Wedding photo albums are great ways to tell your unique love story through specially curated photographs enclosed in a personalised cover. From the style of the photos to the casing of the wedding photo album itself, there are many choices for you to make to create a wedding album specially meant for you. They also make amazing keepsakes for the couple to flip through years down their married life to evoke nostalgia and sentiment.
While online albums are also available in modern society, the unlimited amount of space that allows up to thousands of images means that the selection process is not as harsh to select only the best photos. Viewers usually spend a lesser amount of time browsing through an online album. However, when you have a tangible one, it remains a sturdy one that you can pass down for generations.
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Table of Contents
Types of Photographers for your Wedding Photo Album
To decide the type of photos that goes into your wedding albums, you have to first decide the type of photographer you’re going to engage for your wedding. There are endless possibilities for the styles of photography you can get but the most common ones can typically fall into 2 categories – traditional and photojournalists.
Traditional
A traditional photographer will capture classic and timeless images that you can look back fondly. They usually consist of more formal and posed pictures. Pivotal moments like hugs and kisses are all captured against beautiful backdrops. Traditional photography also allows the photographer to create the perfect setting to achieve the best shot. It allows for second takes if a previous shot has someone looking away or not posing their best ways.
These photos are best suited for couples who are looking to capture the events and people they desire. The couple also tend to be the center of attention of every photo taken. More time and details can be thought through before taking the shot. Hence, the photographer can experiment more with different lighting and framing before shooting.
Photojournalists
As the name suggests, photojournalist types of wedding photographers have their style rooted in the documentary style. They capture events chronologically as they unfold rather than directing the couple to pose in certain ways. Some couples may also choose to have black and white images that resemble what we see in traditional newspapers.
This style is relatively candid and focuses on capturing action of the couple and their guests at their wedding. Hence, the photos from this style may not all be centered around the couple. Without staging a scene, the photos are also more natural and the subjects may look more relaxed. It encapsulates the real emotions and reactions brought out throughout the day.
Most photographers will also rely on the natural light available at the venue to capture these moments. It will be good if the photographer has familiarized himself with the venue so that he can test out certain angles.
Combination
If you can’t choose between the two common types, why not get the best of both worlds? Combination photographers are versatile and can switch between both styles efficiently throughout your wedding. They can satisfy the needs and desires of various couples due to their vast styles of coverage for your wedding.
Other Styles
Wedding photography is also not limited to just traditional and photojournalistic styles. As times change, more photographers are coming up with more creative and artistic styles of photography to capture each unique wedding in more diverse and distinct ways. As it is all about creating a wedding album personalised to you, photography styles used are also distinct to your wedding. From vintage to fairytale styles, you can customise it according to your preference.
Wedding Photo Album Covers
These physical albums also come in a variety of sizes. From small sizes of 8×8 inches up to 11×14 inches, there’s a variety based on your needs and preferences. Whether you want a cover in premium leather, faux leather or printed metal, it is also open for your customisation.
Photo
Photo covers are also a popular choice where couples get to choose their favourite shot printed on professional canvas cardstock as the front. If you can’t choose, you can go up to having 2 to 3 photos collaged together. Your cover does not necessarily need your faces on them too. You can opt for shots of hands or even back views if desired. Accompanied with simple text of your names and wedding date, using a photo can create a beautiful wedding album cover. It can come in either a glossy or matte finish.
Leather
For those who are into classy and smart styles, a leather wedding album works well. There are many forms of leather covers to choose from. From genuine leather, premium leather and embossed leather.
Genuine leather covers are created with 3 individual pieces of leather that cover the front, back and spine of the album. In contrast, premium leather covers use a single piece of higher quality leather that is custom-fitted to the album throughout. For those who want to add a little design into plain leather, they can go for embossed covers. They are single pieces of premium leather with specific designs and patterns. While they may resemble reptilian skin patterns like crocodiles or snakes, they do not actually use real animal skin.
Words can be imprinted in gold to create an exquisite finish.
Photo Printed Leather Wedding Album
For those who want to have a leather touch and also have their photos on the cover, they can go for a photo printed leather cover. Your wedding photo will be printed onto a premium piece of leather that is custom fitted to the album. There’s also a range of colours and patterns for you to choose from.
Metallic Wedding Album
Having a metallic photo cover is still a relatively new kind of wedding photo album cover. It is made from a combination of a luminescent metal with genuine leather. You can also create glorious embellishments with this combination of materials.
Wedding Photo Album Pages
Glossy
Having a glossy finish to your photos allows for a shiny coat that is perfect for bright and vibrant photos. With a higher gloss level, the higher amount of glare to your photo. It helps make the colour pop in a beautiful manner. However, it is important to note that fingerprints may show easily on glossy photos. They also have a higher likeliness to attract dust if not kept properly.
Lustre
Lustre is a material in between glossy and matte. While it is not as sharp as glossy images, it is also not as muted as matte ones. There is still a rich colour saturation and it is also not as prone to fingerprints. It is usually considered a professional finish.
Matte
Matte is duller and is better suited for photos with a muted color scheme or black and white ones. Light does not reflect too much off of matte photos and hence reduces any ugly glare. It also does not show fingerprints as much. Therefore, matte is considered very professional and many photographers prefer to choose a matte finish even though it’s not as vibrant.
Cost
The cost of your wedding album will vary based on the quality and materials of the features you choose. The size and number of pages also play a role. It also depends on the amount of embellishments and details you want to include into your album.
Photographers usually include albums in their package deal alongside their photography services. To create a photo album fully personalised to your needs and preferences, it also requires a lot of time and effort on their side. Hence, the cost can also vary based on the photographer you choose. It can cost from a few hundred up to thousand dollars.
As there is a huge price range, it is good to discuss the details with your photographer beforehand to ensure it stays within your budget.
Maintenance of your Wedding Album
After spending so much time, effort and money on your wedding album, you want to ensure this precious keepsake retains its quality over the years. This allows your family members and future generations to continue to relish your wedding years later.
Your album should not be exposed to extreme changes in temperature or humidity. The ideal temperature to store them lies between 12 degrees to 35 degree celsius. The ideal humidity conditions are between 5% to 60%. As Singapore is considered relatively hot and humid, it is best to keep it in a cool cupboard away from direct weather conditions.
Over time, dust and dirt can also accumulate. To remove these, you should occasionally take your album out to clean it with a dry and soft cloth. When not in use, storing the book flat in a protective case or cover can help maintain your album in quality condition.
Conclusion
A wedding album reflects you and your spouse’s personal journey. It’s not just a series of photos, but photos with a story behind each one. Wedding albums are usually best done chronologically. A wedding album is to help you remember who was there, and how the relationship happened. A good guideline is to have around 40-80 photos for your wedding album.
Consider putting your individual childhood photos in at the start, then with your friends along the way, and then how both of you met. Complete the story with a timeline of the events that happened during your relationship. Towards the end, put in your professional pre-wedding shots, as a finale.
For studio or outdoor wedding professional shots, if you’re tight on budget, you can hire a freelance photographer by per hour basis instead of full day, and you can get a series of shots within 2-3 hours!