Digital Photography DVD and CDs Presentation Cases

Workflow Resource – Give Image Finder A Try

On any given day, do you have a gazillion things running past you, and just as many windows opened up on your computer? I know I do.

So when you start in on a new client, or have someone call up with questions on images, your mind quickly scrambles to come up with where the image files are located and how to find them quickly.

You may want to try Fundy Image Finder – a brand new tool that makes finding and pulling images quick and easy. Its not a sophisticated program; just a simple workflow utility to help photographers pull images for print and album orders in the most efficient way possible.

(And best of all, its 100% free – so you have to go download it now!)

What it is

A simple tool for quickly finding a batch of images.

Why it rocks

Ever have a print or album order with a list of images you have to find? We’ve made the job of finding them fast and snappy! Image Finder was designed to do one very specific task, and do it well. Like the name of the product, it finds images. That’s it.

How it works

Cut and paste a list of image files into the finder window, and hit go. It will search a folder and/or subfolders for the images and bring them up in the queue. From there, you can open the files up in Photoshop or quickly create copies for editing. That’s it! It just takes a simple step in your workflow and makes it lightning fast. Watch this video to see just how fast it is.

How much is it?

Brace yourself. It’s FREE. Yeah, how cool is that? Fundy Software is all about making the Photographer’s workflow faster and easier. This was such a simple tool to develop we were amazed nobody had made it yet, so we busted it out and are making it available completely free.

Grab your copy of it here.

Filed Under: Production Resources Tagged With: fundy, image finder, Photographer, Photography Studio, resource, Workflow

Photo Restoration Tips and Tricks

by Leah Spencer 2 Comments

guest post by Leah Spencer

Modern digital restoration techniques and programs are excellent tools for restoring, preserving and archiving photographs. This way, the saved images are not subject to deterioration, water damage or aging effects that physical storage may otherwise cause. Here are some tried and tested tips that you may find useful while restoring old photographs.

Before Restoration:

After Restoration:

1) Use a good scanner

Scanning is the first step to successful restoration. It is important that you use a good quality scanner and set it to maximum resolution and color depth while digitizing your photos. Adjusting the lighting with your scanner will let you capture much more detail, and then use it for further improvisation using editing software. Also, scanning in color absorbs more information than black and white.

2) Work on copies

Before you begin editing your photos, it is advisable to make more than one copy of it. While restoring photographs, it is possible that you make some irreversible edits or errors.

3) Change to black and white

As far as photo restoration is concerned, black and white photos are generally considered easy to work with. If the photo is sepia, you may convert it to black and white using your photo editing software and then convert it back to sepia after restoration. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Production Resources Tagged With: colorization, digital restoration techniques, Photo Restoration Tips, restoring old photographs

Display Your Work In A Mosaic Frame

by Virtual Photography 1 Comment

A few days ago I introduced you to Moo.com. I love their cards and their ideas because they can make you stand apart from your competition, and make your prospects say, “wow”.

Today I received an email introducing the Mosaic Frame to their U.S. customers. If you order a pack of mini-cards, you can place 20 of them in any direction on to the frame. It’s a great conversation starter.

Moo presents Mosaic Frame –
Uploaded by MOO_Crew – Discover more life & style videos.

Filed Under: Blog, Production Resources Tagged With: frame your portraits, marketing ideas for photographers, mosaic frame

Stand Out From The Crowd – Create Unique Photo Cards

by Virtual Photography 4 Comments

Want a unique way to stand out from the crowd?

A couple of weeks ago I somehow surfed my way over to Moo.com – a custom printer of business cards, minicards and postcards. Their homepage made me take a second look, so I started to take a look around. And I loved the opportunity they offer for photographers.

Head over to Moo.com and click on the business card option. Then start designing your business cards. You can upload up to 50 of your images to display on your cards. Then choose what you want to say on the other side, your paper options, and hit the order button. You can have these vibrant business cards ordered in no time.

I loved their options, but to me what matters most is the quality. Since they had a “try before you buy” option, I thought I’d give them a try. So I uploaded 10 different images, and had my cards made. Five days later, the cards were in my hands. And I have to tell you, I love them. The quality will put your other business cards to shame. They are printed on thick paper, and the colors held true to what I expected.

The price is extremely reasonable –especially for the newbie. You can order a 50 pack for $21.99. (They do have other options if you need more.)

They also offer the same option for postcard and greeting cards. Want to include some of your prints in your marketing kits you hand out to clients? Order these high quality postcards. Again, I love the quality and it’s nice to be able to order a small quantity.

Filed Under: Blog, Production Resources Tagged With: business cards, marketing materials, moo.com, photo cards

8 Album Software and Design Applications

by Virtual Photography 3 Comments

As a high-end wedding photographer, I know the money isn’t in the shooting part of your business. It’s in the selling part of your business. And the easiest way to make a ton of money is to sell albums as opposed to packages and handing over the digital files.

For ideas on building and selling albums, you may be interested in Photographing By The Page – The Only Way To Shoot A Wedding.

In order to build and sell large albums, you have to design large album templates before the sale in order for your clients to see what you do, and picture the final product in their minds.

Yes, you can design each page in Photoshop. But when you’re designing over 280 pages on speculation the way I did, you have to have something that makes the process more efficient.

Here are 8 album design programs that can help you design albums on speculation quicker.

Fundy Album Builder

Allows you to design and create your own layouts instead of using pre-established templates. Works for both PC and Mac. Offers a free trial download.
Album DS

What Do I Use To Manage My Photographs and Help Control My Workflow?

by Virtual Photography 2 Comments

Every week I get a variety of questions emailed to me. Over the past couple of weeks, this question has come up several times.

“What Do I Use To Manage My Photographs and Help Control My Workflow?”

Every photographer has their own set of tools they like for studio control. But if you’re new to the industry, or are looking to make a change to a system that provides you with even more control, you may be ready for ACDSee.

We’ve been using ACDSee for years and love some of its features. Let me share just a few of the reasons we love this tool.

Photographing weddings means you have a ton of images. Though we did prefer to give our clients almost every image, there would always be a few that we would choose to delete. And of course the client would pick up on one being missing in the numbering system, and ask about that image. ACDSee allows you to rename your images easily, filling in the holes that normally exist with just deleting.
ACDSee has an organization tool that allows you quickly to look through your images, sorting and keeping only the ones you truly want to show your client. ACDSee has the power to make this a quick process, and also allows you to view up to four images at once, making your selection process a breeze.
Depending on how you shoot, ACDSee has some capabilities of enhancing your final image. We try to shoot everything as close to final as possible. Meaning we don’t have to enhance every image we take. While ACDSee isn’t Photoshop, it does have enough tools to allow you to transform your photographs into a final product.

Filed Under: Blog, Production Resources Tagged With: acdsee, photography workflow management, workflow program

Photo Albums; How To Make A Professional Presentation

by Virtual Photography 1 Comment

What makes a professional photographer stand above an amateur? It’s the way they present their products and their services to prospects and clients.

Whether you photograph weddings, families, children or babies, adding a professional album to your list of services can showcase your photography in an elegant and impactful way.

With each of our weddings, it wasn’t just the photographs that made us special. It was the way we presented them. We would design multiple volume sets, and show a client an album design (via software) along with the digital proofs. We assumed they would buy albums – that was our service – and it was a strategy that never failed.

Imagine selling a four volume set to your client – each with 60-70 pages. What would that do to your bottom line?

Let’s look at 5 different album companies.

Art Leather
It’s all about options. Art Leather can offer you a variety of different styles and looks. I’ve always been a fan of the flush mount albums. You create digital image collages in one size, and have them flush mounted in an album. With their high quality pages, you get a look that screams “professional”. I also like that they have a variety of add-on products, from gift albums, to folios, to image boxes. Image boxes were always a big hit. Place a selection of matted images in the image box. Your clients can display them, use them as signature frames, and have an elegant way of displaying them as well. They are great for bringing along to coffee houses when you’re showing your clients your work.

Zookbinders
Zookbinders does a fantastic job with both their albums, design and customer service. We worked with the staff at Zookbinders for years, and loved everything about this company. They have a variety of products and styles to ensure you have something for every taste. Instead of offering your clients one item, why not give bonuses along the way? A two volume album earns you a discount on The PhotoBook. With a variety of lines, you can find many ways to create special offers for your clients.

Queensberry
Queensberry offers you a variety of options in album format, and a wide array of sizing options. How about a 20×16 album – imagine the look on a prospects face just looking at these large images. We used a variety of sizes throughout our business, and size does matter when it comes to album design. If you give something out of the ordinary – something your customers’ friends won’t have – you’re sure to be a hit.

White Glove Books
What attracted me immediately to White Glove is their take on albums – they don’t just produce albums, they produce First Editions. It’s not just what you create, it’s how you present it. White Glove allows you to present your images in a variety of ways, and choose from different layouts and cover designs. Each book is uniquely your own.

Albums Australia
Another thing that makes a professional photographer stand above the crowd is offering something a consumer can’t get anywhere else. Change the size to something out of the ordinary – maybe an 11×14 album. Or give them the newest magazine style album. In either case, make a sample that shows your client what to expect, and what you can do that’s different from traditional and more available options. Albums Australia has great products for the professional, and gives you access to software to make your job of album design easy.

These are five of the great companies available to you as professional photographers. Get on their websites and take a look for yourself. I would recommend that you offer a variety of album companies in your product line. Different clients like different things. We had some clients who were vegan, and wanted a quality album that adhered to their vegan beliefs. Some love an artistic look, while others like a more traditional look. By offering several choices, you can develop a package that is perfect for your client.

Filed Under: Blog, Production Resources Tagged With: albums australia, art leather, photo albums, professional photo albums, queensberry, white glove, zookbinders

Choosing An Album Company

by Virtual Photography 4 Comments

Professional means not doing what the amateur can do.

I visited a “professional” photographer’s website today. She specializes in babies and children.

She photographs and provides the digital files for up to 50 images. Yours to keep.

If you choose, you have the option of purchasing a memory book that she produces from iPhoto – for an additional fee.

I doubt she sells very many of these. Why would she?

The person has already received a digital file with every image on it. She can very easily head over to iPhoto and design her own album.

I love the iPhoto concept. It’s fun and easy to throw together a quick album for a single event. Many other companies offer a similar product – Shutterfly has something similar, and also sells the kits out of Borders book stores.

Consumers love it. And retailers love it – it’s a way of increasing their profits.

But as a professional, you need to be supplying your customers with things they can’t get anywhere else. Even if they find it online, the company will only work with professionals.

When they see something magical that they can’t get anywhere else, it adds a sense of desire to your product line. And it sets you apart from your competition.

Professional album companies are also in business to help you grow your business. And because of it, many of their websites are designed to help send future clients your way. Many have special sections educating the bride on a professional album, and provide a way to connect the bride with you.

One of my favorite album companies, Zookbinders, has a special section just for brides. They educate them on the quality of professional albums, why hiring a professional is so important, and how to find a professional photographer.

Many companies will also work to get you your sample line. For half off, you can order sample albums to show your client. Clients buy what they see. This is a great way to show them your level of professionalism.

If you want to profit like a professional, you must build your business like a professional.

Filed Under: Blog, Production Resources

Digital Photography DVD and CDs Presentation Cases

by Virtual Photography Leave a Comment

With the push to hand over digital media to clients becoming common practice there is a huge need for quality packaging for DVD cases.

Create Professional-Grade DVD and CD Packages with the Jewelboxing System.

Check out this site that has professional designers who were unsatisfied with the materials available for packaging our DVDs and CDs. They created Jewelboxing to allow individuals to produce a short-run of high-end packages and to give them the freedom to concentrate on the most important part of the job, the creative. Selecting the Super Jewel Box™ King and Standard cases, created complementary components of the highest quality and made precise design templates for virtually all major design and publishing software programs.