Art and Photography

Wedding Photo Album "Fair Cost"?

  • Last Updated:
  • Nov 16th, 2015 6:41 pm
Tags:
None
Deal Addict
User avatar
Nov 23, 2010
1577 posts
798 upvotes
Toronto

Wedding Photo Album "Fair Cost"?

Im in the process of finding a wedding photographer at the moment and I found a number of them offer "packages" with albums

I was wondering, is it really "worth it" to get the album from a photographer?

A few websites stated that they only sell to professionals, so I have no idea what it costs minus design time.

I did some reading around, and I understand that there are a lot of places online that I could go to get a photobook made, but we were looking for a photo ALBUM. Something that would stand the test of time.

We definitely want an album to last forever, but if we can get it done ourselves at a later time (when our wallets are not so empty) we wouldnt feel the pressure to get one done right away.

I guess I have two questions

1) Where would we be able to get a wedding album done that is of similar physical quality as what a photographer may offer? This would be the most preferred option as then we dont need to be going over our budget.

2) Lets say we do decide to go with our photographer to get an album. What can we reasonably expect in terms of the final product and price points? For example, if a photographer says $600 should we expect a paper photo book? Or should we expect something encrusted with gold and diamonds?
9 replies
Sr. Member
Jul 4, 2011
708 posts
160 upvotes
Toronto
At $600 you are most likely getting a book that is sold to anyone, some of the distributor options are more then that, let alone the time and mark up from the photographer.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Nov 23, 2010
1577 posts
798 upvotes
Toronto
Hellish wrote: At $600 you are most likely getting a book that is sold to anyone, some of the distributor options are more then that, let alone the time and mark up from the photographer.
What would be a "fair price" and what could someone reasonably expect at that particular price point?
Deal Expert
Jun 15, 2012
15662 posts
10440 upvotes
Southern Ontario
Depends how much convenience vs control you want.

The photographer uses their preferred site, constructs the book, orders and delivers it to you. The upcharge is related to their experience and time, especially putting it together, with your input or not. Just like any other contractor, we involve their time, we generally have to pay for it.

Or you can negotiate digital prints, save by doing the book yourself, carefully selecting options, images to include, and layout to your desire.

Do a search here and google reviews. Others may chime in on their personal experiences/favourites.
Deal Expert
Jun 15, 2012
15662 posts
10440 upvotes
Southern Ontario
You need to quantify what kind of book you are getting for $600, then sourcing a similar book you could do yourself. The difference will still be subjective in terms of how much the photographer thinks his/her time is worth constructing it and if you're willing to pay it.
Sr. Member
Jul 4, 2011
708 posts
160 upvotes
Toronto
chillychin wrote: What would be a "fair price" and what could someone reasonably expect at that particular price point?
Need more info about the whole package (+Price) but generally this would be something that would cost roughly $200-250, in which it is fair to charge $600. You can except a 30 page 12x12 with a flat binding.
Deal Fanatic
Jul 13, 2009
5244 posts
3538 upvotes
You'll need to see, feel and touch these albums yourself to understand the value. Great photogs spend hours on end designing and building these albums, its definitely not the same effort at a shopping mall kiosk!

Photogs shoot with the album in mind, creating a story and connecting images for page after page.
Deal Guru
User avatar
Mar 31, 2008
13011 posts
3095 upvotes
Toronto
Create your own. Easy as pie nowadays and really, you won't look at it after awhile.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Oct 5, 2004
1218 posts
371 upvotes
Toronto
Consumers can't get their hands on any good albums. Blurb and similar albums are absolute garbage. They are cheap,but don't come even close to the quality of albums which professional photographers have access to via labs that only work with photographers. You can definitely spend $200 on an album yourself, but there's a good chance it will fall apart in a few years.

Prices are higher,but you are paying for quality,just like anything else in this life. Some album companies I work with offer 10 years - lifetime warranty, which is huge.

And there's no fair when it comes to albums. Different companies, different paper,album covers and all that. The most expensive album I've sold was in mid 4-digits my cost for a celebrity couple I shot last year. It took 18 hours to design it and plus about 20 hours for research of the unique cover they wanted, buying it, shipping it to the album company and all that. A fellow photographer I know designed a gold plated album with the cost to the couple around 40,000. I am sure his cost was in 5 digits for it.
.

Top