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When running a photography business you will often have to take on jobs thatyou aren’t immediately familiar with.Yes, you may know exactly how to create sharp focus at night, but what about completing accounting tasks or managing your own client list?
Fortunately, there are myriadweb apps available that can help you supercharge your photography business without you having to learn a host of new skills.
With the above in mind, in this post we have listed and reviewed (in no particular order) a collection of 13web apps thatprofessional photographers will find useful; whether you have recentlystarted a business or already have an established brand. Enjoy!
Trello
Project management may not bethe most exciting part of a business, butit is essential. Fortunately,Trello offers a simple and visual way to organize your projects, whether you are working alone or collaboratively.
Trello consists of boards thatare filled with lists and cards that you or anyone in your team can edit. Its drag and drop functionality lets you move projects between lists so that you can show progress, or simply adapt the board to your own specifications.
As you would expect from a collaborative web app, all projects can besynced across multiple devices, so they are always up to date and can be worked on wherever you (and your team) are.
Trello comes with a huge range of features, such as calendars and voting. These can be a little overwhelming at first, but they are easily turned on and off as an when you need them to avoid any clutter or confusion.
Evernote
If you have a habit of bookmarking endless pages thatyou never actually revisit, Evernote is perfect for you.
Evernote offers a centralized workspace for you to collect articles, notes and photos, as well as write lists or more extensive documents. Everything is stored in the cloud, so your informationis automatically synced to multiple computers and devices.
One of Evernote’s stand-out features is its optical character recognition, which immediately indexes all files, making them easily searchable.
Evernote isn’t a collaborative tool, so you won’t be able to add team members to your account. But it is perfect for photographers who want to reliably capture and store any inspiring imagerythat they find online.
Dropbox
Dropbox is a favorite in cloud storage due to its simplicity and reputation for being so reliable.
The web app allows you to upload and sync documents, photos and video into the cloudviacomputers, phones and tablets. Documents are immediately accessible from all devices and can be shared with multiple users or kept private, giving youcomplete control over what everyone sees.
Dropbox is hot on security too, offering 256-bit AES and two step verification, so that you know your work is always safe.
Dropbox works excellentlyfor storing your own work so that it’simmediately accessible wherever you are, but it is also great if you want to share files in the same way, whether that be with team members or clients.
Google Drive
Google Drive is comparative to Dropbox, but where it excels is in its collaborative capabilities, which allow multiple users to work on single documents at one time. This saves the hassle sharingoffline filesor the disruption ofnot having access tothe most recentdocuments.
Since its rebrand from Google Docs, Google Drive now comprises of Google Docs, Sheets and Slides apps, making it comparable to Microsoft Office.
Google Drive also gives you at least 15GB of free storage which can be expanded upon(at cost). Keep in mind that you can also tap into the Google Apps platform, where the calendar, spreadsheets and docs apps are all included.
WordPress
WordPress is arguably the easiest way to create and host a website or blog, even if you are a complete beginner.
Itis essentially a content management system (CMS) thathas been built with simplicity and user experience in mind. Thanks to its countless themes, widgets and plugins, you can make your experience as simple or advanced as you require, meaning it suits all experience levels.
WordPress is also optimized for SEO and comes with fantastic support. In fact, WordPress is used to run nearly a quarter of the web, so you can rest assured that it really is user friendly.
If you are planning on setting up a photography website, we wouldn’t recommend any other CMS than WordPress.
Sell Media
Sell Media offers everything that you need to start an independent online photography business.
You can use Sell Media to easily and reliably sell, license and protect all of your photography work. There is no need for a middleman, so you get to keep 100% of your sales. It also gives you the capability to accept online payments securely and view sales reports to track how well your business is performing.
Sell Media comes with some really useful features, such as auser-friendly drag-and-drop uploader thatallows you to bulk upload files in minutes. You can also create and assign different licenses and prices for all of your products, so you have full control over what you sell.
Sell Media offers a variety of paid extensions too, so as your business and your experience grows, Sell Media can grow with you.
CloudFlare
Once you have set up your website, consider using CloudFlare to offer your visitors the best possible experience.
CloudFlare routes your web traffic through their intelligent global network, optimizing the speed of your web pages for the best overall performance possible. If your photography website is image heavy, this is highly advisableto ensure that your load times are minimal.
CloudFlare also blocks threats to your websites and limits bots and crawlers from using up your bandwidth and server resources. This will increase your web performance as well as decrease spam and other attacks.
If you’re looking to take your website to the next level and keep website visitors engaged for as long as possible, CloudFlare is well worth checking out.
SumoMe
Once your website is up and running, you will want to consider ways to increase traffic and keep visitors coming back for more.
SumoMe offers a variety of web apps that allow you to do just that. You can increase email signups by 20% using their list builder and smart bar, or focus on brand marketing using their multiple social sharing apps and content analytics. This is all capped off with heat maps, whichallow you to see which areas of your website are being engaged with the most.
SumoMe offers a lot of options, which are perfect for when you are getting a little more experienced with your website and want to take your business to the next level.
Buffer
Buffer is a social sharing app thatallows you to share content or communicate with your social network via multiple social accounts, all from one dashboard.
You can use Buffer to set up a posting schedule thatautomatically publishesstatus updates and/or tweets throughout the day, saving you lots of time.
Buffer can be used anywhere on almost any device thanks to its apps, extensions and addons. You can easily accessBuffer from Google Chrome, FireFox and Safari, but you can also use Buffer from within other social networks, allowing you to add posts that you stumble across.
Buffer also offers engagement metrics so that you can tweak your posting based on time of day and topic. You can even see who is engaging with your posts on a regular basis, which is a great way to build up your potential client base.
Hipchat
Hipchat may at first sound like it was built for teenagers, but it’s actually a group chat built specifically for business. It also comes packed with useful features.
Hipchat allows you to keep in touch with your team and clients, wherever you are. It runs on Mac, Windows iOS, Android, Linux as well as a web app, so there really is no excuse to not keep in touch.
Hipchat comes with video calling and easy screen sharing, as well as drag-and-drop file sharing. Additionally it offers secure guest access to clients, vendors and third parties, so they will only see what you want them to see. All conversations and files are searchable, so that you can refer back to them at any time
Hipchat is great if you want a professional and multifunctional chat to speak to your team, or to keep in touch with your clients.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is one of the most user-friendly email marketing tools on the market today. The system focuses on simplicity and user experience, whilst maintaining some seriously powerful functionality.
On a basic level you can collate all of your email subscribers into a single database, in order to communicate with them easily and effectivly. But Mailchimp also offers the ability to send automated emails based on recipient behavior, flexible layoutoptions for the less design savvy, in-depth reporting on how your email campaigns are performing, and much more.
When it comes to making the most of your email list, Mailchimp is a real powerhouse.
IFTTT
IFTTT allows you to connect multiple channels and apps to build recipes, where one action is triggered off the back of another.
That may sound a little complicated, but it’s surprisingly simple. An example of an IFTTT recipe would be “If I post an image to Instagram then add it to my Dropbox”, or “If I publish a blog postthen tweet a link out via myTwitter account”. The options are almost endless and can be highly tailored to your needs.
A useful addition to IFTTT is their shared recipes, which is a community of featured, trending and collected recipes that can be browsed for inspiration and used in your own projects.
IFTTT is a great time saver that really streamlines your workflowsand ensures you’re not missing out on viewing, saving or sharing any files or updates.
Zapier
Zapier is perfect if you are looking for something a little more advanced than IFTTT. Similar to IFTTT, Zapier connects your web apps and channels to help you automate tasks using “zaps”, as opposed to “recipes”.
Where Zapier stands out is its connection with many more apps; almost twice as many as IFTTT in fact. Zapier includes more business and productivity focused apps, such as Basecamp, MS Exchange and Google Tasks as well as niche apps such as Campfire and Github.
Zapier doesn’t offer a community such as IFTTT’s shared recipes, however itwill suggest “zaps” thatit thinksare relevant to your activity.
Zapier is pricier than IFTTT, so potentially best for more advanced business users. If you’ve dabbled in IFTTT and feel that you’ve outgrown it, Zapier could be a winner.
In Conclusion
Running your own photography business can pull you in many different directions, but we hope that these web apps will make your lifea little easier and make some tasks seem more approachable.
Let us know in the comments if you use any of these web apps, or if there are any that we’ve missed that you just can’t live without!
FAQs
What app do most photographers use? ›
- Bacon Camera.
- Camera +2.
- Camera Zoom FX Premium.
- Moment Pro Camera.
- Adobe Photoshop Camera.
- Adobe Lightroom Mobile.
- Snapseed.
- Pixlr.
- Maintain a Flawless Online Portfolio. ...
- Start a Portrait Photography Blog. ...
- Attend Portrait Photography Conferences. ...
- Volunteer Your Time And Photography Skills. ...
- Offer Special Deals. ...
- Get Listed in Photographer Directories. ...
- Enter Portrait Photography Contests.
- Make a Website That People Can Interact With. ...
- Use Your Other Skills to Compliment Your Photography. ...
- Emails, Emails, Emails. ...
- Work with Local Businesses. ...
- Networking. ...
- Talk About Your Photography to Others More Often. ...
- Final Thoughts.
- Develop a personal style. There is no “right” way of editing photos like a professional. ...
- Choose a photo editing program. ...
- Use filters and presets. ...
- Take advantage of automatic modes. ...
- Crop the scene. ...
- Straighten lines. ...
- Bring colors to life. ...
- Adjust the white balance.
- PicsArt (Android, iOS) ...
- Snapseed (Android, iOS) ...
- Adobe Photoshop Camera (Android, iOS) ...
- Pixlr (Android, iOS) ...
- Adobe Lightroom (Android, iOS) ...
- Instagram (Android, iOS) ...
- Google Photos (Android, iOS) ...
- Prisma (Android, iOS)
- Identify What Makes You Special. ...
- Create a Unique logo for effective branding for photographers. ...
- Identify Your Ideal Client. ...
- Develop a Strong Personality. ...
- Keep it simple when branding for photographers. ...
- Connect emotionally.
- #1 – Have a Business Plan. ...
- #2 – Have a Great Website. ...
- #3 – Social Media Presence. ...
- #4 – Your Own Style. ...
- #5 – Marketing Communications. ...
- #6 – Good Equipment. ...
- #7 – Great Photos.
- 1) START WITH BLOGGING. ...
- 2) USE CONTENT MARKETING TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. ...
- 3) GET YOUR NAME OUT WITH GUEST POSTS. ...
- 4) UTILIZE THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA. ...
- 5) OWN YOUR AUDIENCE WITH EMAIL MARKETING.
Level 1 – The Blind Amateur
You're very new to photography, unsure of how any of it works, and you're not very good. You spend the majority of your time shooting on Full-Auto mode, and some of the presets, such as 'portrait'.
The best place to start is with your friends, family, and people that you know. Talk to friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and people in any social groups that you're a part of. Tell them that you're starting a photography business and you're offering free or discounted photo sessions to build up your portfolio.
How do hobby photographers make money? ›
- Sell or License Your Photos on Stock Photography Sites. ...
- Join Photo Contests. ...
- Start a Photography Blog or YouTube Channel. ...
- Sell Your Prints. ...
- Do Freelance Photography Work for Magazines or Newspapers. ...
- Become a Paparazzo. ...
- Do Photo Shoots for Clients. ...
- Edit & Retouch Photos.
- Your Website. ...
- Instagram. ...
- Watermarks on Your Photos. ...
- Use Offline Promotion. ...
- Make Friends & Strategic Partnerships. ...
- Local Facebook Groups. ...
- Be Better Than the Competition. ...
- 6 Replies to “7 Easy Ways to Market Your Photography Services to Local Clients”
There's Not A Unique Path to Success. You don't need a large number of followers on Instagram to run a successful photography business. However, Instagram is a significant platform if you want to get more clients, or if you want to raise your brand awareness and show your work.
Do I need social media as a photographer? ›You can still blog and share your experience as a photographer without needing any social network. Make sure you keep writing content, using relevant keywords in your blog to maximize your website SEO. Share those blogs with clients and potential clients through your email list.
What are the 7 tips for taking good photographs? ›- How To Compose Great Photos. Great photos start with great composition: how you frame the shot and where you position different elements within the scene. ...
- Keep It Simple. ...
- Change Your Perspective. ...
- Add Depth To Your Images. ...
- Use The Sun To Create A Silhouette. ...
- Look For Reflections. ...
- Find Symmetry.
There are many elements in photography that come together to make an image be considered “good”. Some of these elements include, but are not limited to lighting, the rule of thirds, lines, shapes, texture, patterns, and color. All of these things play an important role when it comes to photography.
Is there a totally free photo editing app? ›There are several free apps to edit photos available for both iOS and Android, including YouCam Perfect, PhotoDirector, VSCO, Picsart, Snapseed, AirBrush, and others. The YouCam Perfect app is by far the best option among all.
What filter app is everyone using? ›VSCO. VSCO is one of the most popular photo editor apps on iOS and Android. This app offers a set of stunning filters that take your selfies to a whole other level. There are 10 free presets that you can adjust with a simple slider, but you can purchase more from the library of over 200 filters.
Which Photoshop app is free? ›Yes, Photoshop Express is free to download. Get it on the Apple App Store, Google Play, or the Windows Store.
What social media is best for photographers? ›Instagram. When it comes to social media platforms for photographers, Instagram tops our list as a marketing tool. This is the best social network for photographers because Instagram is full of people looking for beautiful photography and connections.
How should a photographer approach a brand? ›
- Make Sure You Have a Professional Portfolio. ...
- Research Brands You'd Like to Work With. ...
- Know Everything You Can About the Brand You're Pitching. ...
- Research the Best Contacts at Those Companies. ...
- Compose a Persuasive Pitch. ...
- Shoot Off the Pitch. ...
- Set a Date to Check In.
- Flytographer.
- The Picture & The Poet.
- The Artsy Lens.
- Flutter Me Shutters Photography.
While some people love B&W, others clients prefer color, vintage, ethereal, hazy, etc. The photographer's portfolio should reflect the style that will be delivered to the client so that there aren't any surprises.
How do photographers talk to clients? ›- Talk about what you're doing! During a shoot, these are the FIRST things I like to bring up: ...
- Ask about their story! Get to know your clients and where it all began! ...
- Ask about the wedding! ...
- Recommend vendors! ...
- Ask what they do for work!
Portrait Photography
Likely the most popular freelance photography type is portrait photography! Much like commercial photography, the portrait world varies greatly and has so many subcategories that it can be hard to keep track of each niche.
An “amateur” photographer is someone that takes photos for fun and passion. They enjoy the art of photography, and appreciate the ability to preserve memories and moments. Despite being “amateur”, they can (and do) take some of the most beautiful and breathtaking images you'll ever see.
How do I get my first client? ›- Make a list. ...
- Look for referrals. ...
- Work your network. ...
- Show it off. ...
- Attend industry events. ...
- Team up with other business owners. ...
- Build an online presence. ...
- Spread the word on social.
Startup costs. Quality photography equipment is notoriously expensive, so you'll want to start off with the minimum: Buying a $5,000 lens doesn't make sense if your business isn't making money yet. Many professional photographers say to plan on budgeting about $10,000 to start your photography business.
Where can I find high end photography clients? ›- Curate Your Online Portfolio.
- Adjust your Branding.
- Strategically Structure Your Pricing.
- Always Look the Part.
- Build a Killer Photography Website.
- Elevate your Brand.
...
How Much Do Photographers Charge?
Level | Per Hour | Per Image |
---|---|---|
Semi-Pro | $75 to $150 | $50 to $150 |
Professional | $100 to $300 | $75 to $350 |
How can I make money with my pictures on my phone? ›
Foap is one of the simplest places to sell your mobile photos. The iPhone and Android photography marketplace is one of the many corners of the web you can turn to for micro-jobs in your free time. Some of the world's largest brands like MasterCard, Hyatt, Volvo Group, Absolut Vodka can buy your photos.
What can I sell to make money fast? ›- Old clothes. If you're looking for things to sell to make quick cash, your clothes just might top the list. ...
- Sneakers. Have some cool sneakers you want to get rid of? ...
- Jewelry. ...
- Watches. ...
- Your wedding dress. ...
- Baby items. ...
- Home décor items. ...
- Holiday decorations.
- Sell Stock Photos. ...
- Sell an eBook. ...
- Create a travel guide. ...
- Sell a printed coffee table style book. ...
- Sell prints. ...
- Take pictures at local events and sell them online. ...
- Sell photojournalism prints to news publications. ...
- Edit photos.
- Set Up Your Domain Name and Hosting. ...
- Choose Your Website Program. ...
- Choose a Theme. ...
- Add Imagery and Content to Your Website. ...
- Ensure You Include Keywords Throughout & Describe the Areas You Service. ...
- Make Sure Your Contact Details are Correct and Clear.
- Set up a referral program Your clients are your biggest supporters. ...
- Cold Calling – Introduce yourself and your business to strangers. ...
- Carry business cards with you everywhere. ...
- Send a regular newsletter. ...
- Donate a session.
- Make a Website That People Can Interact With. ...
- Use Your Other Skills to Compliment Your Photography. ...
- Emails, Emails, Emails. ...
- Work with Local Businesses. ...
- Networking. ...
- Talk About Your Photography to Others More Often. ...
- Final Thoughts.
Because of this, it's safe to say that Flickr is the ideal place for artists who want a mix of blogging and photo sharing in their portfolios.
What photo-sharing app do photographers use? ›Adobe Creative Cloud – Our Choice
This pic share app also allows publishing your work on Behance. Adobe Creative Cloud gives you access to all mobile apps developed by Adobe. Besides, you can synchronize with desktop and online programs, like Adobe Portfolio (a program used by photographers for displaying their works).
Instagram. When it comes to social media platforms for photographers, Instagram tops our list as a marketing tool. This is the best social network for photographers because Instagram is full of people looking for beautiful photography and connections.
How many photos should I give my client? ›Conclusion. How many photos should a wedding photographer give their client? The short and simple answer is ~100 per hour of shooting or roughly 800 photos for 8 hour wedding day coverage. As we explained, this figure is not some industry standard that all wedding photographers have to stick to.
How do photographers get photos to clients? ›
- WeTransfer well-known file-sharing systems. ...
- Dropbox cloud based file sharing system. ...
- Google Drive simple and fast file sharing solution from google. ...
- Pixieset specially built only for photographers. ...
- Smash an alternative for WeTransfer. ...
- ShootProof an alternative to pixieset.
Snapseed (available for iOS and Android) is a free mobile app from Google that lets you edit your images with ease. You'll find both simple and sophisticated tools to fine-tune your photos in minutes. When you first open the app, tap anywhere on the screen to import your image into the app.
How can I make a photo look like a dSLR? ›- Step 1: Grab a copy of AfterFocus for your Android.
- Step 2: Open the app and choose to take a new pic or add one from the Gallery. ...
- Step 3: Use the Focus tool to draw on the parts of the photo you want to keep in focus.
ProCam X (Android)
It's best thought of as a premium alternative to Open Camera, with fewer features but more immediacy. Everything the app offers is within easy reach. Manual control options sit above the shutter. Next to the shutter are buttons to adjust photo mode and switch between your device's cameras.
Post your portfolio on your website and share your images on popular photo sharing sites like Flickr, Unsplash and 500px. Be sure to use metadata so that your images can be found more easily. Getting published can not only get your work noticed, but it can also give you credentials that can lead to new opportunities.
How do I create a free photography website? ›Jimdo is the best way to make a free photography website—and you can be online in minutes. Just start with a free Jimdo Play plan that includes everything you need to get started. When you're ready, you can always upgrade to our affordable paid plans.
Where can I showcase my photography? ›Because of this, it's safe to say that Flickr is the ideal place for artists who want a mix of blogging and photo sharing in their portfolios.
Is Vero free to use? ›Vero is Free.
In order to provide that ad-free experience, they do need to generate revenue in some way. The subscription fee – which will likely be less than the price of a cappuccino at Starbucks once every 365 days – will allow them to keep advertisers out and the customer experience their main and only concern.