Owning and operating your portrait business requires that you wear a variety of different hats at all times. Resizing images, watermarks, sales, delivery, accounting, scheduling and so much more can leave your head spinning by the end of the day. I put together 5 tools I use almost daily within my own portrait business that help take the stress away and keep a simple workflow year round.
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StoryTailor
Originally known as Blogstomp, StoryTailor has been a staple in my business for almost 9 years and is something I couldn’t live without. This is my go-to when it comes to prepping portraits for social media or working on my blog. StoryTailor offers photographers the ability to watermark their images as well as downsizing portraits to fit their specific needs in a simple yet efficient way!
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ProSelect
Sorting through 50-70 even 100+ portraits with a client to help them choose their favorite portraits can be a daunting thought but there is a way to make that simple and exciting. ProSelect offers a software for photographers to show, sell and produce artwork for their clients all in the same place. The BEST part about ProSelect is how simple creating mock ups on your clients walls using the portraits you created can be. This means you can show them exactly what their artwork will look like in their space. Gone are the days of clients thinking a 16×20 is big enough for their wall, get ready to sell tons of giant art that fits your clients space and leaves them with beautiful décor for their home.
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Pixieset
Digital file delivery should be easy, and Pixieset makes it simple to deliver and store your client’s digital files. I use Pixieset as a way to not only deliver my clients digital files but also as a way to store them long term, I never have to worry about what happens if a client loses their digital portraits, or can’t find the link to download them. A quick search in Pixieset and 60 seconds later I have re-sent their portraits to them without ever having to pull up an old hard drive and dig out those portraits. You can even build online stores using Pixieset which can be a useful tool for any event photographers (I am talking to you show photographers)!
PS. You might be thinking- but Karinda, you do IPS! You give your clients digital files?! Of course, my clients receive a digital download of every portrait they purchase for their walls or that goes in their album.
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MileIQ
Tracking your mileage as a photographer is incredibly important- we travel a LOT to our clients and having the ability to write off your mileage can save you money when tax season arrives. The IRS allows you to write off 58.5 cents per mile in 2022 which can certainly add up at the end of the day. MileIQ created a mileage tracker app that runs in the background of your phone and tracks your business mileage. That means you can toss your notebook and leave the stress of calculating how far you drove out the window and welcome a simple app that takes care of that for you!
Tave
When it comes to booking clients- the process of sending a contract and collecting their payment should be simple and as friction free as possible. I adore Tave’s quote function- it allows me to send one link with everything in one seamless flow to get their session reserved. First, they can choose their session type, add on any extras such as Fine Art Portraits, or even pre purchase some of our most popular products. Then they can complete a questionnaire, sign their contract, and pay their session fee all using the same workflow!
If you have been on the hunt for a bit of simplicity within your portrait business, I highly recommend trying out these amazing resources. Most have free trials to help you get a feel for what it would be like using their services alongside your photography business. I can assure you, a simpler workflow using resources that handle the hard stuff will allow you more time for the aspects of photography you love most!
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