Are you looking for a creative way to display a host of images on your wall without breaking the bank? Jennifer of Jennifer Lee Photographee used one of our collage templates to make an impressive display that clients love! She shares, “I used the “Album on a Wall: Best of Both Worlds” storyboard template from the Design Aglow store to create a photo collage canvas. In Photoshop, I resized the template from 20×48 to 20×60 to fit a narrow wall I have in my studio. I hand placed my favorite images from the wedding to tell the story of the day. I printed it at my favorite canvas lab, and I use it for display in my studio.

Design Aglow has a new addition for you! 

Help your client welcome in their new baby with the Newborn Welcome Packet!  This kit includes everything your maternity, newborn and first year clients need to know about documenting their new arrival.  We’ve taken out the guess work and given them answers to the questions like “What to Wear” and “When to Shoot.”

Our Newborn Welcome Packet is fresh and clean and will secure your place with your clients as their go-to photographer to document not only the impending arrival of their baby, but also for their family as it grows throughout the years.  It’s full of must-know information for those early sessions and it will help generate excitement during what can be a new (and sometimes nerve-wracking!) time in their life!

Includes the following templates (compatible with Photoshop & InDesign):
• Welcome greeting: defining the custom portraiture experience and your studio’s enthusiastic mission to exceed client expectations
• General info card: covering packages, the experience, tips for success, testimonials, etc.
• Maternity guide: with helpful tips for when to shoot and what to wear
• Checklist of all items to remember leading up to their session
• Product options
• Bookmark referral card
• Business card with contact info
• Packaging sticker
• Return address label for branded mailing option
• Gift door hanger for baby’s room

Click here to check it out in the shop with introductory pricing for a limited time!

Whether you’re spiffing up your image or overhauling your entire brand, Design Aglow offers products that will elevate your wedding, portrait, baby, boudoir, and blog marketing materials. Our fully-layered Photoshop and InDesign templates (select products) allow for complete customization of your print and online presence. Here are our top ten picks for beautifully boosting your bottom line.

Click here to see all of these products in the shop and start enhancing your marketing strategies today!

Planning for your photography session can seem overwhelming.  There are so many factors that can influence your end result and are worth consideration prior to your shoot. And while your photographer can remain fluid and flexible with respect to timing and location, and session structure, it is helpful if you – the client – considers your goals and planning points.

Your session should be relaxed and fun, but keep in mind that it is an investment, and an important one that perhaps you’ve been saving for.  With a little bit of extra thought and planning, you can be assured you are more than satisfied (and perhaps a little amazed!) with the final results!

When planning your session, think about these 4 key “W” questions:
1. When (time of year),
2. Where (beach, city, park, meadow, home),
3. What time (time of day)
4. What to wear (casual, traditional, preppy, trendy, etc.)

And while you nail down those basic planning elements, take a step back and think about what you will DO with your images.  Do you plan to:
• Create a keepsake album or coffee table book?
• Display images on your walls, and if so, to what size… will they be framed or canvases?
• Give gift prints?
• Share the images online and use in your personal photobooks and slideshows?

Once you’ve thought through those items, you will want to consider your family’s personality, your style, and the decor of your home.
• What type of family are you (sporty, preppy, beachy, traditional, casual)?
• Which room(s) are you most likely to display your images (foyer, family room, hallway/staircase, living room, bedroom)?
• What is the style, decor and color of that area (warm, cool, formal, modern, beachy, cottage, traditional)?

 Next, describe your dream images – if you could have 5 images come out of your session, what would they look like?

 Armed with these answers, regroup with your photographer and communicate your vision.  Together you can come up with a game plan that will ensure you are on the same page and allow your photographer to deliver the type of images you have always dreamed of having for your home.  Additionally, once you view your gallery, you are not arbitrarily looking at images, but instead selecting them with your specific goals in mind.

 To make sense of this, consider viewing a gallery in two scenarios:

1. Without Session Planning: “Huh, well, I like the family ones, but they are cropped tight and you can’t see the landscape and I think it will look funny over the beach house fireplace… plus, our  winter, formal clothes don’t match the beachy decor.”

2. With Session Planning:  ”Awesome, this is exactly what we wanted for the focal point wall gallery in the family room.  I love it!  The beach backdrop, the colors and our outfits are exactly what I had in mind when I thought of a story-telling canvas collection for above the fireplace.”

Remember, it’s your session.  You probably don’t have time (or energy) to repeat it at this exact stage in your life, so make sure that you stack the deck in your favor the first time!  Your planning, preparation and communication will surely pay off and you will have personal art in your home that makes you smile every day, for years and years to come. Isn’t that what custom photography is all about? We think so.

*Photographers, we recommend using the Portrait Studio Client Consult Form to keep yourself organized and provide your clients with the best service possible.

~ The F Stops Here is an exclusive collection of articles by Design Aglow, designed to be used and shared by photographers. Look for this column twice monthly here on the Design Aglow Blog and feel free to grab & share on your site, blog and/or social media pages with a byline and link to DesignAglow.com.

Late nights. Early mornings. Voluminous emails, Skypes, and iChats. And exactly 187 cups of coffee later (seriously…we counted!), we have an important announcement to make.

Our new site and blog are here, and we couldn’t be more proud. As Design Aglow’s first major redesign in 7 years, we have updated our web presence from the outside in, resulting in a streamlined, interactive customer experience that looks as good on your smartphone as it does on your desktop. No detail was overlooked, right down to the buttons, making it easier for you to find and share your favorite inspiration and education.  And our products? They’re all right here, better organized to save you time and make you money.

We hope that you’ll test drive the improved Design Aglow, taking time to enjoy our new look and offer us your feedback. We’ve already incorporated some of your suggestions–did you see the currency calculator, international friends?–and are committed the same standards of design, innovation, and quality that you have come to expect from the Design Aglow brand since 2006.

We’re waiting to hear from you; reach out to us on our Facebook page, or through our contact forms. Until then, happy discovery!

P.S. Remember to sign up for our newsletter list and/or update your preferences for a special gift this week, via email only (*wink wink*). You will be glad you did!