Howdy Friends,

Hope this finds you well as you’re busy preparing for the upcoming summer shooting season!  Many of you have asked for more education on AlbumExposure’s features, so we’ve created a new Tutorials section for you on our website.  We want you to get the most value out of your AE account and this is a perfect way to learn about things that will improve your album proofing and sales, starting with this summer’s events.  You’ll find videos for both Photographers and Design Studios, covering an array of features and functions, such as setting up preferences & branding, creating new albums, managing communications, promoting your work, managing multiple designers, as well as general workflow tips.  If there’s a topic you’d like to learn more about, and don’t see it, simply click on “Request a Video” to let us know what subject you’d like us to cover.

Start watching: http://albumexposure.com/tutorials

We’re here to help make your life easier and keep your album workflow smooth, so please don’t hesitate to send us an email at support@albumexposure.com if you need anything or have any questions.

Cheers!

The AlbumExposure Team

Hey Friends,

Wanted to let you know about some exciting happenings over here at the AlbumExposure headquarters! Today we are launching a new version of AlbumExposure that has been specifically crafted for design studios. With this new edition has come several improvements to the current photographer edition, so we wanted you to know that you’ll notice a few little changes and updates when you log in the next time. For those of you working with a design studio, post production company, or album company to complete your album designs, you’re going to love the new interactions and if your design studio isn’t using our new edition, you’ll want to tell them about it ASAP.

If you have any questions at all, shoot us a quick email at support@albumexposure.com. We look forward to connecting with you and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the new updates.

This is just the first of some really cool new things we have for you this year, as you discover your perfect album process, so stay tuned and we’ll see some of you at WPPI next week!

We’ll be posting again in the next few days with more details on the new Design Studio Edition, so look for that as well.

Cheers!
The AlbumExposure Team

Hey there!

In the last couple years we’ve been moving away from Flash technology so we can continue to provide a solution that works flawlessly across all your devices. In an effort to continually embrace cutting-edge technology and increase device support, we’ve just performed a major upgrade to AlbumExposure’s engine.

As a part of this upgrade, we’ve moved away from using Flash technology in our image uploading tool, which means that the image uploading doesn’t work like it used to in older versions of Internet Explorer, but there’s a good reason we’ve gone this route:

Usually technology improves in minor increments, but every now-and-then, a big leap is made. Oftentimes, to take advantage of these, some older technology (like Internet Explorer) has to go the way of the buffalo. Right now, we’re leaving behind Flash technology in our image uploading system so we can make your overall experience better across more devices—especially mobile devices. In other words, to make a yummier omelette, we have to break a few eggs.

In our move away from Flash, we realized more than ever how slow Internet Explorer is to adapt to changing browser technologies. We were aware that earlier versions of IE wouldn’t be compatible with these changes, but we found that IE 9 also does not support the advanced capabilities that we know our users need. Internet Explorer 10 will work, but only if you use Windows 8 as an operating system. Therefore, the easiest solution is to download Firefox or Chrome. We understand this will be a change for some of you, but we promise these browsers have much more to offer and you won’t be disappointed with your decision to move forward.

We’re excited that this update allows for faster uploads, uploads from iOS devices, and the capability to use all features of AlbumExposure on your iPad!

If you have any questions about this change or anything else, please feel free to contact us at  support@albumexposure.com

Thanks!

The AlbumExposure Team

P.S. Bob Dylan has approved this message.

… Lindsay J.C. Lack!

We absolutely loved the way you told Stacey & Steve’s story through your photographs and album layout. Your pictures were vibrant, emotive, and made us feel like we were in attendance as well!

You can view Lindsay’s winning album design here and check out her website as well. Below is just one of many stunning images that were included in her album.

Everyone submitted such great albums and we really enjoyed looking through all of them. We’re so impressed by the talent all of you have!

Thanks for taking the time to enter your albums, and congrats again, Lindsay!

Cheers,

The AlbumExposure Team

Hey folks!

Have you recently designed an album you want to share with everyone? We’re hosting an Album Design Contest and would love to see your submissions!

Guidelines are simple…

We will choose the winner based on quality of images, strength of design, and ultimately on which layout tells the story of the event best!

If you already have an AE account, you’ll simply pick the album (or upload a new one) you’d like to submit, and email the link to support@albumexposure.com with the title “Album Design Contest”.

If you don’t already have an AE account, you can sign up for a free trial here and then once you’ve uploaded your album, send us the link at support@albumexposure.com with the title “Album Design Contest”.

This contest is starting TODAY, September 24th and we will accept submissions through Tuesday, October 9th.

Last but not least, the winner of this album design contest will win a $50 gift card to Amazon.com and get featured on our blog along with a link to the winning design!

Please tell your friends… and when you do, don’t forget to use your affiliate code so you can get paid if they upgrade in the future.

Cheers,

Ayca :)

Hello Lovely AlbumExposure Folks,

Today is Ayca’s 30th Birthday!!! To celebrate, she’s offering 30% off your first yearly subscription when you upgrade your AlbumExposure account – but only for 30 hours! Just enter the code “YAYAYCA30″ for this special treat! This coupon expires at 5pm PST on August 16th so get it while you can!. Yay for Birthdays!

Cheers!

Ayca

Greetings!

Did you know that you can get paid when you promote us to your fellow photographer friends? It’s true! AlbumExposure has an affiliate program, and the way it works is simple. You’ll find that there are many ways to promote us, including simple links and/or banners such as this one:

To find out more information on how you can get paid for referring your friends to AlbumExposure check out our Affiliate Program page. If you have any questions,  please contact us at support@albumexposure.com.

Cheers!

Our friend Stewart Randall from Folio Albums  is beginning an 8 day/8 location Freedom Tour tomorrow, May 25th! He’ll be coming to Newcastle, Glascow, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, West London, Cambridge, and Leeds. If you’re in the area of any of these stops, read more about the tour details! Stewart and his like-minded professional photographer buddies invite you to join them at each location to shoot, chat photography, and view products/services. Get inspired and learn how to simplify your business processes!

inTandem is a husband + wife photography duo based in Austin, TX. Adam and Sarah are relatively new members to AlbumExposure who were kind enough to answer some questions we had for them regarding the album process and how/why they do what they do best… Enjoy!

AE: What do you like most about albums?

iT: Albums offer the ability to create a feeling and allow us to tell a story through photos.  Single images can too, but by choosing photos that complement each other, we are able to show movement and expression in a whole new way.

AE: Why do you offer albums to your clients?

iT: One of my most prized possessions is a photo of my grandmother outside of the church, about to walk in and get married to my grandpa.  I love it.  I get choked up at the mere thought of what it would be like to look through an entire album of their wedding photos… to imagine what it would be like to be there.  Albums are crucial.  Albums are the thing that are looked through on anniversaries and passed down through generations. They aren’t bound by today’s technology.  Albums ooze nostalgia.

AE: How has AlbumExposure helped your album process the most?

iT: AlbumExposure has done wonders to simplify the client proofing system.  We find ourselves explaining the technical details less, and focusing more on the the album layout.  There is no longer any confusion of pages vs. spreads or where exactly the crease will be, but instead we focus that attention on collaborating to create a perfect design.  Also, the capability of uploading high resolution files to the album proof has saved us time and removed the error of confusing low resolution proof files for high resolution print files.

AE: How do you tell “the story” best in an album design?

iT: We always set the atmosphere by sharing the details of the wedding that were carefully chosen by the couple.  We also design an album as if we were giving it to someone who was not there to see if for themselves.  We try to put ourselves in the happy couple’s shoes, including the details that meant most, and the little side stories that really made them laugh.  We aim to include more photos of family and wedding party, since we know those people are the closest to them, and feature the pivotal moments on their own page or full spread as “benchmark moments” that happened throughout the day.  Most of all, we remember the details of what it was like to be there- from out of control wind or dim candlelight to clinking glasses or applause- and try to recreate that feeling for the couple in book form to have forever.

Have a look at inTandem’s recent album “Jess-Mike” for an example of the great work they do!

We’re excited to announce an excellent “Pricing, Process and Profit” workshop tour that is being brought to you by one of our Partners, ShootDotEdit. Featuring Jared Bauman, Leeann Marie, and a guest speaker, the workshop will focus on structuring your pricing, setting up your business systems, and how to profit in your local market. The workshop is FREE with RSVP ($25 at the door)! Every photographer in attendance will receive freebies and discounts from all of the sponsors (including us)! Don’t miss this chance to grow and learn with your fellow photographers!

Here are the cities and dates as of this moment:

Seattle, WA – Wednesday, May 30

Boston, MA – Tuesday, June 12

New York, NY – Wednesday June 13

Washington, DC – Tuesday, July 10

Green Bay, WI – Wednesday, July 11

Chicago, IL – Thursday, July 12

San Francisco, CA – Monday, July 30

Los Angeles, CA – Tuesday, July 31

Orange County, CA – Wednesday, August 1

San Diego, CA – Thursday, August 2

Minneapolis, MN – Monday, August 13

Denver, CO – Tuesday, August 14

Miami, FL – Tuesday, September 11

Tampa, FL – Wednesday, September 12

Atlanta, GA - Thursday, September 13

Phoenix, AZ – Monday, October 8

Las Vegas, NV – Tuesday, October 9

Dallas, TX – Monday, November 5

Houston, TX – Tuesday, November 6

San Antonio, TX – Wednesday, November 7

Honolulu, HI – Friday,  December 7

You can RSVP here!

Cheers!

The AlbumExposure Team