Graphi Studio Wedding Albums And Photo Books By Ashton Lamont Professional Photo Video©
The photos and information below illustrate the most popular options for wedding photo albums and books from Graphi Studio as designed and supplied by professional photographer Peter Riding of Ashton Lamont ©
Many clients complete the entire choices, design, and ordering process online. However if you prefer to browse through and handle a large selection of real life sample albums you are very welcome to get together with Peter before or after your wedding (or both!).
Peter's preferred manufacturer is GraphiStudio. GraphiStudio invented the flushmount wedding album and to paraphrase the iconic advert is "probably the best album manufacturer in the World". The company is based at the gorgeous old Castle Ceconi just north of Venice and naturally your album will have all the elegance and style you would expect from a prestigious Italian manufacturer.
Peter completes an initial design in consultation with you and puts this online for your comments and approval. Unlike most photographers Peter never subcontracts the design and never uses templates. He believes you are the best judge of your own taste and your album will be unique to you. Only once any revisions are completed and your approval obtained does manufacturing go ahead.
You'll find dozens of links to actual album designs completed by Peter for clients on this page. If you are impatient here are 15 to get you started!
Laura and Ryan, Kate and Rob, Becky and Shaun, Stephanie and Kris, Jo and Mark, Jodie and Chris, Yinka and Samuel, Naomi and James, Clare and Steve, Jacqueline and Andrew, Helen and Mark, Rosy and Kevin, Emma and Andrew, Kirsty and Tom, Simon and Lorna.
Leather Wedding Photo Album In Light Green:
This album featuring Kate and Robs wedding at Northcote House Ascot Berkshire has a Classic Leather cover in Light Green with optional names and date debossed on the front cover. A group shot of everyone who attended the wedding works well as a double page spread as in the bottom left image which also has a light ivory vignette around the image. Note the use of variable image sizes and aspect ratios in the other sample spreads. View the Album Design here and the Complete Wedding here.
Leather Wedding Photo Album In Dark Green:
This album featuring Laura and Ryans wedding at the Elvetham Hotel Hook Hampshire has a Classic Leather cover in Dark Green with optional diecut front cover (which means that an image underlays an aperture in the cover). Debossing of names and date on the cover has not been selected. Names and dates may be considered superfluous if they are featured in some of the photos such as an Order Of Service, an Invitation, or a Menu. Or they may be incorporated into the first double page spread. A mix of large and small photos works well as in the sample designs above. View the Album Design here and the Complete Wedding here.
Leather Wedding Photo Album In Sienna:
This album featuring Becky and Shauns wedding at the Mill House Hotel Swallowfield Reading Berkshire has a Classic Leather cover in Sienna with diecut front cover and image underlaid. The image is usually tinted to match the cover. Debossing of names and date on the cover has not been selected. Text may be incorporated into the first double page spread instead of having your names on the cover as in this case. The designs are completely adaptable so any text in any font can be included on any page, subject to the background photographs being suitable. Becky wanted a very large number of posed group photos as you will see in the design. Posed photos are usually best displayed against plain black or ivory backgrounds. They should also be large where possible so that lots of detail is viewable; obviously this can impact on the number of pages you need in your album and so you may need to purchase additional pages. View the Album Design here and the Complete Wedding here.
Leather Wedding Photo Album In Black:
This album featuring Stephanie and Kris's wedding at Burghclere Church and Highclere Castle Newbury Berkshire has a Classic Leather cover in Black with diecut front cover and image underlaid. The front cover image is usually tinted to match the cover colour by GraphiStudio but it can be left in colour should you wish or if, as in this case, the image was not suited to tinting. Debossing of names (but not the date) on the cover has also been selected. The image in the right column second from top shows a large parent album (A4 size approx.) over the 16" x 12" main album so you can compare sizes. Highclere Castle is recognisable as the setting for ITV's terrific period drama Downton Abbey so you may recognise many of the backdrops featured in the album design. View the Album Design here and the Complete Wedding here.
Leather Wedding Photo Album In Light Blue:
This album featuring Janice and Marks January wedding at the Randolph Hotel Oxford has a Classic Leather cover in Light Blue. This couple, who flew in from boiling hot Australia to brave the English snow, selected all the options for the front cover - an image underlaying a diecut aperture and tinted to match the cover, and names and date debossed underneath the image. Real candlelight is a feature of many winter weddings and its nice to incorporate this into designs as shown in the image bottom right. View the Album Design here and the Complete Wedding here.
Leather Wedding Photo Album In Dark Blue:
This album featuring Sarah and Geoffs wedding at Stirrups Country House Hotel Bracknell Berkshire has a Classic Leather cover in Dark Blue. The cover has been kept simple and does not include an image or names and date. Often the images within the album provide that information as in this case. The couple also included a naming ceremony for their son within their wedding day and this features in the album design. The image in the right column at the top shows a large parent album (A4 size approx.) over the 14" x 10" standard main album so you can compare sizes. View the Album Design here and the Complete Wedding here.
Leather Wedding Photo Album In Burgundy:
This album featuring Jo and Darrens wedding at Hatfield Heath United Reformed Church in Hatfield Heath Hertfordshire and at Maidens Barn High Easter near Chelmsford Essex has a Classic Leather cover in Burgundy. The cover includes optional debossing of names and date. The church has a striking interior design and its great to include such features prominently in the album as in the photo above left second from bottom. View the Album Design here and the Complete Wedding here.
Leather Wedding Photo Album In Ivory:
This album featuring Jo and Marks wedding at Buxted Park Uckfield East Sussex has a Classic Leather cover in Ivory. The cover includes optional debossing of names and date. The sample designs in the photos above illustrate a very popular design feature - using images as backdrops to the main images as in the photo on the left second from bottom. Sometimes the background image is faded out to place an emphasis on the overlaying photos. Its easier to see this in action by viewing the actual album designs rather than the photos of the albums - click the links under any images on this page. Its also attractive to give some of the photos a little tilt as in the photos on the bottom row to achieve an informal vibe. This also has the advantage of allowing more photos to be included per spread. Jo and Mark also ordered a set of Pocket Books as presents. These are copies of the main album and you can see their size relative to the album in the image above, top right. See more details about Pocket Books in the Parent Book section below. View the Album Design here and the Complete Wedding here.
Leather Wedding Photo Album In Brown:
This album featuring Maggs and Peters wedding at the Swiss Garden Old Warden Biggleswade Bedfordshire has a Classic Leather cover in Brown. The cover includes optional debossing of names and date. You can see a very popular design feature in the image on the bottom left, where the background image has been faded and overlaid with other images. Above that the sample pages include photos cropped to variable matching aspect ratios and sizes. Peter puts a narrow line around most images, called a keyline or a stroke, to give some separation from the underlying page. Its width and colour can be varied to best match the other content of the page. You can see black keylines around the various images in the photo above, on the left second from bottom. On its right the images have been laid onto slightly larger and lighter faded boxes before adding keylines. View the Album Design here and the Complete Wedding here.
Crystal Wedding Photo Albums:
Crystal wedding photo albums, or to give them their full GraphiStudio title "Crystal Glance", feature a front cover of thick acrylic which is glass like in appearance - totally clear like a top quality aquarium might be. Under the front cover is an image of your choice and design from your wedding, plus any text you wish to include in any font. You can see closeups of the text in the sample photos above. The image on the bottom left features a large (A4 size) Parent Book on top of a large (16"x12") main album to help you compare the scale. The spine and rear cover are in smooth black bonded leather. Graphi also offer an older "Transparent" cover option but this is more opaque and not as robust so not as desirable; it can be viewed in Graphi's own Covers Brochure which you can download from the link near the bottom of this page.
The images above illustrate some of the design features which can be incorporated into Crystal Glance and other wedding album types. You'll see that the pages lay flat when open and images can span the centre. GraphiStudio uses a patented manufacturing process to achieve this and it is an enormous help when creating interesting and varied double page spreads.
The weddings featured here include:
Jodie and Chris at St Peters Church Caversham and the Swan at Streatley Hotel Reading Berkshire:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
Kerry and Dave at the Lismoyne Hotel Fleet Hampshire:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
Yinka and Samuel at St Nicolas Church Taplow and the Taplow House Hotel Maidenhead Berkshire:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
Louise and Alan at Aldermaston Manor Reading Berkshire:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
Silk Wedding Photo Albums:
Silk cover wedding photo albums are another very popular choice from the GraphiStudio range. The silk front cover features an image of your choice and design from your wedding, plus any text you wish to include in any font. You can see closeups of the text in the sample photos above. The cover has a lovely soft padded finish. The spine and rear cover are in smooth black bonded leather. Graphi's own Covers Brochure which you can download from the link near the bottom of this page is a little confusing as it has a number of designs adapted by Graphi for illustration purposes; just imagine instead that you are starting with a blank "canvas" and go from there.
The images above illustrate some of the design features which can be incorporated into Silk and other wedding album types. The image top left shows how text can be incorporated into the first of the double page spreads to introduce the story. The image top right shows how the name of the venue included in the original photo means that its not necessary or desirable to feature the same information as text. Double page spreads featuring large photos such as the group shot above taken from the bridge at Marlow, and the bridal party as they approach the church in the rain can be stunning.
The weddings featured here include:
Amanda and Richard at Burghclere Church and Highclere Castle Newbury Berkshire:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
Kirsty and Toms winter wedding at Savill Court Egham Surrey:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
Naomi and James wedding at St John the Evangelist Church Woodley Reading Berkshire and the Compleat Angler Marlow Buckinghamshire:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
Debbie and Maffs wedding at Pennyhill Park Bagshot Surrey:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
Samantha and Howard at Greyfriars Church Reading and The Great House Sonning On Thames Berkshire:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
Metallic Wedding Photo Albums:
Metallic cover wedding photo albums have been a popular choice from GraphiStudio for many years. The plate metal front cover features an image of your choice and design from your wedding, plus any text you wish to include in any font. The cover can be in silver or gold and these can be either polished or satin. In all cases the effect on the image is to make it appear quite soft and dreamy. If the image is not to occupy the entire front cover then the border can be rendered a different colour or left as its original metal colour. You can see this effect in the image above top right, the silver metallic cover for Carole and Gary. The spine and rear cover are in smooth black bonded leather. As with Silk covers Graphi's own Covers Brochure which you can download from the link near the bottom of this page is a little confusing as it has a number of designs adapted by Graphi for illustration purposes; again imagine instead that you are starting with a blank "canvas" and go from there.
The images above illustrate some of the design features which can be incorporated into Metallic cover and other wedding album types. You can see how faded background images can be used to great effect.
The weddings featured here include:
Clare and Steve at Oriel College Oxford and Heythrop Park Oxfordshire:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
Jacqueline and Andrew at St Josephs Church Newbury Berkshire and Esseborne Manor Andover Hampshire:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
Lee and Ian at All Saints Church Binfield and Easthampstead Park Wokingham Berkshire:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
Carole and Gary at the Cantley House Hotel Wokingham Berkshire:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
Cowhide Wedding Photo Albums:
This album featuring Helen and Marks wedding at Pelham House Lewes East Sussex has a Cowhide Leather cover in Burgundy with optional debossing of names on the cover. Cowhide is an ultra premium leather from GraphiStudio. It features a soft finish, a padded front cover, and elaborate stitching as seen in the photo above. It is also available in Brown Blue and Black. It is expensive but very very nice! View the Album Design here and the Complete Wedding here.
GraphiStudio Varnished Album:
Varnished cover wedding photo albums are a fairly new addition to the GraphiStudio range. The plate metal front covers should not be confused with the Metallic covers described higher up this page. Varnished covers are finished in a high gloss giving as Graphi describes it, an elegant but trendy appearance. Colours can be grey, black, red, blue or green. Names and date can be featured on the front as you can see in the above set of photos of light grey Varnished covers. The spine and rear cover are in smooth black bonded leather.
The weddings featured here include:
Liz and Matt winter wedding at All Saints Church Kenton Harrow Middlesex and Trailfinders Sports Club Ealing London:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
Louise and Mark at Marlborough Town Hall and The Royal Oak Wootton Rivers Wiltshire:
(see the Album Design here, and see the Complete Wedding here)
GraphiStudio Parent Books And Pocket Books:
GraphiStudio offers a range of Parent Books and smaller Pocket Books. These are direct copies of the main album and must be ordered at the same time as the main album to benefit from keen prices.
The Large Size is approximately A4 (opening to A3 to display the double page spreads), the Medium Size is half the size of A4, and the Small Size is half the size of Medium. The photo above left, second down, shows a Large Parent Book on top of a standard main album to help you compare sizes. To its right the photo shows a Medium Parent Book on top of a standard main album. Beneath that photo you can see a stack of Large Medium and Small to help you visualise the sizes.
The covers are normally hardback and feature dust jackets. The jackets can include any images and text - they do not have to be the same as the main album. You can see examples in the top two photos. Further down you can see the quality of the binding and jacket, and a photo of what books look like when opened. Books come in individual white heavy duty card boxes. Cover designs can now be printed directly onto the hardback covers instead of dust jackets if preferred. Covers for Large Parent Books can be upgraded to the standard range of leather, crystal, metallic, etc described throughout this page.
Pocket Books are also available in sets of 12 and make great little presents. Each is sized at around 6cm x 9cm. They have semisoft covers. You can see two examples of these in the bottom set of photos in the above grid.
Parent books and Pocket Books all open out to lay flat so none of the design composition is lost in the centre.
GraphiStudio Calendars:
GraphiStudio offers calendars, which must be ordered at the same time as the main album. They are around 30cm x 40cm. The paper used is a fine art thick textured type. Once the year is up chop the photos out and use them in frames - they look great! Each calendar has a cover and one page per two months. You can select seven images from your gallery to feature in your calendar.
GraphiStudio Album Cases And Sleeves:
GraphiStudio supplies wedding albums in white heavy duty card boxes, with albums further protected by black textile wraps. You can upgrade to a range of cases and sleeves as seen in the grid above, in colours Burgundy, Blue and Black.
Sample Page Designs Utilising Black And White And Sepia Recipes:
Black and white, sepia, spot colour, and a range of special effects can be incorporated into the album design as seen in the examples in the above grid. Peter's advice would be to go easy on black and white in wedding albums; after all so much effort goes into deciding on your wedding colour schemes and coordination ..... why would you want to loose all that in your wedding album! Black and white and other effects can look very attractive but as with any art work please do consider if you will be happy with it in years to come. When specifying your design priorities remember that its usually not a good idea to mix colour and black and white within the same page although it can work well. If you have some special effects in mind please supply as much information as you can. If some heavy editing is required you may be charged a extra fee, but you will be advised before incurring this.
Wedding Albums - The Matted Alternative - What Does It All Mean?
GraphiStudio wedding albums are "Flushmount". Each page is entirely covered by a print which is bonded directly onto the underlying page. Each print extends right up to all four edges of the page and may comprise just one photo or a montage of several photos and artistic effects. Graphi uses a patented manufacturing process with some terrific advantages. For example it allows the pages to lay flat when the book is opened so that no parts of pages are lost into the spine. Also photos can span the centre of double page spreads, enabling much greater freedom in the creative design process.
Flushmount albums have become a very in-demand fresh and stylish alternative to the traditional Matted album type. They are also called coffee table books or digital albums.
You may choose a more traditional "Matted" album and these have come along in leaps and bounds in recent years. Pages comprise one or more standalone images which are viewed through apertures cut into thick card which is then bonded to the pages. Please note that photos cannot run to the edges of pages as margins are needed, and photos cannot span the centre of double page spreads. Peter's preferred supplier is Queensberry of New Zealand. Queensberry's manufacturing process allows for photos to be cropped to any aspect ratio and resized and mixed on any pages.
Most other album brands can be sourced on request e.g. Jorgensen, Fineo, Seldex, GF Smith, Sim2000 and many more.
The grid of images below should help you visualize matted albums:
Wedding Photo Albums - What Do I need To Do?
Contact Peter at Ashton Lamont to obtain a detailed price list. Its complicated as there are lots of options but we can figure out some "what ifs" or work to a target budget if appropriate.
Decide on the size of album you prefer. The standard album with the Ashton Lamont GraphiStudio Gold Plan is around 14" high x 10" wide (opening to 20" wide). The GraphiStudio Platinum Plan album is around 16" high x 12" wide. Albums are available in portrait, landscape, and square aspect ratios. Portrait (upright) works best for wedding images. If you prefer landscape or square you MUST specify this before designing starts otherwise revision fees may be chargeable.
List the images from your gallery that you'd like to include. You can give as little or as much instruction as you wish. Many clients simply list a few favourites and leave the rest to Peter. The numbers and subject of the images will determine how many pages you will need. There is guide in the price list and the total can be confirmed once the initial design has been completed.
Peter completes an initial design in consultation with you and puts this online for your comments and approval. Unlike most photographers Peter never subcontracts the design and never uses templates. He believes you are the best judge of your own taste and your album will be unique to you. Only once any revisions are completed and your approval obtained does manufacturing go ahead.
Study this page and the price list and decide on your preferred album cover. Note that some cover options are paid upgrades to the standard packages as described in the price list. If it includes an image the cover design will be uploaded for your approval. You can also download the GraphiStudio Covers Brochure from Ashton Lamont here (14mb download).
Decide on the type of paper you require in your album. The choices are:
1. Photographic: everyone knows what that is!
2. Metallic: a form of photographic paper with a high gloss finish giving bitingly sharp photos. It is more robust than other papers so can be wiped clean of minor spills of coffee, wine etc. Recommended partly for this reason but it is an upgrade. Most clients who visit Peter to view actual albums do choose metallic as it really is impressive.
3. Smooth: no shine to the surface what so ever.
Might be considered an arty choice.
4. Textured: thick fine art paper with a roughish surface you can feel. Like Marmite you either love it or ..... you don't!
Decide on any extra such as Parent Books, Pocket Books, Calendars, Case and Sleeves.
