We know you have your ducks in a row, so how can you help your clients organize beautifully and simply? Thankfully, with Artful Thoughts, keeping a clean slate has never been easier. Whether you want to create stunning calendars, chore lists, messages, to-do lists, shopping lists, memos, and more, these six savvy designs are fully layered for ease of use as erasable boards: simply write, wipe, and wow. So, whether you’re sending a senior off to the dorm in style with her own erasable message board, or enabling a client’s calendar to remain in-control, one thing’s for sure: With Design Aglow, you’re going to receive good marks.

PERFECT FOR:
• holiday gifts for top clients
• a gift to vendors and those who refer you
• incentive for orders over $x
• custom order add-on
• baby’s first year
• wedding client planning
• your own studio

Thanks to Caroline of Milou+Olin Photography for the lovely fan share!

Design Aglow’s Wedding Studio Welcome Packet is a comprehensive presentation that sets the scene for a complete luxury wedding photography experience that will have clients lining up to book you!

With a complete package of original marketing content, mini guides, professional advice, gorgeous bridal planners– and even a section for grooms, there isn’t anything we haven’t thought of!

The Welcome Packet is a perfect turnkey package for any wedding studio. It is as rich in time-saving potential as it is in beauty, offering an attractive yet simplified approach to boutique style wedding marketing, geared to help you sell both your services and your image.

Wedding Studio Welcome Pack At a Glance:
• Welcome greeting
• Wedding day bridal guide
• “Just For Grooms’ trifold
• Studio policies and payment information
• …and much more!

Click here to check it out in the shop and set the highest standard in your market!

Raise your hands if you have ever been excited to share a fabulous image on Facebook only to be disappointed once its loaded. It barely resembles the original image you created, the colors are washed out, and it looks horribly over sharpened. How many times have you quickly deleted the image so you could rework it, only to upload it and not have it look any better? How many times have you then just left it up and apologized for the terrible things Facebook seems to do to your images?

Then, a little over a year ago we were told to try saving the image as a PNG instead of JPEG. What?

It’s true! Let’s explain why this works, and why it is better if you want to share images on Facebook that actually look good.

JPEG images are automatically compressed when we save them. So, when we upload those images to Facebook they have already been compressed once by us. Then Facebook does its own resizing and compresses them again. These images have now been compressed twice. Most often leaving them looking dull, and either over sharpened (crunchy) or really soft. It rarely ever looks like the image you originally intended to share.

PNG (24-bit) images, on the other hand, use lossless compression. This means your image is not degraded when saved and will maintains its quality. Facebook will do its thing to these images too, but at the end of it all they are only compressed the one time. Keep in mind though, PNG files are larger than JPEGs (remember, they are uncompressed) so, be sure to use a strategically placed watermark.

Current Facebook guidelines for page cover photos are 851px wide and 315px tall. Uploading a image that is smaller than this will result in the image being stretched to fit these dimensions. Yes, these guidelines are for the cover images but, we find that keeping the long side of ANY photo we share on Facebook at 851px and saving as a PNG (with little to no extra sharpening) works perfectly and the image ends up looking just as it was originally intended to be viewed.

Here’s the How-To:

1. Start with a sRGB image. This is important. RGB images look washed out when posted online.

2. Resize your image.

3. Save your image as a PNG. We find that any extra sharpening is rarely needed, but if you feel your image is a little sharp try using “smart sharpen” and set it to a radius of .5px at 20-30%.

Comparison.

These are close up screenshots of this image posted on Facebook. The image on the left was saved as a JPEG and the one on the right was saved as a PNG. There is clearly a huge difference between the two. The JPEG image looks crunchy and hard. The extra compression on the JPEG image really does a number on how soft and natural the color and texture of her skin looks in comparison to the PNG image.

We hope this helps you put your best foot forward on Facebook!

There are likely various ways to upload images to Facebook that keeps them looking great but, this works wonderfully for now. That is, until Facebook changes everything again…

In need of a new Facebook Timeline Cover? Head over to the Design Aglow Shop to grab one for your business and make working the business angle from your page a whole lot easier–and prettier!

*Special thanks to Bowes Photography for the lovely image.

Choosing the right family photographer is a daunting task.  Perform an internet search on “Family Photographer” for your area and inevitably you will be barraged with hundreds of options, spread over many pages (hint: if they are in the sidebar, or highlighted/sponsored in the top space, they are paying to be there). You’ve probably seen a studio located on a main street in your town, or seen friends on Facebook tagged or blogged by their professional photographer in their own family sessions. And finally, there is no end in sight to the number of friends and family who have “a great eye,” a “nice camera” and “know there way around Photoshop.” So where ever do you begin?

Quality & Expertise.
Quality should be the primary driving factor because no matter how great the deal, you barely have time to do it once, let alone time (or money) to do it over.  So what do we mean when we say “quality?”  While “style” may influence the overall appearance and presentation of the final gallery, a level of technical expertise should be demonstrated by the photographer.  Images should be properly exposed.  The highlights and shadows of the images should not be void of any color, to bright or too dark, saturation should not be so intense that that colors will be comprised when they are printed.  Subjects should be in focus and images should never be be pixelated or posterized when printed.  Composition should be intentional and  the photographer should be able to capture subjects with flattering light and angles. Images shouldn’t be “saved” by Photoshop actions and should look as good printed at 24×30 as they do online. Typically being able to CONSISTENTLY perform to a level of quality requires significant experience rather than just a hobbyist who can pull out 5-10 great shots out of 100 snapped. One of the best ways a photographer can demonstrate quality and experience is to have a portfolio and a broad representation of full client galleries to show.

Style & Vision:
Almost as important as quality and expertise is to find a photographer who has a style that resonates with you, and your life. Take some time to think about the style of images you are looking for.  Do you want studio (either classic and simple or with props for some shots) or do you want on-location or natural light, and if so, where?  Where will you display your images and what are you looking to accomplish with them (i.e. wall displays in a casual or formal room, to compliment a display that has been built over time, a heirloom album showcasing your entire shoot)?  It’s extremely important that you choose a photographer whose galleries and portfolio reflect what you are looking for, and reflect it consistently without a constant changing style.  Check out their work on their blog and website.  You should be able to get a feel for whether they maintain a style and have mastered it, or whether they jump from trend to trend.  Regardless, make sure you really assess what you want your outcome to be, as it relates to your life, and your personal style, and try not to be swayed by “what’s hot” as whatever is hot might not really make sense in the big picture.

Once you have selected a few photographers that you believe meet your quality, expertise, style and vision goals, make sure you have a conversation with them to discuss planning your session, and your goals.  You will want them to understand what you are looking for so they can agree it’s something they can accomplish.

Price:
Price should be the LAST thing you consider when you select your photographer.  Really?  What if I come up with a list of photographers I can’t afford?  First you have to define “afford.”  No doubt custom photography is an investment, and also a luxury expenditure. And everyone has different levels of either saved or disposable income that can be allocated to a session.  When defining your budget, determine whether you will save, and then have that set amount to spend or whether you can make that decision once you see your images.  Then decide what your product goals are: digital files, a few select prints, a gift album. Understanding what you really need as well as what you want, will help you determine what you can spend with a particular photographer.  You may have a budget that will allow you to purchase ALL images from one photographer of mediocre quality or SOME images, but exactly what you need, from an exceptional one.

As we’ve said before, try to not get locked into the idea of “all” before you know what “all” looks like.  You may even be able to work with specific photographers to find out when they schedule less expensive options such as studio or seasonal mini-session events as many photographers offer a scalable way for you to receive their services without the truly significant investment.  It’s with hesitation and a sigh that we say that with most budget photographers, “you get with you pay for.”  In a few rare, and very fortunate circumstances, you receive outstanding images for a fraction of what they are worth.  But more often than not, if you aren’t investing in someone who has invested in the quality, expertise, style and vision, you will receive images that reflect just that.  That said, there are tremendously talented photographers in every market segment, catering to any budget, and with research and patience and maybe a referral, you can find one that meets your specific needs.

Circling back to the point that you barely have time to do it once, once you’ve finished the end to end coordination of schedules, wardrobes, weather and moods… you most certainly don’t have the time, or money, to do it over.  Start with planning your own session goals, including what you would like to DO with your images, then consider the style and vision you would like them to reflect.  Spend some time looking at portfolios and gathering recommendations, and assess as best you can, the quality and expertise of a range of photographers, and once you’ve created a short list, begin to think about pricing and budget and the best way to marry what you need with what you can afford.  And if you have a gut feeling that you are cutting corners in any of those orders, take a step back.  It’s okay to put an idea on hold until you are really sure about it.  It’s your investment, make the most of it.

~ 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.

Professionally written and designed, these client care cards from Design Aglow streamline studio time while promoting friendly, business communication and product information with clients. Just choose the card to match your needs and keep customers in the know, regardless of event or product offering. Adding these care cards is a professional way to build client confidence simply and efficiently, as well as solidify a great client experience with your studio.

Includes two-sided templates for:
Album Care
Preserving Your Art
Copyright Information
DVD Archiving
Framing Options
Order Information
Thank You Note
Studio Referral Card
Beautifully coordinates with our Wedding Client Welcome Packet and Portrait Studio Welcome Packet.

Click here to see them in the shop!