HONEST MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

We believe SO MUCH in the value of this kit, that we are extending a 60-day money-back guarantee. If you download and implement the entire kit – order your sample album, create a page on your website to communicate the value of albums using our stock photos, update your pricing, and share your passion for albums during at least one in-person sales meeting within the first 60 days after placing your order, and in good faith tell us the Album Start-Up Kit has not done its job, we’ll refund you the cost of the kit less the value of the custom physical album (refund amount would come to $296). Because if you implement the kit, this kit will work. 

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

WE HAVE ANSWERS

I don't think I have time for this? 

The Album Start-Up Kit is THE SOLUTION for the busy photographer. But it WILL take some time for you to implement. We estimate it will take 4-5 hours total for you to get your album system launched using our kit. But you don’t need to do it all in one sitting! In fact, we recommend breaking up the task into smaller chunks. And we’ve helped you to do so through our “Start Here Checklist” that will walk you through each step of implementation. Most steps involve a few decisions on your part and copying and pasting content into various existing assets that you have – your website, your contract, your email program, etc. In exchange for 4-5 hours of your time up front, you will have the opportunity to make an additional $300 - $1,000 of pure profit per wedding (depending on how you choose to structure your pricing). And the great thing is – you will have very minimal work to do on an ongoing basis to produce your clients’ albums. Design, printing and binding, and even client communication throughout the revision process can be handled by Align (and is factored into your hard costs before profit). It’s up to you to decide if you have time. We understand the cost vs. reward decision weighing that must be done by busy photographers who don’t have a lot of time. But we’ve done everything in our power to simplify this process that could take hundreds of hours into the most efficient and profitable model possible. 

Is this just for wedding photographers? 

Absolutely not! This Start-Up Kit is for any professional photographer who would like to make album sales a part of their business model. At Align, the large majority of our clients shoot weddings, but we also consistently design and print albums for family portrait photographers, boudoir photographers, and event photographers alike. Much of the wording, and even the pricing structure we propose does have wedding photographers specifically in mind, but everything can be transposed and used for other photo genres.  

What if I’m not sure if I’m at the point in my business where I’m ready to start offering albums? What if I’m not sure my clients are interested in albums or would be willing to pay for one? 

It’s possible you’re not. If you’re brand new, are still working on defining your style as a photographer, and don’t yet have an established website, then it may be wise for you to focus on other aspects of growing your business. This kit is ideal for photographers who are in years 2-5 of their businesses where they’ve been shooting for awhile and are ready to take things to the next level in terms of becoming more profitable.  

Now, not being sure if your clients are INTERESTED IN ALBUMS or would be WILLING TO PAY FOR ONE is another issue altogether. Many photographers mistakenly feel that their clients are not interested in albums when the reality is that the photographers’ lack of passion and communication is really the issue. We’ve heard this story over and over again from Align clients who once thought that their clients didn’t want albums. After they started offering them and communicating their passion for them, album sales started going crazy. Remember, clients are waiting on us to lead them in this unfamiliar journey. If you take the step to SHOW a beautiful album and you prioritize albums in your offerings, you might be surprised to learn that your clients really DO want an album and are willing to pay for one! And equipping you to do JUST THAT is EXACTLY what the Album Start-Up Kit was designed to do! 

I am hesitant as to whether the kit is the right fit for me based on what I currently charge for wedding photography. In my area the average budget for photography is $2,500 - $3,000. Can I include an album in my packages and still make a profit?  

This is a great question! It can be hard to imagine how to structure your pricing to be able to offer albums when you have never done so before. But we walk you through how to do this for ANY PRICE RANGE in the Pricing Guide included in the kit! Here’s a preview to put you at ease and reassure you that this kit can work for you with your current pricing:  

If you price a 10x10 leather Align Legacy Book with 15 spreads (the specs of the sample album that comes with your kit) for your clients at $915, you will make $300 pure profit. That’s not a lot, but remember -- you’re not doing much work to make that $300 since you would be outsourcing to Align. Does a $915 album credit sound like something you would feel comfortable including in your packages for where you’re at now? You would of course have the opportunity to raise this over time to make more profit, but we all have to start somewhere with albums.  

The other option would be to choose a less expensive album to be your sample. You could do as few as 10 spreads, and do a linen cover rather than leather, and that would bring your cost on future client albums down, meaning you could price them even lower than $915 if you so choose (or price them at $915 but make more than $300 profit). You can play with the options for various album specs using our pricing calculator at the bottom of this page. 

This kit looks great and all, but why would I purchase it if I can do all this myself? 

You are absolutely welcome to do it all yourself. That’s what Melissa Jill did. But it took her well over 400 hours and 15 years of experience to gain the knowledge and implement everything that is wrapped up and tied with a bow in this kit. This product is not for someone who wants to build their own car and repair it themselves. This is for the person who wants to turn the key and have it run. For someone who understands that time is our most valuable asset as a business owner.  

I’m kind of a control freak and was thinking I would design my albums myself. Can I purchase this kit and still do my own designs? 

This is a great question, and actually WE GET IT. Our businesses are our babies and we want to put our personal stamp on everything we do. We will never fault you for that. That’s why at Align, we offer a very customized service for each photographer we work with. We offer three design styles, but we regularly customize those even further for each individual studio we work with. We LOVE your feedback and welcome you sending examples of the type of design styles you love. We can customize for almost all requests, but unfortunately, this kit is not well suited for those photographers who want to design their own albums. Align Legacy Books can only be ordered by photographers who also outsource their design to Align. We do not currently have a way for you to send in your own designs and have them printed.  

But if you were thinking you were going to do your designs yourself, we would encourage you to consider this: Do you already feel busy and overwhelmed? Do you have more ideas that you have time to implement to make your business grow? Do you really want to spend MORE TIME behind a computer? The most successful people outsource nearly everything that doesn't play to their strengths. Or that they simply don't HAVE to do themselves. If you really want to do your own designs, then the Album Start-Up Kit is not for you. But if you are just scared of letting go of control and losing your desired aesthetic, we’d encourage you to give us a chance. We feel confident we can help you attain the look you want AND free up your time. 

How does Align’s album design workflow work for my future orders for clients?  

To find out EVERYTHING you would ever want to know about how Align works, click here to check out the FAQ page on our website. But here is a general idea of what to expect when outsourcing future designs to Align: 

1. Pay a $75.00 deposit toward your album design at the time of your order. The remainder will be billed after your design is finalized or at the three month mark, whichever comes first! Total cost for the design is an $9/spread ($4.50/page) flat rate that includes up to 3 rounds of revisions. 

2. Send us up to 300 images for the design using one of our suggested delivery methods. 

3. Receive an email within 4 business days with a link to view your design online. Using our online proofing system, leave revision comments on each spread. Revisions will be made within 2 business days per round. You get a total of up to 3 rounds of revisions (which can be used by either you and/or your clients) included in the cost of the design. Standard communication during revision is between the photographer and designer, but if you’d like us to communicate directly with your clients, we can do that using our “Hands-Off Service” for a nominal fee of $25 per album design. Regardless of which option you use, your client will never see our branding and they don’t need to know that you are outsourcing unless you want them to.

4. Finalize the album design, pay for the balance and order your Align Legacy Book when we send you a “print confirmation page” and you’re done! You can have the printed album shipped to you or straight to your client! 

After purchase what happens? 

We will email you access to download all 11 tools included in the Album Start-Up Kit within 24 hours. Make sure to whitelist info@alignalbumdesign.com and melissa@alignalbumdesign.com as accepted senders so that our emails don’t get stuck in your spam filter or junk folder. Then make sure to save that delivery email for future reference! As soon as you download the kit, open up the “Start Here Checklist” first thing and it will walk you through your next steps. The very first step we will walk you through is how to order your sample album through Align. You will want to do that ASAP since it will take a few weeks to produce and get that back to you. Then you can work on completing the remaining steps of implementation as your time permits. We will email you somewhat regularly through the first couple months after purchase to check in and see how things are going and to find out if there’s anything we can do to assist you with getting your album system set up. And don’t forget – you also have access to our exclusive Facebook Group for all Start-Up Kit users! You won’t be alone as you walk this journey. As soon as you purchase the kit, you will have an instant community of people interested in helping you succeed! 

Do you offer refunds? 

We believe SO MUCH in the value of this kit, that we are extending a 60-day money-back guarantee.  

If you download and implement the entire kit – order your sample album, create a page on your website to communicate the value of albums using our stock photos, update your pricing, and share your passion for albums during at least one in-person sales meeting within the first 60 days after placing your order, and you don’t feel like the Album Start-Up Kit has done it’s job, we’ll refund you the cost of the kit less the value of the custom physical album (refund amount would come to $296). Because if you implement the kit, this kit will work. 

This kit is a lot of money and I’m on a limited budget. How do I know it will be worth it? 

Brilliant question! So here’s the thing – In this industry you can expect to pay anywhere from $300 - $1,000 on a sample album. If you were to purchase the exact sample album that is included in this kit a la carte through Align’s site, it would cost you $524 all inclusive of the design, revisions, printing and binding, and shipping costs. The swatch kit costs $25 retail. You’re approaching $600 of costs that you will likely pay through any album company you choose to use just to get a sample album that you really must have to start selling albums. The Album Start-Up Kit is $795. So you’re getting 9 more tools that will save you hundreds of hours of work for right around $200. Close to 200 stock photos, pricing guidance, website, contract and email text, and the list goes on! We’re practically giving this away because we want you to succeed! We understand that there are a lot of costs associated with being a photographer and business owner. And you don’t spend this kind of money lightly. But if you sell only ONE ALBUM as a result of implementing this kit, it will have paid for itself. Everything beyond that is pure profit.  

I’m not sure I’m ready to commit to Align Legacy Books and using Align Album Design as an ongoing design service. How do I know for sure up front that we’ll be a good fit?  

Another great question, because purchasing this kit DOES imply that you will be selling Align Legacy Books to your clients and outsourcing your future designs to Align. That’s a HUGE commitment and one we don’t take lightly. And we understand you wouldn’t either. Align Album Design was founded by pro-photographer Melissa Jill to help photographers succeed with albums. To free them up to do what they love. But she understood that Align would be an extension of each photographer’s customer service and brand. So she designed Align with herself in mind. To serve picky, busy photographers whose businesses are their heart and souls.  

We want to work with you and earn your trust. Poke around our website to see what we’re about. Read testimonials from some of our customers below. Feel free to reach out to our client advocates to ask them what their experience with Align has been like. And peruse some of our real client designs on our blog. We have earned the trust of hundreds of photographers industry-wide and we’d love the chance to do the same with you! 

Am I able to get a sample album with different specs – i.e. different size, linen cover, more spreads, etc. – or am I limited to the 10x10 leather covered album with 15 spreads that comes in the kit? 

Sure thing! We want you to have the sample album of your dreams! If the one you want is of equal or lesser value to the one included in the kit, you’re all set! If you want to upgrade to a larger album or more spreads, we will ask you to pay the difference in value at the time your sample order is placed.  

I have more questions, how can I get in touch? 

Feel free to email us at info@alignalbumdesign.com and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can! 

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

... ABOUT ALIGN'S ALBUM DESIGN SERVICE

HOW THIS WHOLE THING STARTED

ABOUT MELISSA JILL + ALIGN

I’m a photographer who has been shooting weddings for over 15 years. But I remember when I was first starting out and one of my clients asked for an album. I was so busy that I wondered if I had time to figure out an album system. I felt intimidated by the entire process. I spent countless hours researching album companies and design software, then even MORE time designing and redesigning mediocre albums that I wasn’t happy with. I bought things I didn’t need. I frustrated and disappointed my clients. I struggled with pricing. There was a WHOLE LOT of trial and error. 

But I pushed through and to date, I’ve shot over 200 weddings, sold over 100 albums, and made $200,000 on albums alone over the course of my career. That’s why the largest wedding photography conference in the world invited me for a number of years to speak on this very topic. 

In addition, I own the top album design company in the world – Align Album Design. Align serves over 800 photographers around the globe helping them to succeed in their album workflow. 

I don’t say any of this to brag. I share this because I want you to know I’ve lived it. I’ve been where you are and I’ve experienced the frustrations you feel. 

I’ve realized there’s a problem in our industry. Every photographer has to put together their own piecemeal solution for albums. I started thinking, "Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to streamline your album workflow?" 

... And that's how the ALBUM START-UP KIT was born.