If family photography or portrait photography is your primary focus, there is an often-overlooked market that may be a natural fit: family reunions. Traditionally a harbinger of summer (though they can occur any time of year), reunions are the reason millions of Americans travel each year, and photographs are critical. After the corn-on-the-cob has been eaten and the water balloons tossed, photos remain to document growth and change. The fleeting nature of a family reunion gives just one chance to capture these important moments; then they are gone, perhaps forever. Clint Thayer, photographer and owner of Focal Flame Photography, says of family reunion photography, “Those tender moments last only seconds. Being ready to see those moments and capture them does not come when you buy
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Why Workflows Were a Lifesaver for Sara France & Made ShootQ Her First Choice
Before finding ShootQ, Sara France was drowning in spreadsheets to track tasks, and wanted workflows that enabled her – and her team – to stay organized without passing bulky files back and forth. Now that she has ShootQ, she’s able to automate almost everything! Her studio’s workflows are automated. Everything from invoices, emails, to new lead generation is automated and cloud-based. According to Sara, “I didn’t want to do that work and needed to focus on growing my business. It’s much more efficient and takes less time. I don’t know how anyone has a studio without this program.” In this case study, we’ll take a look at Sara France’s business and explore the ways that: • In order to focus on growing your business,
Keeping Tabs on Your Leads (and Turning them into Paying Clients!)
Have you ever had a sales lead fall through the cracks? Maybe a bride emailed you about her wedding, but her email got pushed down so far in your rapidly-filling inbox that you totally forgot to reply to her? We all know this feeling; it’s frustrating for you AND your prospective clients! Losing track of leads can cost your business – big time. You may lose jobs when you don’t respond quickly to leads, or when you simply forget to follow up. How can you ensure that you’re keeping tabs on your leads, so you can turn them into paying clients? I. Centralize your notes When you get a new lead, enter it into some kind of system (ShootQ, Excel, etc.) ShootQ is ideal because
Case Study: Why ShootQ Makes Sense for Anne Almasy
Anne’s search for a solution that would streamline her growing photography business led her to ShootQ. Because of ShootQ, Anne has been able to set up a faster booking process, better contract management, and streamlined business operations. In this case study we’ll explore: • Why early investments in your business do make a difference. • How keeping track of your business in one place, with access from anywhere, streamlines operations. • Why it’s important to find the best solution to manage a thriving photography business. • How to quantify the savings ShootQ provides.
How to Take the Pain out of Album Design
Album design is the one task that I absolutely dread. And when I say dread, I mean loathe. I bet many of you can relate. I avoid album design like the plague. Before we joined Pictage, I spent hours laying wedding photos out on blank pages, nudging them a little bit to the left or right, cropping a tad here or there. It was tedious; it was a massive time suck! I knew something had to change. Then, I heard about Pictage’s free album design service from a friend. I was intrigued, but skeptical. First I thought, “Is this for real? For $49 per month, I get unlimited album designs and access to purchase directly through national album companies?” Immediately, I thought, “No way!” But
How to Track New Client Inquiries with ShootQ
Managing leads in a studio can be difficult: multiple clients to track, responses to send, and information flying everywhere! Winning a wedding or portrait client’s business is a big deal – so what’s the best way to get them to sign on the (electronic) dotted-line? First you have to get their attention, and keep it! I’ve heard multiple times from brides that a quick response is greatly appreciated, and the smartest sales tool out there is the art of the follow-up! How can you get both? ShootQ Lead Workflows help you easily manage your leads, respond quickly with the click of a button, and maintain communication with your promising inquiries. ShootQ has the capability of managing your leads in a simple lead “bucket” system. I
A Simple Wedding Workflow Checklist
You’ve just finished shooting an amazing ten hour wedding. Two cameras, perhaps even a second shooter. Total clicks are in the range of 3k-5k. Even though you’re on such a high, in the back of your mind you’re thinking, “ugh this is going to be such a long edit!” Monday morning comes around and you start culling, but then your inbox starts filling up, Facebook is calling your name, and the dog is barking at you. What do you do? As professional photographers, we’ve all been in this situation before. You need help. That’s exactly why I created this wedding workflow checklist. Feel free to use any or all of it to help you stay streamlined. 1. Download cards – 1 hour I personally don’t cull as
Why Photographers Outsource (and what it says about their business)
In talking with photographers about post-production work over the past few years, I’ve found that there are three primary reasons for outsourcing this work. What’s more, the reasons for doing so evolve over time and are often indicative of the photographer’s business maturity. See if any of these reasons resonate with you. “I’m so busy I will never get all this work done….what was I thinking?.….my clients will kill me….so will my family & friends, if I have any left. Heck, I’ll be happy if I just live through this…I can’t answer another ‘where are my images?’ question. HELP!” We tend see more of these cases as the photography season advances. There were good intentions to get acquainted with an editor earlier, but there wasn’t
What ONE THING Will You Change?
Now that 2012 has come to a close, hopefully you had some much needed reflection and R&R and are ready to dive headfirst into 2013. When you think about your successes and mistakes over the past year, are there things you wish you’d done differently? Probably. But that’s the beauty of a new year – it’s a fresh start! To get you started, we asked YOU to share ONE THING you’ll do differently in 2013. Every week, we’ll be spotlighting one photographer and the ONE THING that they’re doing differently this coming year. What will you change? Here’s what wedding photographers Jen & Ashley said: About the Author Jen + Ashley are a two-woman wedding photographer team specializing in modern, fresh, and timeless wedding images. Ashley
3 Steps to a New Year’s Resolution That Sticks
It’s New Year’s Resolution time. Yes, that time of year where we set epic plans for the year to come, only to give up on most or all of them by February 1. The problem is not coming up with goals but actually accomplishing them. Maybe last year this time you were snuggled up in your chair by the fire, your mind wandering through the possibilities for 2012? Maybe a few of these were on your list: Right now you may be in that same chair snuggled by the fire. You have new goals, and let’s face it a bunch from last year. Get a pen and paper, (switching apps on the ipad to take notes sucks,) and follow the three steps below. You’ll be