These are all valid reasons not to pre-design:

• It takes time … time you may not have.
• It might be the wrong album … oops.
• They may not like it …
• They may not want one …

At Moda Fotografica we measure our success by the emotional responses of our clients.

A pre-planned album lets us take control of the telling of the story and direct the clients perception of what they have (their wedding photography) before those perceptions are clouded by the fear of spending money, and any self deprecation.

Hugs, Johannes

There’s another reason why not to pre-design: your software isn’t nimble enough to do the edits (there’ll always be some). No prizes for guessing what I use.

I used to go into restaurants and say, ‘Surprise me, impress me’. I would tell them, ‘No pork, no offal and no salmon,’ … and ask for a wine that matched, and fitted my budget.

I did this because I always used to order the chicken or the steak. Boring.

Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn’t. Every now and again I would have a fantastic dining experience.

Sometimes, unfortunately, I would end up with the chef’s special … the dish they wanted to move.

The restaurants that did best were the ones that had an emphasis on service, a tolerance for weird requests and the nouse to ask a few questions about what I liked.

Was I asking too much? All I was doing was presenting the restaurant with an opportunity to show their skill with food and wine, to do what a restaurant should be doing.

How does this relate to pre design? It starts with understanding your clients (the strangers in the viewfinder). It’s about asking the right questions and figuring out their preferences.

So you can delight them with an unexpected experience.

Cheers, Johannes

Is it a better proposal when it’s a surprise?

You’re out for a romantic dinner with your true love and suddenly she finds an engagement ring in her champagne … So many things could go horribly wrong.

It’s a three way bet. She could say ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘let me think about it’.

Pre-designing an album is no different.

There are risks, but if you get it right it’s incredibly rewarding.

No risk, no reward.

Hugs

Johannes

Noticed the new button on The Junction?

If not, we’ve just published a Photojunction Help Resource library. You can access it by clicking the new button on the right-hand side of this page.

It consolidates the entire contents of our online guides, blog tips, webinars and video tutorials in one easy-to-use location, which we’ll update every week.

We hope you find it useful. If you’ve got any comments or suggestions about how to improve it please let us know.

Cheers, Nigel