We’ve all been there — your client loves their gallery, gushes over the moments you captured… and then skips over the album. You say they’re available but no one bites. It can be disheartening, especially when you know how meaningful they are. And the same goes for other products! But here’s the thing: if your pricing page only mentions “albums available” without any visuals, story, or context, it’s completely understandable that clients pass them by. They’re not saying no to the album—they just haven’t been given a reason to say To View More >>

As told to Cate Scaglione - Life As Fine Art “There is a space between imagination… and attainment…that may only be traversed by… longing.” ― Khalil Gibran, Sand and Foam The story of Cindy Harter Sims is about more than going from part-time hobbyist to full time award-winning photographer. Cindy’s is a tale about longing for all that life has to offer. Photography just happened to be her way of finding it. There is something about an image by Cindy Harter Sims. It’s an inexplicable surge of emotions that make you feel as if you’re To View More >>

If there really are 3.5 trillion photos, which are the important ones? The ones that get picked, printed and presented. Presented in a magazine, a book, a frame, an album. But who does the picking? If it's social photography and the photographer's doing the choosing, which images will make the cut? The perfect shots. The ones that tell the story. The ones that fit in the book. And inevitably, the ones that make the photographer look good. Hundreds and thousands of photographs get discarded because they're imperfect or don't suit our purposes. But those "rejects" could tell a different story, and To View More >>

A little over 6 years ago I returned to my office after a meeting with staff to introduce a design audit and branding project. My phone rang and a man introduced himself and said he was from Apple. At first I thought I was being punked - all through the presentation the consultants had compared us to, and suggested we benchmark ourselves against, not our competitors, but great companies like Apple. This gentleman proceeded to tell me he was from Cupertino and that his boss was Steve Jobs. I tried to act as if I took calls like this everyday. He said they wanted to develop a premium book, and would To View More >>

A series about storytelling in album design. Every great story has a beginning, a middle and an end Part of what makes a story interesting is the way it's told. It pulls you in, leads you along a path of discovery and ends with a satisfying finale. I've already mentioned the importance of chronology, and I'll have more about the middle later, but what's the secret to a strong beginning and a satisfying ending? The beginning Writers spend a lot of time on their first paragraphs. They know if they don't kindle your interest they leave you cold. If you're not sure what should go on your first page To View More >>