For My Fellow Photographers:
I get asked a lot for tips and tricks to make the transition into the industry a little easier. While everyone’s mileage may differ here are some programs, apps and odds and ends that have been helpful to me that I actually use.
Freelancing and running a business is hard work but sharing info and being nice to each other isn’t!
I’ll update this intermittently and share any discounts or signup codes I get that would help ♥
xoxo
RP
CRM
If you are an independent business owner you are doing enough already! A CRM (customer relationship management) is a must have tool to umbrella all your communication with a client- your contacts, emails, quotes, invoices, contracts as well as create templates and personalized workflows. It’s also extremely useful for bookkeeping and income tracking. There are a bunch out there but after trying many Dubsado is the most customizable for commercial work in my personal opinion and very robust. I like it so much I signed up for the lifetime membership.
My code is: SnackLife which gives you 20% off your first year and $35 bucks to me.
Portfolio Reviews
Portfolio reviews are a great way to meet new contacts who otherwise might be behind closed doors. We R The Table is well run, super organized and led by the kindest folks who bring in great reviewers.
For tethering
Nothing beats Capture One for tethering! Shooting tethered as a product photographer is a big game changer especially working with stylists and clients on set- and the last thing you want is for your program to quit on you! Capture One has been the best, least buggy solution for me and great for facilitating remote shoots.
> My Link- get’s you 20% off your first subscription
Passive Income- Stock
When it’s slow it’s SLOW so having a little passive income to help along the way really helps. Gone are the days of stock being a big money maker in my opinion but for me the extra sandwich money here and there always seems to come at a good time and is a nice bonus for work you’ve already shot. I license my work through Stocksy and have been liking it. If you want to sign up as a contributor here is my referral link. As far as I can tell I think it helps you jump the line a bit in the application process to be evaluated for acceptance.
Film Processing:
There are lots of great places in LA for film processing but I like the folks at East LA Film Shop in Boyle Heights. If you’re printing for a museum go to Icon but otherwise go to East LA Film Shop… if you’re doing film soup remember you need to process that yourself.
Notes, Shot Ideas, + Goals
Do you have 315 notebooks that you know have that great idea for a shoot in them but you have to wait until you get home to check? Wrote your goals down somewhere but aren’t totally sure what they were? Yeah me too. Knock it off. Put that shit in Notion and then you can find it in 2 seconds on your phone from anywhere. Easily look back at your goals from the previous year and see how far you’ve come. It’s really helpful and the basic account is free.
Organize your marketing
I use airtable to lay out an annual marketing plan using a Kanban view so I can see each month what I need to do and if I’m actually doing it. I also use it to keep a database of my communication with people I am marketing to- who opened emails and if/when I followed up. Much easier to look at a cute spreadsheet quickly than dig in your email trying to play the memory game of what was her name at what was the place who said something…
>My link- gives me $10 in credit when you verify your email and sign up even if you use a free plan.
Easy Design for promos or emails
I use this for email graphics, quick promos and so many social graphics. The free plan is really good!
For Culling
Some folks like bridge- I love Photo Mechanic. I’ve been using it for almost a decade since I used to work award shows and it’s an incredible tool if you need to chop down a large set quickly, ID a ton of people or work with specialized metadata- you can input IPTC captions, keyworks, color code etc. LOVE it. I don’t have a code but see if it helps you too.
Photo Orgs
Photo orgs can be a great way to meet people, enter contests or sometimes find insurance or resources. I love APA LA which currently has monthly meetups on the Second Sunday of the month at Club Tee Gee in Atwater.
Other great options to consider are ASMP or PPA depending on your specialty.