Revised Updates (as of 1/20)

Hello fabulous Dream Photographers! 

Revised updates are as follows:

New registration had begun 1/18 starting with the waiting list photographers. As of today we are experiencing tremendous of new registration coming in, so please allow us to get back to those who submit the form about 5-10 business days. Thanks so much, all of you!

New pricing - is out (please visit our product page for download) and will be effective starting 1/25

New ordering system (ROES) - can not wait! probably will happen in February - we are working on it!

New website - better, faster, nicer~

New sample discount  - 30% off ALL items, all year around! (more information is available and effective starting 1/25),

and New product release - drum roll~~~~

This may answer some of your questions already, but I am sure you have more. We will update details as it progresses. And yes, that is why we've been so busy even during the holiday break. We can not wait to share the exciting changes with you all soon! Again, thank you so much for everything.

Quick Updates!

Hello fabulous Dream Photographers! 

As it is our first post of the year, we would like to wish you the very best for the year 2010. Thanks so much for sending holiday greetings and notes out for us and most of all, we are so grateful that we have such wonderful members to work with. And can not wait to serve new members (starting next week!)

Here are some important updates we would like you to know:

New registration will begin 1/18 starting with the waiting list. Once it is completed, registration will be open everyone. Thanks so much for waiting!!!

New pricing - will be out 1/18, and will be effective starting 1/25

New ordering system (ROES) - can not wait! probably will happen in February

New website - better, faster, nicer~

New sample discount (effective starting 1/25),

and New product release

All of above will happen bet next week and ideally before WPPI convention (early in Mrach! - we have a word about that, too!). 

This may answer some of your questions already, but I am sure you have more. We will update details as it progresses. And yes, that is why we've been so busy even during the holiday break. We can not wait to share the exciting changes with you all soon! Again, thank you so much for everything.

Best, 
Kyung ( Creator of Dream Album Co.) and DA team

Show Off Your Dream - Teryn Glenn

We just received the beautiful Dream Album product shots from Teryn Glenn ( of www.terynsphotography.com ). She presented the bride's bouquet on the front cover (very unique statement by the way and we LOVED it). It looks fantastic followed by simple page design of her gorgeous work. It must be every bride's Dream Wedding Album and beyond! Take a look and inspired!

She added, "Oh my gosh!  My first dream album arrived yesterday, and I am in awe!  I have ordered a few 5x7 dream boxes/mats from you, and I have absolutely loved them.  I was so anxious to finally see a dream album.  I ordered this 9x9 30 page dream album as a wedding album for one of my clients from this summer.  When it arrived, and I opened the box, I could not believe how perfect it was.  I am so picky about quality, color, etc. and I couldn't have imagined it any better.  Thank you so much for such an amazing product.  It really is a DREAM album.  I am so excited to get this to my client, and I can't wait to order another! "

We really appreciate the comment as well as her beautiful work on Dream Album! Thanks so much Teryn! 

Our Wish & Dream

As many of you read our previous post about Kate, we had made two albums for Kate's family. A Dream and a Wish. Thanks so much for your love and support for the family and comments on the blog.  We (Dream Album Co.) will continue to help Tiny Sparrow Foundation making the families like Kate's great memories by providing our products and services.   We are very happy to be part of such a great love and we would welcome all of you to be a part.

We had taken some product images for Tiny Sparrow Foundation to help them raise funds and would like to share it with you. They are 10x10, 24page Wish album and Dream album (Same size and same design). 

They both carry so much of love, thought, and happiness of the moments. We are so sure they will be cherished for a long time. As we post this, we would like to remind you that our wish album special is still up until 12/10 and a portion of our wish album sales during the special period will be donated to Kate and Tiny Sparrow Foundation. Thank you so much for your support.

* Photography of Kate's family is provided by Lidia of Oh So Posh Photography / Tiny Sparrow Foundation

Wish for Kate

Kate's Wish Album came out yesterday and we would like to share her story.

We received a call from one of our Dream Photographers, Lidia (of Oh So Posh Photography, and also a cancer survivor) about a month ago. She flew to Arizona to take these wonderful pictures – and capture amazing memories – of the McRae family whose little girl is fighting brain cancer. The five-year old girl in the picture is Kate.

Kate had already undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy and was expecting another one soon. Because the treatment destroys her immune system’s ability to fight germs, her brother and sister cannot visit her in the hospital. Lidia and the Dream Album team wanted to create a beautiful album for the family to look at while Kate is in the hospital. 

Take a look at the slide show below (click the arrow to start the show. There is a little bit of waiting before it starts.)

To find out more about Kate you may visit pray for kate, and please also check out Lidia's new venture at tinysparrowfoundation.org/blog. This amazing woman created a foundation to help photographers around the world make memories for families with children who have a terminal illness. She would appreciate your support and participation.

We sent out two albums (one for the hospital and one for home) to Kate today and our prayers are with her and her family. If you want to help or donate, please visit the two sites (links available above). 

We are running specials for the Wish Album this week and will donate a portion of our sales to Kate and Tiny Sparrow Foundation. Thank you.

Show Off Your Dream - Kristen Cook

We've got a love letter from Kristen Cook of Melbourne, Australia, the other day. Many of you must already know her for her amazing talent, but check this out to see her master piece(we meant Charlie) presented in Dream Album (9x9, 30 pages ). Each image is truly art and each page is divine. See more of her work at:  
http://kristencook.com.au/blog/the-art-book-newborn-photographer-melbourne/  

She says, "I just wanted to let you know that my album finally arrived yesterday and I LOVE it!!!! I was just about ready to scratch the door down with impatience but it was so worth it - I love it more than I could have imagined (and I am very picky) I have already looked through it so many times and want all of my clients to fall in love with it just as much as I have. It's truly beautiful."

Thanks so much Kristen. We LOVE your work and product shots!!!

Wish Albums - NOW available

We have exciting news for you.

One. - Wish Albums

Wish Albums are NOW available for purchase! 

Product facts and pricing are available here.
(members only zone. scroll down all the way to download the updated PDF file)

Two. - FREE Wish Templates

All Wish Album purchasers will be given "Square Templates for Wish" for FREE! This includes twenty 10x10 mix-and-match designs, a clean and modern look your clients will love.  You will be sent a separate link for template download on the same day you place your first Wish order.

Three. - BULK discount

You can order WISHES in bulk and receive bulk discount! You may design a generic studio cover and have them made in bulk for possible last minute holiday sessions or orders. With Wish's fast turnaround, you will have a beautiful product ready for your client in no time.  Better news is the cover design does NOT have to be the same for the bulk discount. You can have as many unique covers as you want as long as the orders are placed at once.

* Wish Albums are limited in quantity. Orders will be accepted while supply lasts. 

* Please read the product facts and instructions about how Wish works in our blog before placing your order.

* The Wish holiday deadline is midnight 12/12/2009. 

* Wish covers and all other product line templates have been updated, please download them for your future orders.

* Great Wish cover design templates soon will be available to purchase at the Dream Design Shop.

If you have any questions about Wish products and services, please contact us at info@thedreamalbum.com or 866.301.6639

Designing your Dream Products - word about Guide Lines

Dream Album templates come with design guidelines to help you create the perfect product. If you have not read our tips / instructions about cover design, please click on the following two links, or anything in our TUTORIAL categories.

Dream Box Cover Design instruction

Dream Album Cover Design Instruction - Which Guide Lines Go Where?

We would like to mention a few things to keep the design process running smoothly – for both you and us.

1. UPLOAD ALL files in 5x7 ratio to be BORDERED ( for border option 1~5 and no border). We border your images by batch process. If there are any 4x6 or 8x10 images among the files, they will be distorted. The easiest way to check correct ratios is within your folder in Bridge. (please refer to the screen shots on your left)

Please crop all your images to be 5x7, unless you choose the FULL BLEED design option. This applies to ALL dream album products including 5x7 dream mats, 8x10 dream mats, 6x6-9x9-12x12 dream albums.

2. Make "the folder name" easily identifiable as your order. The folder you upload to our server must contain YOUR NAME for the quickest processing. This applies to all product orders. If you are ordering the same products for multiple sessions, you may also want to add your client's name.

For example, if the photographer Katy Smith is ordering the 9x9 Dream Album with 40 pages for her client Jones on 11/18, the folder name should be: 
Katy_Smith_DA0909_40p_Jones_1118 

3. Please USE the most UPDATED templates and guidelines. If you have not downloaded our NEWEST templates released November 2009, please make sure you do so now. Outdated templates or ignored guidelines may result in off-centered covers or production delays. You must use Dream Album templates with the center guideline for best results. Please note: photographers are responsible for all design errors.

4. Guidelines for spread designs:

We cut THREE sides (top, bottom, and sides) of the album right before we apply the cover to the inside album pages. Our spread is a single sheet of paper and there is NO cutting line at all in the center of the book.

• cutting lines: 1/4" all around 
• safe lines: 1/2" all around

But to center a block of images within a PAGE (12x12 or 9x9 square format), you must use 1/4" moved towards CENTER FOLDING line so that when all 1/4" around cut, the images will look centered. When you want any background section to shown nicely, make sure there is at least 3/4" gap between the edge of the canvas and the edge of the image mask.

If you are using album templates that are not designed exclusively for Dream Album Products, it is strongly recommended to check all your files to meet our guide lines. Please make sure layout BEFORE you upload the files. Dream Album will not be responsible for any design mistake by using templates not exclusively made for Dream Products. 

Jennifer Chaney - Dream Featured Photographer

These are the Dream Album product images from Jennifer Chaney ( www.jchaney.com ), a cherished client and one of the best lifestyle photographers in the San Francisco Bay area. We wanted to share with you the amazing way she presents her simple, modern, and beautiful work using Dream Album products. 

These are her 12x12 dream albums: one is 40 pages and the other is 50 pages. 

We contacted her as our first featured photographer because the feel and look of her work, her website, and her Dream Albums are the perfect match! And whenever we see her new album orders come in, we know that her clients also cannot get enough of her amazing artistry.
Jennifer says, "Your albums are so customizable, which is important to me because the Bay Area has a large photography community, and I know my albums will always be different from ones my neighbor designs.  And I love that the same album comes in three square sizes, and with customizable covers I can really create an heirloom album for my clients.

My photography is lifestyle and candid, so my clients need an album that is large enough to show their sessions in a storytelling layout.  I can easily do this with the 12x12 album - it's big enough to handle the largest of sessions.  And with my album style being clean and classic, I have a lot of freedom in designing layouts this large.  I can do a beautiful full spread of a favorite picture on two pages, and then on the next page have 9 pictures to complete the story.  For me, it's the ideal combination because I shoot a family session much like I shoot a wedding - lots of detail shots and a lot of large portraits.  

For the clients wanting fewer pictures in their albums, I offer the 9x9 album with up to 40 images.  This has been a lovely option because my clients don't have to deal with several different album prices. The 9x9 is the same price for 30 pictures as it is for 40, so most of my clients opt for all 40 images.  I don't offer the 6x6 album as a single purchase because I don't think it's large enough to be a standalone album.  Instead I usually suggest it as a gift for the grandparents, and a number of clients actually purchase one for the newborn or child.  What a fabulous gift to give them when they either get married or have kids of their own!  I've also discovered that I can take the storytelling spreads I've already designed for the 12x12 and use them in the 6x6 - that's my favorite combination, but you have to be sure to use the spreads with larger pictures in the simplest layouts.

Which leads me to why I design the albums with a white cover, white core, and why I upgrade to the white box.  I do a white cover and layout because I want the images to truly pop and I don't want the viewer to be distracted by wording or colors.  And it's very important to me that everything I offer is timeless.  What is hip today may not be so fabulous in 20 years (feathered hair, anyone?)  This is why I also use the white boxes.  They are sleek and modern just like the albums.  At first, I switched to the white boxes because it coordinated with my packaging, but now I order them because I see them as an extension of the album.  It's what I hand to my clients, so the look and feel of the box is an important part of the finished product.  

I'm in the process of designing a couple of Dream wedding albums, and I'm excited to see how they turn out!

In the end, I don't offer what I don't love or what I wouldn't own myself.  The same goes for selling;  I would never try to sell something to my clients that they don't need or want.  And all of my clients fall in love with these albums as soon as they see them!" 

We cannot wait to see the wedding albums that Jennifer is currently working on. Knowing her timeless style and commitment to quality, there is no doubt they will go exceed our expectations - and her client's too! We feel very honored to work with such a dedicated and talented photographer like Jennifer. 

Wish Albums - new product :: Self Mount Album

We are super excited to introduce our new holiday product "Wish Albums" to you. There are so many reasons for you to wish for this album to come true this time of the year. More details including pricing and templates will be announced in our blog website within a couple weeks when Wish Albums become available to purchase. But here is the sneak peek~ (please click on the play button to view more Wish Album images)

• beautiful custom cover (same as Dream Albums')
• 10x10 24pages or 8x8 20 pages
• quick 1-2 weeks turnaround
• easy self mount (peel and stick) freedom- you will use your own favorite lab for prints!
• great price 

This will be great for last minute holiday sessions (please order by 12/7 for custom cover, or you can order bulk with generic design with your logo on the back ahead of time for be lated holiday orders. You will be so pleased to see how Dream Album Co. can turn a self mount album into a work of art. we can not wait to hear what you have to say about this!!!!
Please note that we have made them in a limited quantity for 2009 holidays. the orders will be received while supply lasts.
The images used for making our first wish album sample are from Stacy Larsen, one of our very much loved clients and top photographers in Florda. With Kristie Serra, she is offering a super fun and informative workshop called Launch for the beginner natural light photographers and they are giving a free seat on their blog right now! All you have to do is leave a comment and you are registered, it is that easy. The contest runs through November 1st (TOMORROW, hurry~~) so be sure to head over and check out their newly debuted blog. 


The inside design layout was by Dream Album Designshop and a template of 20 various square layout for Wish Album will be sent to anyone who purchase Wish Albums before 12/31/2009.

The beautiful cover design was by Luxecetera as always. Thank you!


Dream Album Team