Albums x 5

Every day at 1:30 (like clockwork) I hear the UPS truck coming around the parking lot here. There are days he delivers to my door and days like today he beeps and pulls up to my garage. Besides the last minute deliveries for Christmas orders, he had 6 albums for me! One of them I'm keeping for a studio demo.

I use a little known album company called Album ML, formally known as Memory Link. There's a lot of album companies out there, and I do use a few others, but Album ML has been so consistent, puts out such a great product, and they are so easy to deal with. I thought I would take a few shots of what came in today.



These are the 3 main album covers that my clients like to order. The middle one is a clear acrylic with a designed image under it. It really makes the colors pop and gives me a lot of freedom to do what we want with the cover. The back left is all black leather with a custom cut out. The back right is a piece of metal with a color image printed down the side.


Here's a close up of the acrylic.


Another acrylic with a different design.


Yet another acrylic with another different design


It's a good thick piece of really clear acrylic.


A nice smooth piece of metal. I like it better than the brushed look.


Here's the black leather with a custom sized cutout and the clients names and date imprinted into the leather.


Their bindings are really nice and lay flat. The pages are three layers each. The white, black, and white is a single thick page. I think it looks nice when you're looking at the album sitting out. I've only had one person gild the edges so they are completely black.


Here's a close up of the binding. It's just a bump across the seam.


Album ML just released a new presentation box that's so much better than they used to have. It's a good sturdy black leather-like box with stitching.




The stitching around the box.


The magnetic flap.


The inside is lined with a velvet like material.


To my clients seeing their album here, they will be mailed out on Saturday! You should have them by Christmas.

PhotoExpo, RE:WORKSHOP, Drobo, Clients Albums

So I'm sitting here not being able to do much... so a rambling I shall go. I'll explain the work stoppage at the end.

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NYC

Last weekend I went down to NYC for the PDN Photo Plus Expo. I took the train in with a few photographer friends. I walked the whole expo floor with my assistant Greg. The show was just ok this year. I did pick up a few products that I wanted to get, but didn't really see anything impressive on the album end of things. First, I'll continue to use Memory Link as my standard line of albums. It looks like they just finished their new website. I've been using them for years, pretty much since they started up. Their quality has been top notch and so have been their prices. This is how I keep my clients costs low on the albums while keeping the best quality. Then I wanted to see my high end album company and the 2 other high end album companies. Unfortunately all 3 were not at the show! I guess I'll see them at the WPPI convention in Vegas. Another no show was Apple! APPLE!!! There weren't there promoting Lightroom (not that any of us seem to be using it), nor there to promote their cinema displays. Every photographer I know (except 1) are using Macs. Plus photographers and videographers are using Apple TV to present their work on large displays! But don't worry, I went to the Apple store after the show.

Speaking of after the show, we had a reservation for 28 photographers at Carmine's on West 44th. SOOOOO Good. Then it was off to a bar with a few friends, and then to hang out with Kelley's friend Courtenay, and her sisiter, who live in the city. We got back to the hotel at 2:30am! It's New York!

The next day we shopped the city, stayed for dinner, and drove home. I found some AMAZING deals at the Macy's sale where we spent a good portion of the day. I don't even want to know how many miles we walked. OH! The biggest bummer of the trip was not getting together with Chris and Katie Humphrey's who were in town. Simply put, my cell phone battery died and I never got their messages until 2:30am. If you don't remember, Chris and Katie photographed my wedding in San Diego. Sorry guys!!!! I'll see you in February at WPPI!

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RE:WORKSHOP

I had my Hartford RE:WORKSHOP / PPA Super Monday class on Monday! It was awesome. I got a lot of great response from it. What can I say, I'm a very giving person and I love to help out my fellow photographers. I give away my secrets! OK maybe not all of them. But thank you to everyone that came out. I have already heard that a few of you are implementing some of what I do, and are using the files that I gave out! As always, e-mail me any questions.

For those of you not in CT who want to attend the RE:WORKSHOP, why not host it yourself? I've already had one in Sacramento, CA host by Carmen Salazar which was a huge success. You supply the space, notify your area photographers (I'll help too), and I'll be there! Check the website: http://www.rephotodesign.org

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Drobo

This is going to get technical... So this week I decided to check my RAIDed hard drives to make sure everything was going well. Well... no. Both RAID's failed. This isn't the first time they have failed. I've been doing it through Mac's Disc Utility with Lacie Drives. I've pretty much have had enough with this setup. It would probably take me 5 days to restore everything. So instead of dealing with all this, I bought a Drobo and all new hard drives to store next years files, backup this years, and to store last years files. 6TB total. So as I transfer this years files, I can't really use them. The changes may or may not transfer, depending on where the transfer is at the time of the changes. So I'll sit here and wait the 7 hours for the transfer. Then I have to transfer 2 other drives. Joy.

Now I have FOR SALE: Completely working, no issues, 2 - 500GB USB / Firewire 800 Lacie Desktop Drives, and 1 - 1TB Lacie Big Disk USB / Firewire (That could also be a 500GB RAID). Make me an offer. I may have 2 more 500GB drives in the closet.

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Albums

Lastly, and I should probably put this first cause I'm sure your bored reading this by now, are my clients albums. I'm done editing photos for a month after this weekend. So now it's all about designing the albums that I have lined up to do. Believe me there are a lot. But work on them starts on Monday! I hope to have everyones designed by the end of November.

Why the backup? I didn't expect EVERYONE to choose a new option called the "Photographer's Line" which puts all the work on me. And I do mean everyone this year. But I can't complain because knowing that my clients trust me to do a good job has been the best thing ever.

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So those are the updates! Tonight: A halloween party!!!!! What will I be for halloween?? wait and see!

October 24th, 5:30pm Carmine's NY

***** 5:30PM Reservation!!! sorry, the e-vite says 7pm, it really is 5:30pm *******

ATTENTION PHOTOGRAPHERS!!! On October 24th a group of about 25of us are headed down to the Photo Expo in NYC. After the expo we have a group reservation at Carmine's in the Theater District, 200 West 44th St, near Times Square. If you've never been there before, you don't know what your missing. It's family style italian, it's really good, and really reasonable.

The per person fee is $52 for appetizer, pasta, vegetable, entree and dessert. We have not decided the menu yet, but it's a lot of food for $52 in NYC. Cash bar for those interested.

If you want to join us please do one of the following by the end of TODAY:

1) Paypal $52 to re@rephotodesign.com

2) Put a check in the mail. Please call me for my address as it is not public information. 203-676-3527.

3) Call me with your credit card # (I can only run it if I'm in the office)

See you at the Expo!

RE:WORKSHOP

Here it is! I can finally announce the RE:WORKSHOP being held in Sacramento California. I will also be doing the same workshop for PPA's Super Monday classes in October here in CT. The website is launched! It is www.rephotodesign.org (for organization)! Signup has begun!

5D Mark II

My photographer friends are hearing rumors of a 5D Mark II. Amazon has listed a 5D Mark II Field Guide!

CLICK HERE for the Gizmodo Rumor on the camera specs.

I'll wait for a 1D version.