After posting about my annual family photo album I just sent to the printer on Instagram (my Instagram here!), I got so many photography questions. Since it’s Cyber Monday, I’ll share those recommendations here along with some stellar Cyber Monday photography deals.
** I do want to note that I’m sharing my favorites often via affiliate link. Clicking on these links costs you nothing, and gives me a commission– so needed in a year when I only shot 1/4th the number of weddings in an average year.**
First, cameras! Whether you’re newly engaged, a soon-to-be mom, or about to go on vacation, you’re probably looking for a Cyber Monday photography deal on cameras.
Here are my four go-to recommendations:
I rely on two types of albums: one for my cell phones and one for my “big girl” camera photos.
We have a zillion cell phone photos and Instagram photos that just to die. Can you image if your kid’s baby photos only lived on MySpace?
We signed up for a membership with Chatbooks. Chatbooks loads photos from my camera roll automatically, knows when there are dups or blurry photos, excludes screen shots, and sends me an email when I have 60 usable photos. I review the images selected to make sure there aren’t….ahem, any photos I don’t want included. Then, presto, small book of the photos is mailed to me.
It’s about $10/ book, and I get one every 3-6 months. Is it beautiful? No. The photo quality is just ok, but you know what? It’s done. You have the option to actually design a book, but I just go for the 1-photo per page book and it’s done.
I highly recommend this for busy new moms and brides planning their engagement. Document life and don’t let “perfect” albums get in your way of album being done.
You can get $10 off your first order using my code here.
Once a year, I splurge on a “real” album of the photos I’ve taken with my “big girl” camera. I’m not going to lie, these guys take some time to put together. Here’s how I do it:
There are two companies I would recommend. If you are a budding photographer and can do a little of the design, mpix.com is my go-to recommendation (here is a link to get you $10 off your order). Mpix is the public-facing door to my favorite lab, Miller’s Lab. To go in the Miller’s Lab “door” you need a business license, however. You don’t need a business license to order from mpix.com, but it’s the same lab. GREAT quality and amazing prices.
My favorite style of album is the flush mount also called lay flat album. This style allows you to print across the middle (gutter), and the books have thick, baby-board style pages. Thicker pages are great for long-lasting, legacy creating books that will outlive the kids and wine.
Shutterfly albums aren’t what I would sell to my clients, but you know what? They are easy and cheap. The key in this busy world is getting it done. Anyone who would judge your Shutterfly album? Well, they don’t even have an annual album, so they can keep their opinions to themselves. And, I honestly like the quality of their ornaments over my pro lab, so shhhhh…. you’ll see lots of Shutterfly Christmas ornaments on our tree.
Today, they are running one of the best Cyber Monday photography deals at 75% off! Ordering all my ornaments after hitting publish on this post! Here’s a link to their albums. The Simply Modern album style looks great.
If you’re like me, you’ll have hundreds of photos of everyone else, but none of you. I highly recommend scheduling a professional session once a year. We always get a mini session, and often a full session. This year, for instance, it will be a maternity session. In other years, we schedule a session when my step-daughter is in town. The goal is to have at least one, nice photo of the family annually with everyone it in.
Don’t have kids? I still highly recommend a photo session. With your spouse, you are creating a legacy. Kids, no kids, photos capture a time in your lives. Your struggle, beauty, and pain.
If you want to schedule a portrait session with me, check out my family section, here, or couple’s portraits, here. You can see some of my past mini sessions here.
So, other Cyber Monday photography deals include:
PABLO NERUDA