Instead of doing a “Best of….” post, we decided to put together a collage featuring all of our couples along with some of our favorite photos from the 2011. Looking back at these images helped us relive the year and reinforces that feeling of doing what we love to do. I’ve always said that we have the best clients and 2011 is living proof of that. Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your lives. It was our honor to be there for you…

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to talk about some of our product offerings. This “Golden Age of Technology” we live in has made our day-to-day lives so convenient. Personally, I love technology…..but doesn’t come without its share of drawbacks. Almost everything around us has become “digitalized” in some form or fashion…..our photos, our personal relationships, how we communicate with our friends and family, how we do business. Modern technology has made it convenient for us to take our lives with us everywhere we go. It’s also taken away some our natural socializing and interpersonal skills, but that’s a subject for another day and another blog…..somebody else’s blog. We’re here to talk about photos, specifically wedding and family photos. More specifically, YOUR wedding and family photos.

We are strong believers in family photos being on display. Whether it be a framed print on an end table, a canvas print on a wall, or in an album on your coffee table, your photos were meant to be shared and seen by anyone entering your home. While technology makes it easy to share photos on the internet via Facebook and by e-mail, your home deserves to have your family memories on display. You shouldn’t have to turn on a DVD player, a television, a smartphone, or fire up your computer to share your images. Having a DVD of your images is nice, but most wedding DVDs end up stuck in a drawer somewhere, living a dark, lonely life. Rarely, if ever will they see the light of day. Albums on the other hand, are always there ready to be picked up and looked at. No technology required.

We feel so strongly about this that we include an album in every single one of our current wedding collections. Every. Single. One. That’s right, you don’t have a choice…..you’re getting an album, period. You have a problem with that? I didn’t think so! Our wedding style is based on telling a story and there’s no better way to do that than with an album.

The next step was finding an album that told your story the way it should be told. We spent the better part of our wedding off-season searching for the perfect album to represent our brand and show off your images. Our requirements were pretty simple:

1. We wanted a classic, simple, and clean design that would allow the images to tell your story.

2. We had to have top notch materials (in both leather and fabric) as well as the option to do a photo cover. Having Japanese Silk as a cover option allows us to offer albums that are animal friendly and eco-friendly as well.

3. We wanted the ability to do imprinting as well as cameo images on the cover.

4. We wanted to deal with a company that stood by their product the way we stand by our clients. A lifetime warranty was non-negotiable and had to be included with every album. We’re proud to say that our albums come with a lifetime guarantee!

5. On top of that, we only wanted to deal with ONE company. It was very important to us to build a relationship with one vendor that understood the importance of our albums and cared about our clients as much as we do.

Yes, it was a lot to ask for, but you guys are definitely worth it. It took hours of research, along with countless e-mails and phone conversions with who knows how many album vendors. I even went on a 5-hour hunger strike…..it was that serious. It took some effort, but we finally found what we wanted and are extremely pleased with the outcome of our search.

The album images below are from Joanne & Archie’s wedding earlier this year. We decided on a black & white album in white leather with a cameo inset on the cover. Anyone who knows me also knows that I’m a huge fan of black & white imagery, so I was really excited to design a completely black & white album. Also included is a companion parent album that is a smaller duplicate of the main album, minus the cameo. Opening the box when it arrived was like Christmas. I’m just amazed with how beautiful it turned out. It is absolutely gorgeous! When I tell you that we have smokin’ hot albums, I mean we have smokin’ hot albums! The leather is soft and supple, the craftsmanship is top notch, and the printing is so good the images jump off the page. Once you get your hands on one of these, you won’t want to see your images on a computer monitor ever again…

The protective sleeve is a really nice touch

Smokin’ hot!

Parent album that will make Mom very happy

Inset cameo on the cover is sweet!

The craftmanship and attention to detail is simply amazing. Those corners almost bring a tear to me eye…

Did I mention that the craftmanship is amazing?!

“Mini Me”

Oh yeah, Mom is gonna love this!

Printing so good it actually brought a tear to Archie’s eye…

This particular album is from our “Exotic” line of flushmount wedding albums and features an ostrich imprinted leather cover. It’s definitely one of our favorites.

Once again, we’d like to show our appreciation for our clients and our growing fan base by giving away a complimentary couples photo session to one lucky couple. Since we’re in the business of photographing couples in love, we can’t imagine a better time for this contest than Valentine’s Day.

Last years winners, Miguelina & Greg we’re engaged for last year’s contest and were married in October of 2010. We were there to capture their wedding!

So, how do you win? It’s actually pretty simple…

First, you have to like our Facebook page. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably done that already. If not, what are you waiting for???

Second, you’ll need to send us an e-mail telling us a little about yourselves. How you met and a little bit about your relationship will suffice. We would also love to hear your idea for a photo shoot. That’s it.

This contest is open to couples of ALL TYPES, married or not, engaged or not. If you’re a couple in love with an interesting story or photo shoot idea, you have a chance at winning.

Contest Rules:

1. You must be a couple (DUH!)

2. Only entries submitted by e-mail will be accepted.

3. Entries must be received by 11:59pm EST (midnight) on Monday, February 7th.

The Prize:

Engagement Session by Alan Abrams Photography to be held at the location of your choice, a disk of all images, and an 8×10 photo (total value of $400) .

The lucky couple will be announced one week from today (February 8th) and (weather permitting) the photo shoot will take place sometime during the Valentine’s Day weekend.Facebook page to increase your chances of winning.

Now let’s get those e-mails in so we can pick a winner! Remember, make sure you become a fan of our