Right before Christmas, I ordered up another studio sample album with photos from Jeremy + Ophelia’s beautiful July 2009 wedding, a 9.5×9.5 Fine Art Album.  This album is a little different to the Flush Mount Album, and it’s also a little more affordable.  The main difference between this one and the Flush Mount is the printing: instead of being printed on photographic paper, it’s printed on fine art paper with a soft, velvet-satin finish.  The colors are saturated and vibrant, and the printing is very sharp.  Another major difference is that it comes with a photowrap cover as standard.  Other options are available, including funky 3/4 leather binding, with just the front cover as a photowrap (I’m excited to order this style for my next sample).

The other big difference is that the pages are much thinner – these pages are soft and flexible, like thick card, whereas the Flush Mount pages are much thicker (around 2mm) and more solid.  The image below shows the optional dust jacket.  I recommend adding on a dust jacket if you’ll be carrying your album around with you as it offers a little extra protection.

It’s been interesting watching the reactions of recent clients and other studio visitors when presenting the two album styles.  Most people have a very strong feeling about which style they prefer, with around two thirds preferring the flush mount albums.  I really like both, but I would probably choose the Fine Art book for a high-end guest book upgrade, or portrait album, and the Flush Mount for my wedding album.

I thought it would be fun to show you some sample album designs too – here are a few of my favorite spreads from the Fine Art Album:

I like a really clean, simple design as I feel it enables the story – and the images – to really shine.  Here are a few more spreads from the reception part of the day:

There’s no comparison to seeing the albums in the flesh – so let me know if you’d like to set up an appointment to visit the studio!

© 2009 Kate McElwee Photography