All of my wedding packages include a custom designed wedding album, so I spend quite a lot of time creating my client’s wedding story. Putting together these books are one of my favorite parts, I love tying all the images together to tell the story and finding custom details to match each bride & groom’s unique style. After I put together the “wedding story” I then set up an album design consultation with my clients to make sure the design is exactly how they want it…after all they are going to have it for the rest of their lives and it will be passed down for countless generations, so gotta make sure everyone is completely happy with it. After the design is confirmed I then go through and prep each page for optimum printing and retouch every image to make sure there are no yucky facial blemishes, distracting exit signs in the background, or any other stray marks that can be burned, dodged, cloned, etc… Sure its a lot of work, but I wouldn’t feel that my job is complete if my brides & grooms didn’t have a beautiful wedding book to relive their wedding day by. Below are my last album designs of 2010, whoo, what a year!

Red Rocks Wedding in Colorado

City Park Wedding in New Orleans

Grant Humphrey Mansion Wedding in Denver

Peace Lutheran & Stonebrook Manor Wedding in Colorado

Wedding season has officially come to an end (last one of was last week, has been a long late season this year!) but wedding album season is in full swing! In case you wonder what us wedding photographers do when we’re not shooting & editing…we’re working on print orders & especially wedding albums, books, stories, whatever you prefer to call it. I love this part of my job, because not only do I get to collage all these amazing photos together into a custom designed story, but I get to relive the fun of the wedding day and share that story with the world…or with the bride & groom at the very least. Then it really gets fun after 20+ hours of production comes to fruition when the albums are printed and the images really come to life! Even though on my computer monitor I can zoom in on an image to the tiniest pixel…and yes sometimes I really have to view each little tiny pixel to retouch that bra strap or hair popping out of place…but even so, once you see the image in print you see so much more then you ever noticed before! Like when I notice that guest in the background winking at his date, or the reflection of the crying mom peeping through the mirror on the wall. It’s sometimes those little things in the background that don’t go through my Photoshop retouching zoom that give me the biggest laugh or gasp when I see it in print. And yes, sometimes that means reprinting an image because that pixel that blended away on my computer monitor prints as a white mark on the groom’s face….or that fancy script font that looked great in the design, we now see in print was misspelled on the cover of 2 wedding albums! Yea, that happened to me today, not cool when you got to eat hundreds of dollars in reprinting costs…but alas that is the cost of business. =P The bride, my assistant, and myself all missed that one till it was printed, whoops!
Click on an image below to check out just some of the wedding album designs I’ve been working on, and please let me know if you see anything spelled wrong

Colorado wedding story

Wedding Story Tatiana Joaquin

New Orleans wedding album proof

Stacy Jeremy Wedding

Denver wedding album proof

Cassie Cameron Wedding

New Orleans wedding album

Jonathan Jeremie Wedding

I’ve been a little behind on my blogging lately, still trying to catch up with myself after a 10 day trip away from technology & my office.   But I have also been working on a bunch of wedding album proofs lately, which I also like to call “the story of their day”  Here are the last 3 I finished, just click on the link or picture below, enjoy!

Chey & Mike’s wedding at Sunspot Lodge in WinterPark, CO
Zori & Ben’s wedding at The Pines of Genessee in Golden, CO
Diana & Matt’s Wedding at Hudson Gardens in Littleon, CO & reception at The Sons of Italy
Renee & Kevin’s wedding at Mt.Vernon Country Club in Golden, Colorado
Kat & Dan’s wedding reception at Green Gables Country Club in Denver, CO

Renee & Kevin’s wedding at Mt.Vernon Country Club in Golden, Colorado

Hila & Mike got married at the beautiful Green Gables Country Club in Denver, Colorado.  Since a picture says a 1000 words I’m going to let this album d all the talking for me today.  Click on the picture below to view their album proof which tells the story of their day.

Diana & Matt did an urban inspired engagement session, a nice contrast to their nature inspired Hudson Gardens wedding coming up later this month.  Flip through their album proof below to see shots from their graffiti & whisky photo shoot.  When viewing keep in mind that each image (except the cover page) is actually a 2 page spread (how you would see the book open flat). You can also select the TV looking icon in the lower bottom right of the slide show after you press “play” to see the images full screen.

With a summer full of weddings and photo shoots I’m going to have to start keeping my blog post much shorter to keep up with it all.  I’ve been playing with the idea of hiring someone to help me with my blog, but the thought of someone else writing my posts still seems too odd, kind of like having someone record my personal journal entries.  So you may notice me writing more with pictures this summer then words…since obviously that’s what I do best anyway

Here’s a sample of my latest design, a stylish guest book for Renee & Kevin’s rapidly approaching August wedding at Mount Vernon Country Club in Golden, CO

Anika & Chad got married at the Red Lion Restaurant in Boulder, Colorado.   In case you didn’t hear the Boulder Creek flooded last week causing the collapse of the bridge that leads to the Red Lion.   The summer months are huge for weddings in Colorado because  brides don’t have to worry about winter storms and snow, but who would have thought you would have to worry about something like this in June.  I’m soo glad Anika & Chad had their wedding when they did!  At the bank yesterday I met someone who told me her niece is completely shattered by the news because she was supposed to get married there next weekend.   My heart truly goes out to all those couples that dreamed of a beautiful June wedding along the river and now have to go through all the stress of trying to find a new location last minute.  The Red Lion is one of my favorite places for weddings and I know it will be hard for them to find a replacement.   You can read a good article about the flood’s damage here: Red Lion closed this weekend, will lose $30,000 in wedding business – By Vanessa Miller

Play the slide show if you would like to watch the story of Anika & Chad’s Wedding day in their album proof below.  Keep in mind that each image below (other then the cover) is actually a 2 page spread, as if the book was open flat.

One of the best parts of my jobs is the feedback I get from my clients after they see their pictures.  Here are 2 recent wedding album proofs or as I like to say, the “story of your day” for 2 recent weddings I photographed along with their first responses after viewing them.  Just click the cover page to view the full album.   I am testing out a new program that creates the actual “flip” pages, so please leave a comment if you have any trouble viewing the story books.

“AHHHHH I’M SO EXCITED….I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!”

This was one bride’s 1st response to her album (and Yes she sent the email in that large of type).

Catrina & Chase’s wedding began with preparations at the Marriott Hotel, then a wedding ceremony at Austerlitz Baptist Church, followed by a reception at The Fine Arts Center in New Orleans.  Here is her more formal review:

Lauren & Seth

This bride & groom chose the New Orleans French Quarter for their destination wedding.  They held a beautiful intimate ceremony in Jackson Square, surprised their guests with a traditional New Orleans 2nd line parade, and ended with a dinner at Galatoire’s restaurant.

With the weather finally starting to warm up its time for portraits – maternity, babies, seniors, children, families, models, and even pets – you name it I’ve done it! The portrait section of my website is in desperate need of updating (its been on my to do list for 3 years now!), so I figured for now I needed to get more samples on my blog.
Below is a book, or album, I recently had printed of different outdoor and studio portrait photo sessions I have done over the past few years. Flip through the slide show below if you want to see this portrait portfolio, or even better set up a consultation with me in person so you can see the quality of the album, touch the pages, and feel how awesome this fuzzy leather cover is!
I’m also trying out a new slide show program that creates these cool flip pages, so please let me know if you have any issues viewing the flip book.

Below is Chey & Mike’s guest book proof, so keep in mind each of these images below are actually a 2 page spread. This will be used on their wedding day in place of the traditional ’sign on the line’ guest book.
I always enjoy doing a photo shoot in nontraditional ways, such as in the cold winter snow topped off with a beer at Fado Irish Pub, which is also where they had their first date.   Chey & Mike’s wedding is this July at the Lodge at Sunspot in Winter Park, Colorado, so it is also nice that they they will have a completely different look for their summer wedding pictures.    I can’t wait to see you guys on top of the mountain for your wedding!

To see more samples of engagement pictures by Nicole Nichols Photography click on “Engagement” in the categories above or go to the website and click on “Engagement Gallery”