Our Company

Steve Kwak, a local photographer who has owned and operated a reputable wedding studio since 1987, is the founder of PictoBooks, which is located in Rockville, MD.

 

In 1990 there was a need for a new and refreshing kind of photography, something artistic, creative and awe inspiring to capture the beauty and essence of weddings.  There needed to be way to think beyond the traditional and create not only a unique style of photography but also a unique way of presenting and delivering the final images.  Steve and a staff of award winning photographers embraced this challenge, and with their technical expertise and artistic background, excelled in a style of photography known today as wedding photojournalism.  This is a style that has received much praise.  It shies away from traditional poses but steps back to let the day unfold.  Rather than stage a photograph, the focus was to capture the moments of love and emotion between the bride and groom as they journey through their ceremony of marriage.

 

This style of photography demanded a different method of presentation, and so the PictoBooks prototype albums were born. These albums were created in-house, individually hand crafted, custom designed, and custom bound.   Initially, these albums were manufactured primarily for the photographer¡¯s own clients, building a reputation of trust, service and quality.

 

In 2000, PictoBooks was officially formed and the albums were made available to other professionals.  PictoBooks expanded their production facilities and purchased state of the art digital printing equipment.  New goals were set to create the most stylized professional wedding album in the industry.

 

PictoBooks has emerged as an industry leader for the professional photographer and are dedicated to providing customers with amazing and unique modern albums.  Pictobooks are elegant, first edition albums that represent a new and revolutionary approach to the old traditional style wedding album.

 

PictoBooks redefined the wedding and portrait world with a coffee table style book, beautifully handcrafted, custom designed and individually tailored to your needs with only the highest quality materials.  Every book is hand-tailored from scratch from the binding and gilding to the manufacturing of covers and cameos.  Pictobooks takes you on a journey from start to finish, a breathtaking experience as your pictures come alive.

Picto Signature Series

 

The Picto Signature series are top of the line, skillfully hand crafted albums bound in the highest quality genuine leather.  

 

Remarkable in leather alone, the albums really shine when adorned on the cover with our exclusive cameo.  These albums are perfect for providing a photographic presentation that is both stylish and distinctive.  

  

Several distinctive leathers are available including; Padova Black, Padova Gray, Padova Green, Padova Blue, Padova Paperbag, Old English Toast, Old English Burnt Toast, Old English Navy, Old English Black, Victoria Plum, Victoria Garnett, Victoria Yellow

 

These stunning albums can be created in a variety of sizes from 6x6 to 15x15. 

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Picto Cocktail Series

 

The Picto Cocktail series album is fresh and classy, bound with fine fabric. It comes with your choice of a metallic or matted dust jacket cover, adding a splash of vivid sophistication for the discriminating client. 

 

These elegant albums are created with beautiful silks that include: Marigold, Slate Blue, Light Olive Green, Crimson, and Onyx. Or, choose to have a totally unique look with custom fabrics.  Just include the fabric of your choice to have a book hand-tailored to your specific needs.

 

These stunning albums can be created in a variety of sizes from 6x6 to 11x14. 

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Picto Metallic Series

 

The Picto Metallic series is the perfect alternative to the traditional wedding album. 

 

There are 8 trendy metallic covers to choose from including: Steel Blue, Seam Foam Green, Amber Fields, Dust Storm, Petal Pink, Gunmetal Grey, Tiny Bubbles, and Brushed Aluminum.  They are available in either the 11x11 or 11x14 and come with a 3x4, 4x4 or 4x7 cameo. The Metal cover with the adorned cameo will certainly put clients over the top.

 

These albums are edgy and have been designed for photographers who want to present their work in a modern and distinctive way.

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Picto Wooden Series

 

The Picto Wooden series is a completely wild selection of 10 real wood veneer laminates representing the most beautiful and exotic wood species in the world. 

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Cameo

 

PictoBooks has created a unique method for placing cameos on the cover of their handcrafted albums. The three dimensional cameo is a vibrant metallic inlay that PictoBooks creates using their patent pending mounting and coating process. The cameos are scratch resistant and smooth to the touch. While the cameo can be created in a variety of sizes and can be used to make any of the PictoBooks albums a work of art, it is also available as a stunning full sized cameo.  

 

 

 

We use a very unique and artistic method of creating your cameos, which will make your cover come alive with 3D vibrancy and metallic sheer. This is a one of a kind mounting and coating process unique only to PictoBooks.

 

Each page in your Pictobook is treated with a special lacquer coating so you are worry free. Lacquer coating creates a beautifully subtle texture and waterproofs your book ensuring total protection from the elements.

 

 

 

 

 

PictoBooks are individually hand crafted.  Each book is specifically tailored to your needs.  We use the highest quality in leather material only.  Each Picto book is delivered in a handsome presentation box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customize your album with foil stamping.  Foil Stamping is available on the front or back cover of your album.  Standard colors are gold, silver, black or no color (embossing only).

Make your album unique and distinctive with custom fabrics. Send in any custom fabric and we¡¯ll make a totally one of a kind album to surely wow your clients.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PictoBooks are flush mounted across an ¡°all panorama¡± page.  This type of mount allows for the freedom to design on a larger canvas.  The mechanics of the binding system is patent pending; one of the unique features being that the spreads lay flat when the album is opened.  With this, PictoBooks is also able to offer a lifetime guarantee on their albums.

 

 

 

 

 

Add beauty and elegance with finishing options such as ¡°any color gilding.¡± This option is available only through Pictobooks.  Choose the color¡¦.we¡¯ll match and guild your pages to your desired color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy longevity with a lifetime of beauty.  Our pages are guaranteed to stay together.  All pages are flush mounted on acid free boards.  We use only the best in artist materials. The lacquer coating uses special glue that allows for flexibility of pages. 

 

 

 

 

 

We do everything in-house to ensure the highest possible quality.  Our Polieletronica Laser Lab Digital Photographic Printer is completely color managed to ensure accurate color. Laser Lab prints are made on Kodak Digital E surface photographic paper.