Hi there! I’m Elena, a luxury wedding and motherhood photographer based in Colorado. Today I am sharing my 5 must have tools for photographers in business! These are services and products that I have found indispensable for running a profitable business and making my client experience amazing, and I am so excited to share them with you! I do not have any affiliation with these companies. I simply love using them and I want to help other photographers who are on their own journey. So, here’s the list!
Most people have heard of Photoshop, but if you haven’t been introduced to Lightroom, it’s a photographer’s best friend! I spend 99% of my editing time in Lightroom and 1% in Photoshop. Lightroom allows to you batch edit photos, making it quick and simple. There is so much that this incredible editing software can do!
2. Dubsado
Dubsado is a CRM (client relationship management) tool. YOU NEED THIS! This is where you will keep track of all your clients, email templates, contracts, invoices, questionnaires, scheduling, payments, workflows and more. It’s the brain of your business. Truth be told, I didn’t use a CRM for my first two years in business in an attempt to be frugal. I figured I didn’t have that many clients and I could keep track of everything on my own.
As things got busier, I quickly realized I was doing things the HARD way, and by that point, it was very challenging to redo my entire system. Once I transferred my very piecemealed business into Dubsado, I was finally able to run my business without any fear that I was forgetting something or that something would fall through the cracks. It saves me so much time and keeps everything in my business organized. My favorite feature is the automated workflows!!!
3. Showit
This is what I use for my website. Showit was created FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS and other creatives and it shows. It’s a drag and drop style of web design that is super user friendly. As someone who had no previous experience with web design, I was able to completely customize a website that I LOVE. There are gorgeous templates you can purchase, as well as some free ones. And the mobile version of your website is incorporated seamlessly. It even integrates with WordPress for blogging!
4. CloudSpot
I use CloudSpot to deliver my client galleries! It’s a stunning way to deliver images that makes viewing, downloading, and sharing super easy for your clients. You can even use the store option to sell prints, canvases, cards, and other products. I LOVE how beautiful and easy to use it is!
5. Canva
Canva is a great tool for all marketing visuals! I use it to make Instagram posts and stories, presentations for client consultations, style guides, pricing guides, etc. Any document or marketing visual you can think of, I use Canva! It is very easy to use and allows me to make everything look oh so professional.
BONUS TIP!!!
6. Education
I couldn’t end without sharing this one! Education is so important as you are starting your photography journey, and even experienced photographers need to continue to learn and grow! My absolute favorite educators who pour their hearts and souls into their students are Amy and Jordan Demos and Katelyn James. Their courses are truly life changing. Everything they offer is worth it’s value 1,000 times over. I can’t recommend them enough! Everything from shooting, editing, posing, running a business, and more they teach you in a way that is easy to understand and will help you grow in leaps and bounds!
What did you think of my 5 must have tools for photographers? I hope this post was helpful! If you have any questions about these resources or would like to see more posts like this one, let me know. I’d love to hear from you!
Looking for more tips? Check out this post!
xoxo, Elena
