Wedding Photobooks

jonny_power

Hi all,

Just had contact from our photographer who is going to begin doing coffeetable style photobooks. We really like the look of these over a traditional photo album. However it's quite steep, at £500 for the book and 50 pages. We know he'll do a really good job as he's a graphic designer by trade who's started to do weddings in the past 5 years. He's also a friend so would prefer him to get business out of us rather than someone else. However we're already paying £500 for his time and £150 for a copy of all the photos on a disc.

We were wondering if other people were quoted similar prices for this? It's hard to find someone online who would do the design work and printing and everything. Most of the companies online let you put it together yourself with software, however we're not the most creative and would rather someone else did a really nice job.

Cheers

vicvic_3

Wow £500 plus £150 that is expensive. Ours is costing £400 and thats a photographer and his assistant from 2pm till 8pm and 500-800 images on a CD. Or there is someone else that will do it for £150 for 200 images on a disk but they only do it as a hobby.

jonny_power

agree it is a lot of money. we really struggled to find a decent photographer in the area, others were charging a lot more!

i just think photographers are really struggling in the digital generation

angel13

if you have access to a mac and store the photos from CD on there you can design your own photobook and get it printed and sent through to you. last time i looked it was approx £20 ill try and remember the link and check ... we will be making our own. as for photographers a cheaper one near us that I have seen charges about £80 for one.

angel13

http://www.apple.com/aperture/resources/printproducts.html

this is it so well worth asking a friend with a mac to give it a go as it will be the same sort of package that the actual photographer uses

karen_newcastle

Just to let you know, my lab offers photobooks. They are professional quality and nothing like you buy at places like bobbooks, Tesco or photobox. They cost me between £250 and £300 and then I need to add the cost of the design and my mark up. So his pricing seems about right.

hunnycat

karen_newcastle wrote: »

Just to let you know, my lab offers photobooks. They are professional quality and nothing like you buy at places like bobbooks, Tesco or photobox. They cost me between £250 and £300 and then I need to add the cost of the design and my mark up. So his pricing seems about right.

i agree with you on the quality, the professional books are just so amazing compared to the ones you can get outside. We are having a professional one made as part of our package but also having the cd with all images so we can make our own book for the parents!!

bubble96

£500 for a 50 page album fully designed is not expensive if it is a high quality album, however it depends on who he is using - you put a link to bob books? is this who he is using? if it is then he is really high. To give you an idea though with me if a customer wanted an 11x8 coffee table book with a genuine leather cover and 50 pages, this would cost them £400ish, and i dont make huge profit! not really even enough to cover the many hours of work i will put in.

Littlemadam83

Agreed those photobooks are amazing, and can see how they are not cheap.

I used an online thing called My photo album and collated a book with all my OH's favourite pictures in. I was really impressed with it. It was A4 landscape, bound and about 20 pages (this is totally customisable) and it looked fab.

I loved the fact you could choose what kind of page layout you like and be creative.

But may not be for you!! It is deffo a cheaper option and is something we are doing for our photo album as i think the old style ones, are well, old fashioned - only my personal taste

o_t_e

Hi J_P, as others have said the issue is what book is he using? A handmade book could easily be £350+ so £500 to cover design and delivery of the album seems reasonable. If he's using company you've linked to, bobbooks, well they're a general print on demand company - there photographic book (not the hardback) is actually very good value for money, with decent quality paper & a better than average binding method, but it would be very hard to justify a markup from £65 cost up to £500. If it is a bobbooks I'd be in no rush to hand over £500, especially as you'll have the hi-res files on a disc. Download their software yourself and have a play. There are plenty of album design examples on t'internet if you want to have a go yourself. You can always go back to him if you decide you'd benefit from his skill and experience, which is part of what you're paying for in the £500.

Happy_Girl_2

It wasn't the Op who posted the link to bobbooks, it was another poster showing the OP she could produce her own quite reasonably

OP, I dont really know what photographers cost as one of my friends is doing ours as his wedding gift. But I would say, when booking photographers, it isn't just about the cost. You really do have to get on with your photographer. They will be in your face for much of the day, and if this guy is your friend, and he is offering you a good quality product, I would say take him up on it. You may find someone cheaper who you don't like, and I do think your friend might put a bit more effort in as he will want you to be impressed

It doesn't always come down to the amount of £££. When it comes to your wedding day I really feel you have to look at the bigger picture <---- *groan*