A wedding proof album is a way to show you a “rough version” of your wedding photos.
The term ‘test photos’ comes from the movie days. The test prints were made by printing photographs without doing any additional work on them in the darkroom.
You would choose which photos to order from the proofs, then they would be reprinted with special care and attention to improve the quality of each image.
With digital photography, ‘test photos’ usually means images straight from the camera, so no editing would have been done to them.
Test photos may also have a copyright watermark.
As a side note, all digital photos require some degree of post-processing in a photo-editing program. Although a photo may look great straight from the camera, a couple of simple enhancements can make it infinitely better!
Having this first draft allows you to pass on your wedding photos without worrying too much about them getting damaged.
It also allows your friends and family to order prints from the photographer.
The main thing you need to know from your photographer is if you can keep the proof album or if you have to return it after a certain period of time. Also, what will be the style of the album.
Traditionally, proof albums consisted of large prints held in plastic wallets, which in turn were held in an album. This was a security measure so people couldn’t make illegal copies of the prints.
What is popular now are digital test albums. Multiple photos print directly onto a magazine-style page, with a reference number below.
In the digital age, the wedding proof album might become a thing of the past, which would be sad because they give you a record of every single wedding photo.
(You may only have 60-100 photos in your album, out of the hundreds that were taken.)
But lest you miss out on proof, more and more photographers are turning to digital proofing methods. These take the form of DVDs or online galleries.
Online galleries are great because all your friends and family can see them, as well as your cousins in Australia who couldn’t make it to the wedding! Galleries may also offer visitors the option to purchase prints online, so you don’t have to worry about showing an album and collecting orders.
Here is a list of things to ask your photographer when it comes to evidence:
- Can I keep the album? If not, how long can I keep it?
- Will the photos have a watermark?
- Is the album traditional or digital?
- Will I have an online gallery?
- Is it password protected?
- Can people buy prints online?
