ETERNALLY BOUND
AWARD-WINNING WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER KATHERINE WILLIAMS SHARES A BESPOKE WEDDING ALBUM SHE CURATED WITH QUEENSBERRY
There are certain unforgettable days in a person’s life that define him or her. Among these special days, the celebration of love, surrounded by the people cherished most, often posits a wedding day right at the top of the list.
Katherine Williams, winner of the coveted 2016 Epson/NZIPP Professional Photographer of the Year award, as well as both Wedding Classic Photographer of the Year and Wedding Creative Photographer of the Year, was chosen by lovebirds Emma and Kieran to capture the smiles, tears, laughter, and drama of their nuptial day.
For this couple, having a series of printed images to remember the day by was very important and deeply personal. They “wanted the story told comprehensively, so from the outset we knew an album was essential to them”, Williams explains.
To achieve this, she curated an album of several grand hero shots, intertwined with the many special moments and fine details that make the story the couple’s own. The result was a timeless heirloom piece that Emma and Kieran would be able to cherish for years to come.
Like most photographers, Williams views the professionally printed image as having no comparison. To touch and to hold a beautifully crafted album provides a tactile link back to that special day, in a way that is more difficult to achieve with an evanescent on-screen image.
“Personally, I completely and wholly believe in the value of a bespoke, designed, tangible, touch-and-feel product that I know the clients will get a lifetime of love from. The files feel like half the job — I know they will appreciate the photography, but an album is so much more,” Williams says.
Williams worked with the couple to carefully choose each of the elements that make up Emma and Kieran’s album. To do this, Williams led the couple through a cinematic-style presentation of the photos in her studio, followed by a walk-through of her predesigned albums.
“The entire design process is done in typically an hour of the client’s time,” Williams describes, “making it easy for them, which I love. Being at the same time an initial viewing means [that] decisions are with the heart, as I believe they should be.”
Of Queensberry’s extensive range, Williams’s favourite is the Duo, which happens to be the design of Emma and Kieran’s album, too. As Queensberry’s signature range, the Duo is dynamic and distinctive. With a combination of matted and flush-mount pages, featuring images mounted in their unique page-mount style, the albums are a uniquely modern presentation.
“We often tell our clients that it provides the best of both worlds. I love to watch clients in our studio really connect with the albums. You can tell when they stroke the pages [that] they have found the style fitting them, and it’s usually first instinct that guides them,” she says.
Williams prefers the 14x10 inch and the 15x12 inch in size, explaining that, “both feel nice when you sit with it on a couch and relax into turning the pages”.
To produce a lasting memory of their special day, Williams’ investment in the high-quality album is not dictated by the cost of the production or materials used; rather, her main focus is on producing a book that her clients will want to share with visitors in the future. This turns the album into a wonderful marketing tool for referrals, as friends and family will sit down together to relive the wedding story.
“You sell what you show,” Williams reminds us. “These are, in part, your advertising of the future.”
To find out more about Queensberry’s enduring partnership with photographers, and to learn how their products could enhance your photography business, visit queensberry.com.