to look like a police mug-shot book).

Another way to look at it is to choose between 75-110 photos, and then divide them up according to the ratio.  Obviously a smaller event like a rehearsal will have fewer photos than an event which involved a rehearsal, ceremony, and party. 

Once you are ready to send, please send to my dropbox at: jonni@sympatico.ca

Choosing & Sorting

There are a few ways I can help with the task above.  If you chose photos but don't want to sort them into Small, Medium, and Large, I can sort for you, and will charge you $85 / half hour, it usually takes me about a half hour to do this.  Or the opposite, I can choose photos for you, charge you $85 / half hour, and then you can sort them yourself. Or I can choose AND sort, and I will charge you $85 / half hour for each task.  I also get asked to reduce the number of photos from, let's say from 180 down to 100, again, $85 / half hour.  If you chose colour photos and you want me to convert those photos to black 'n white, or if you chose black 'n white, and want me to find the colour, $85 / half hour. Basically, every time I sit down to do something, it takes me about a half an hour, so I charge $85 / half hour, and most of these tasks take a half hour, sometimes more.  Please keep that in mind when asking me to do choosing and sorting stuff prior to starting the album.  How much you want to do is 100% up to you, just let me know.  I just need your photos chosen and sorted on my computer before I start the album.

To Sum up, here is a quick list:

•If I choose photos for you.

•If I sort photos for you.

•If I reduce the number of photos for you.

•If I convert photos into black-and-white.

•If you give me photos I did not take and I have to do editing.

Moving on..

Please DO NOT put the photos into Apple Photos or some other program, it can change the file names and can reduce the file resolution. Each file is approx. 8MB in size, if your files are a few hundred KB, you did something weird. This is important, I get dropbox files from clients who spent many hours choosing only to have me say they have to start again.

Please DO NOT RENAME any of the files.  They are numbered in a specific way to help me make the album.  I cannot make the album in chronological order if the file names are changed. The file names are ALWAYS; kids name and a number, ie: David - 0042.  Not: 6F9578FA-8418-430F-A88B-_c.jpeg (Apple Photos will do that)

Try to get the pictures chosen sooner than later, many years and many albums completed have shown me that if people don't get to choosing soon, it is a missed opportunity, and time just marches on. Don't worry though, I make albums that are sometimes 2-3 years after the event.

Photoshop Work

Sometimes clients will add photos to the album from OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS, CELL PHONES, SELFIES, or want to include the INVITATION. I do that! I am also asked to do PHOTOSHOP WORK.  This is totally fine with me, however I charge for Photoshop work because it takes time and expertise.  I charge $85 / half hour, but I am fast in Photoshop.  I will keep track of the Photoshop time and will add it to the album invoice. (It's usually 1/2 hr - 1.5 hrs of my time, but can be much more if you ask me to do a lot of Photoshop work.)

I will always clean things up as I go through the photos you have chosen, but if you want me to do ‘ACTUAL PHOTOSHOP WORK’ such as...

•Fixing smiles

•Whitening teeth

•Removing wrinkles

•Removing pimples

•Removing shine from someones head

•Removing fly-away hairs

•Removing stray hairs from a face

•Opening eyes

•Switching heads from other photos

•Removing ex-husbands, ex-wives

•Making you thinner, fatter, older, younger

•Adding iPhone photos

•Adding the invitation

•Or of you want me to make you a cool a collage.

That’s the kind of Photoshop work I charge for. In summary, I charge for stuff that's not my fault.

I don't charge for things that I made a conscious decision on, like if I put you in front of an EXIT sign that I have to remove, or there is something in the foreground or background that I could not avoid but knew I could remove in photoshop, I don't charge for that stuff.

Just ask me what you want me to do and I will let you know if it's simple or complicated, or if I will charge you or not.

When all Photoshop work is done, I will start to make the album files for you. It takes me about two-three weeks in the not-busy-season and I will have something for you online to look at. At ANY TIME you will still be able to make changes.  We will do a little bit of back-and-forth before the album file is complete.  Only when you are 100% happy with all the album files, then will we go to print and create that stunning album.

Prepaying and Discounts

If you initially prepaid part of the album, this will entitle you a DISCOUNT ON THE FINAL PRICE and entitles you a 30% DISCOUNT if you get a second or third album for grandparents.  (Prepaying $200 will give you a 10% discount of the final price, $400 a 15% discount, and $600 a 20% discount).  I have a record of your payments on my computer.

After you've signed off on everything, I require full payment before we go to print.

The Cover of the Album

You have to choose the cover material, font, and text. All cover options are included except Real Leather which is an additional $170, and a Photo Cover which is an additional $90. I usually write the text in the bottom right corner, justified right, like this example below. Go HERE to view and choose, and let me know when you are ready to sign off on the album.

Cost of the Album

The base price for 10 spreads of a 12x12 Signature album is $995.  Each additional spread is $54 (a spread is left and right side pages).  My albums are usually between 16-30 spreads.  They can be less than 16 (uncommon), and more than 30, (happens if you can't decide on what pictures to omit, but not a problem. 50 spreads is the upper limit).

I can let you know the approximate number of spreads before I start.  I calculate 1 LARGE picture takes up ONE PAGE, 2 MEDIUM pictures take up ONE PAGE, and 4-6 SMALL pictures take up ONE PAGE.

I estimate the number of spreads once I have all your photos in their divided folders.

Some example:

A Signature album with 16 spreads will be $995 (base) + $324 (6 extra spreads) = $1319. With a 15% discount ($198), the final cost is $1121.  You would have prepaid $400 so we would settle up at the end for $721

A Signature album with 26 spreads will be $995 (base) + $864 (16 extra spreads) = $1859. With a 10% discount ($186), the final cost is $1673. You would have prepaid $200 so we would settle up at the end for $1473

Print Time

The turnaround time one you give me the go-ahead, AND I have the cover material, font, and text, is usually 3-4 weeks. Keep that in mind if this is going to be a gift, and the timing is important. My excellent printer is 'all hands on deck', not a factory, so the time it takes, is the time it takes, and I don't argue with her.

Signature Albums: Flush-Mount

Covered in vegan leather, leather, linen, silk, or a photo cover, these albums feature firm pages with archival printing on the finest photographic paper available.  These works of art are ideal for wedding or bar/bat mitzvah albums, and look stunning on the living room table.  They are handmade here in Toronto to my specific specifications, and are STURDY, ELEGANT, DURABLE, and BEAUTIFUL. You are welcome to come down to the studio and I will show you samples.

The Reveal: The family's first look

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