what would you save?

People and pets out of the equation, we're talking things, tangible items... "If your house was burning, what would you try to save?" Family heirlooms are always the answer when asked this hypothetical (but pretty awful) question. But what are those treasured items? A piece of jewelry that's been passed down? A tattered childhood toy or blanket? Photos? Your wedding album... yes usually the wedding album makes the cut, as well it should.

We asked each other this question. Here are our answers...

Betty said, "I would grab the safety deposit box full of vital records and important documents. Right next to it is my jewelry box full of my Grandmother's jewelry. That's my second thing. Then I'd run down to the bookshelf and grab every single photo album I can carry." As you can tell she's the accountant in this partnership. Of course she has a safety deposit box stored in an easily accessible place. Of course she does. And yes, she has strategically placed the family jewelry box right next to it. She's also the planner and worst case thinker. Can you tell?

Maggie said, "First thing to bring would be the box of baby stuff from when Sweet Cheeks was born. You know, his hospital bracelet, blanket, going home outfit, birth certificate, umbilical cord. Then I'd start grabbing photo albums. If I had to pick just a few I'd grab our wedding album, my box of vintage family prints, and the framed photo of Sweet Cheeks and I from the day he was born. I guess the last thing I'd bring is my camera, because that puppy was expensive." Less logical and thought out, Maggie brings her son's dried umbilical cord. Oh yes, she kept it. We know... we know.

So let us get to our point (for crying out loud). Our point is that wedding photos deserve to be printed. They belong in an album, and that album belongs on a shelf in your living room where you can see it every day, look through it often, and grab it in a fire. Let's be honest. Most of us will (God willing) never have to run back into our burning home to save these special items. But for many couples out there, they don't even have an album to put on their list! What... you'd save your computer? You'd save your cherished wedding photo DVD? How often do you pop that baby in and sit in front of the computer looking at your photos? Nope... not very often. So again we say, wedding photos belong in an album.

Here's the funny part: We don't (currently) include albums in our pricing. We never force our couples to purchase high end albums when booking us. We do this because we believe the ability to afford quality photography outweighs the need for a fancy album, especially if that fancy album would be full of photos you don't really enjoy because you had to settle for a photographer you weren't thrilled with. So no, we don't force the album issue, and by doing so we make our work attainable to couples who (like most) have a photography budget to work within. Does that mean we want couples to stop there, and do nothing with their DVD of images once they receive it? Um... no.

We give print rights to our clients with the hope they will use our recommended public album providers to design and print their own albums. Yes! It can be done! You do NOT have to spend upwards of $1,000 for a decent album. The vast majority of our clients do not purchase packages with albums, but they do flock to My Publisher when their DVD arrives to create their own. And guess what, it will cost them under $100 for a beautiful, layflat, coffee table book packed full of their wedding photos. My Publisher has an outstanding, easy to use design software program that is free to download. We know because we've used it ourselves, and we love it. In fact, we have used My Publisher to create quick and inexpensive albums to use when showcasing our latest work.

In the long, drawn out, over hyped debate among wedding photographers, we stand firm in our stance that wedding photos should be printed and belong in albums. But... we know a beautifully hand crafted, flush mount album is just not within reach for everyone. So we promise to always make our work available without the pressure to purchase a designer album, and we promise to always provide all of our clients with the rights to their wedding photos.

In the coming months, we will be working hard to give this company a fresh coat of paint as we do a little rebranding. In those efforts we will address the demands of our new couples and the changing market. We plan on bringing the best of both worlds to our product line next year, by offering collections that include high end albums for those who demand the best, as well as coverage only collections that leave the album design up to the happy couple. So look for big news in a few months! Change is good, and responding to the needs and requests of our clients is even better. So we will evolve.

Now before we go, promise us if you don't have your wedding photos in an album that you will have one made. Online providers or through a professional... you deserve to have your memories preserved and displayed.

Have a great weekend!