Wedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographerWedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographer
Wedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographerWedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographer
Wedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographerWedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographer
Wedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographerWedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographer
Wedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographerWedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographer

Photographs you will treasure, from a day like no other

Folio Wedding Album Suppliers

See older blogs in my
Blog Archive>

Monday
,
24
June 2013

Earlier in the Spring I blogged about expanding my wedding album options for clients, and the investigation and first stages of dealing with the people of 'Folio Albums'. As a wedding photographer, being able to offer several album choices is an important service to offer. The last news I gave you all was that I had selected a wedding for the sample album from 'Folio', the size and cover type. Since then my first album has been delivered by courier and I have also met many of the staff in person during their own trade show a couple of weeks ago. So what are my honest thoughts on their albums?

Before I answer that question, let me tell you a little more about the company. They are one of just a few wedding album suppliers in the UK, based in Barnsley. How important is this? If you are particularly patriotic then that's a big 'Brucie Bonus' already. This also means that the time from order to delivery will be a little shorter compared to other suppliers who are overseas. Plus the customer service over the phone has a more familiar and reassuring feel. Speaking of customer service, I was incredibly impressed every time I dealt with Folio over the phone and when I met them in person at the trade show. I even met and chatted to Stuart who is the big boss. Stuart is also a professional photographer so he understands the industry with an all round appreciation of everyone's needs.

Folio also pride themselves on having a particularly ethical outlook. They use 'Sustainable Manufacturing Practices', with paper being either recycled or from sustainable sources. The album is wrapped in a cotton sleeve and presented in a box made from recycled materials. Album covers come in leather, eco leather (if you prefer) and even different cotton options. The list goes on with their green credentials. This is all fine and dandy, but are their albums actually any good?

Album inside cotton wrap and box
Recycled box protection

In a nutshell, yes. I love the album I ordered and also the specimens I saw and had a good old rummage through at their trade show a couple of weeks ago. I was also a little sneaky at this road show and spoke to other professional wedding photographers and asked their opinion. It was interesting listening to them, especially those who have experience of dealing with many other album suppliers in the past. Granted, people's opinions are of course subjective, but I think it's important to listen to others. Their feedback proved very positive for Folio albums.

Jade leather cover

I particularly like their rustic character, both in the album cover colours, the cotton wraps and also the feel and texture of the pages. The pages fold flat down the spine, which is important because it gives a clean look to an image spread across two pages. Although the flat folding spine isn't unique, I feel it's essential especially helping with the look of an album, plus it opens up many more album design layouts across an open double page spread.

Folding flat spine

The album has a good quality feel to it and will stand the test of time. Just over a week ago I displayed at a Wedding Fayre, and the album was on show for the full four hours. That's four hours of people fingering through the pages time and time again. The reactions from people were very encouraging, likewise I didn't notice any wear and tear after the show. Traditionally the most popular album cover colours are ivory and ebony. I decided to go for a change and opt for jade which is a big seller cover for Folio, this also seemed popular with viewers.

Rustic character wedding album

Will I recommend Folio wedding albums to clients in the future? Yes absolutely, I think they are a great option and offer good value for money. If you are interested in having a look at my sample albums then please contact me to arrange a viewing. I also offer wedding albums from Graphistudio as another option. I wrote a short blog post (whilst moving house at the time) about Graphistudio albums last year, see Wedding Album arrival - Graphistudio. Don't forget you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ by clicking on the links on this page, or even leave a comment below. If you have any questions about wedding albums then please feel free to leave a comment, email me or give me a call. Have a great week everyone.

Read previous/next blog article: