When it comes to managing your business, streamlining your workflow, and sharing beautiful images, there are lots of great resources that just make the job easier, allowing you to spend more time where you belong: behind the camera! Check out our favorites below.
1. Adobe Lightroom
Essential tools to craft and share incredible images.
Photo editing is personal (and we totally get that) but we simply have to mention our favorite post-capture program! Lightroom is an editing and image management program that allows photographers to import, sort, edit, and export the most precious cargo of all.
Lightroom allows you to create preset image adjustments so that everyone one of your photos can have your signature editing style with just one click! Some other features we love include crop overlay, the graduated filter, the clarity slider, and the tone curve.
2. Adobe Photoshop
Create anything you can imagine. Anywhere you are.
If lions are the king of the jungle, Photoshop is the king of editing software. It is a beast of a tool and has a ton of features. It truly is the best when photos need extensive spot editing, all while keeping the integrity of the original image. It is an industry standard for a reason and if you can master it, you can create some amazing images that will be sure to wow everyone.
3. HoneyBook
All in one software and community to grow your business.
How can you eliminate the administrative pains of running a business? Well, isn’t that the million dollar question? HoneyBook is an automated way to streamline your client experience so you can spend more time photographing and less time on the managerial tasks of running your business. Sounds like a dream come true right?
HoneyBook understands that managing a pipeline is exhausting, even for the savviest of business owners. With one click, the software allows you to track your shoots, manage an inquiry, create custom client questionnaires, follow up on a proposal, and collect payment, along with many other functional features.
4. Hootsuite
Affordable social media management.
Interacting with your customers and your community are some of the most important things you can do as a photographer and business owner. Your brand story begins where it is most visible, and for most brands, this is on social media.
Hootsuite is is an affordable social media management tool that offers solutions for scheduling, content creation, analytics, monitoring and much more, all by integrating with your favorite social media outlets. We love this tool and know you will too!
5. Bittersweet Designs
Photoshop templates for creatives.
Branding is one of the most important aspects of your photography business, especially when it comes to booking new clients. The way your brand is perceived goes far beyond your portfolio of work and definitely shouldn't be an afterthought. Creating this emotional connection can seem intimidating, but it doesn't have to be!
From business cards to websites to premade logo designs, Bittersweet Designs is an online store with hundreds of templates and an entire section dedicated to photography marketing. The designs are sure to elevate your brand as they are beautiful, easy to use, and affordable!
6. Unsplash
Free stock photos to elevate your brand
Need stock photos but want to avoid the ever-so-original “High Five In The Conference Room” or “Smiling While Typing An Email” type images? Unsplash has got you covered! With over 200,000 unique images and more added each day, this free tool is a must have for your social media efforts and your blog.
7. Fundy Designer
Album Design Software and In Person Sales Software
You’re a photographer, so you get to capture life's most beautiful moments. You are also a business owner and your time is limited. Finding that balance is tough, but Fundy Designer can help bridge the gap! Fundy is a powerful software suite that streamlines album design, client proofing, in-person sales, and more.
8. Pixieset
Beautiful client photo sharing
Delivering your clients’ final gallery is the most exciting part of the photography experience. Your clients receive their images and are brought back to the most special moment in time. Digital delivery is even more exciting because it truly makes the process easy for you and your clients.
Using Amazon Web Services, Pixieset delivers custom-branded galleries to your clients, which allows for downloading, proofing, selling, and sharing the gallery they have been waiting for! We love that they’re committed to making sure your files are always saved and backed up.
We know there are a million different tools out there that help make the life of a photographer easier and more fun! What is your favorite digital photography solution? Let us know in the comments; we would love to check it out!
