10 Must-Have Apps for Your Photography Business
As photographers we are the creative behind the look, we are the visionaries, we are the business owners. In order to give our clients our gorgeous magic for them, we need to the apps & programs to support us in our workflow. These little gems have been my go-to behind-the-scenes processes that show professionalism and efficiency for my community and clients.
I've scoured the digital landscape, tested countless applications, and handpicked the absolute best of the best to compile this magical list just for you.
1. lightroom: your best friend for editing
Lightroom is the ultimate go-to program for photographers. Through the years, it has become HELLA advanced and super user-friendly, it's the perfect companion for those who want powerful editing capabilities without delving into complex Photoshop techniques. Lightroom honestly makes me giddy to jumpstart the editing process for my clients.
2. flodesk: elevate your email marketing
Make your announcements and newsletters glow with Flodesk, my stunning email marketing platform. It lets you create simple, branded, and visually captivating emails that show off who you are to your audience. It is beautifully branded and custom to ensure it is cohesive other social platforms & your website.
3. narrative: lightning-fast image culling
MY GOD, sometimes the most time consuming process of photography is the motherfreaking culling. I have tried all the apps, and with Narrative, you will spend less time on the tedious task of culling your high-res images. Narrative will present low-res versions of your photos, allowing you to quickly select your favorites and save precious editing time (in Lightroom of course).
4. airtable: organize your shotlists
The Excel’s younger & cooler sister and my go-to app for curating shotlists. Its clean and intuitive programming helps you keep track of your client's needs, ensuring a seamless collaborative experience that you can work on together.
5. honeybook: CRM made easy
Honeybook is my daily customer relation tool. From sending invoices to handling contracts to keeping my income flow in check, this program tool streamlines your workflow and keeps it super easy for your clients to interact as well.
6. todoist: sync your tasks with google calendar
The way I stay on top of your daily checklist. The best part about it (IMO) is you can sync it with your Google Calendar, and you'll have a comprehensive checklist at your fingertips. It even gives you a morning-of run down of what to do that day. If you have an assistant, you can divvy up tasks and see what needs to be done by the end of the day.
7. later: effortless social media management
Perfect for me as I am social-media-anxious pretty much all of the time. Later has become my ultimate social media management tool — with its auto-publishing feature, you can schedule and post content with ease, freeing up your valuable mental space (and can be used for IG / Tiktok / LinkedIn / FB!).
8. milanote: unleash your mood board magic
My online production assistant, Milanote will become the moodboard creation of your DREAMS. This underrated tool serves as your digital whiteboard, allowing seamless collaboration with your clients for the perfect visual inspiration. I use Milanote to organize model scouting, styling, location scouting, an extensive moodboard.
9. vsco: quick photo editing on the go
When it comes to editing iPhone photos for stories, VSCO is your go-to app. Yes it is a vast library of presents, but with this you can create custom “recipes” maintain a consistent aesthetic across your social media platforms.
10. canva
My go-to for curating branded, clean, and customized proposals for my clients. With potential clients, they mostly have a call with you & a proposal to go off of to see if you’re a good fit. Canva is like InDesign for amateurs — a huge range of stunning designs to choose from to send over to your clients.
… and there you have it! Through the years of building my business, these apps and programs have saved me. Have others I should look at? Let me know!
