If you’re running a photography business, one month in or five years, you’ll know there are a lot of other pieces that keep this beast running beside your camera. When I got started, I was a little surprised by ALL options for photographers. Just googling resources for photographers, you’ll find the list is long.
While there are many great free resources (perhaps another blog post idea), the best resources to run your business often come with a price tag. That’s why I plan on investing yearly around Black Friday. As many companies offer the best deals of the year.
So, in the spirit of Black Friday, I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite resources for photographers.
Sprout Studio – Resources for photographers, top pick
Sprout Studio is the well-oiled machine behind my business. I manage my galleries, client contracts, client communication, payments, and scheduling with Sprout.
What’s the best part about Sprout? It was designed by a photographer for photographers. This focus on photographers makes them unique among CRM. Therefore the features and releases reflect how a photographer does business.
Plus, the customer service is top-notch. This means you get real people to answer the phone and chat with when an issue comes up.
Additionally, they always have huge Black Friday sales, so I wait to renew until November every year. You can check out their Black Friday sales here.
Elena S Blair Photography Education – Invest in yourself for next year!
Elena S Blair’s photography education is becoming a standard in the lifestyle family arena. I first saw her on Creative Live and have since followed her pretty much everywhere. Most of her educational classes are on sale this week. Specifically, her newborn photography and lifestyle family photography should be checked out. She makes her processes seem accessible for every ability level.
This week she also dropped new presets for portraits. Generally speaking, I’m not a huge believer in presets and I was super skeptical. However, I gave them a shot. Here are a couple of before and afters with minor adjustments to color and exposure. Worth adding to your arsenal of editing options if you’re looking for clean edits and natural skin tones. You can pick up all three preset packs this week here.
Flodesk
Flodesk provides beautiful point-and-drop email communications. Along with emails, there are easy forms to embed on your website. I’ve used many email marketing options. Flodesk is the most straightforward and simple to launch and operate in minutes. Head here Flodesk.
Showit – Top website resource for photographers
Showit is my favorite website platform I’ve used so far. Trust me; I’ve tried a lot. I think beyond it being beautiful and straightforward, the WordPress blog is the selling point for me. Not much beats WordPress when it comes to SEO, and Showit wisely teamed up with an integrated WordPress blog.
Therefore, if you’re interested in a strong SEO game along with a beautiful, easy-to-use site Showit might be for you. Check out Showit here.
Resources for Photographers – Honorable Mentions
A few other companies I use daily that deserve a name drop –
SEMrush – SEO tracking
Loom – Video communication with clients
Canva – Creating Pinterest pins, IG stories, and more
Fundy – Album and wall art design
Do you have a favorite Photographer’s resource that didn’t get mentioned? Let me know below.
Cheers!
MB – A Spokane-based photographer serving families and soulful brands.
