Resources I Love for Photographers & Small Business Owners

When you are a new photographer (or even a veteran!) it can be so overwhelming to know where to start. There are all kinds of new terms, definitions, and resources that you don’t know. I remember reading through blog posts from other photographers when I was starting out and I kept seeing the word “aperture” and no one explained what it meant! I felt like I would never know enough to ‘make it’ in this industry and would be a fraud forever.

It is a constant challenge to find incredible companies and resources. The kinds of companies that provide excellent customer service and a quality resource. So I have complied a list of my favorite resources that I use all the time from companies that I love working with! And a special bonus? I have some awesome discount codes for you guys to save $$$ as you try these out!

 

KISS

This is the company I use for all my client Legacy Albums! I absolutely love them and wouldn’t recommend anyone else. Sample albums to show clients are a key part of my business and client experience. They cost hundreds of dollars and you could easily waste that money somewhere else on albums that are just low quality. I met Shaun (the founder) at an open house last year and once I saw their albums and heard their mission, I knew they were the company I wanted to work with.

Click HERE for a $50 credit

 

 

Blog Stomp

Ever wonder how I get my blog images to ‘stick’ together the way they do? Or how I am able to get my blog posts done so quickly after a session or wedding? Well it would be impossible without Blog Stomp! It formats and compresses all my images exactly how I want them in a completely customizable way.

 

 

Adobe Lightroom

This is what I use to edit all my images! I never use Photoshop. Lightroom is much simpler to use and very photographer friendly. If you are only editing in Photoshop, you could definitely make your life easier by switching over to Lightroom!

 

 

Photomechanic

A LIFESAVVERRRR!! Photomechanic is how I cull through my RAW files quickly and tag them into different categories. It loads images so much faster than Lightroom so am able to cull through in half the time.

Try it for free!

 

Greentoe

I cannot believe how many people have never heard of Greentoe. It is basically the only place I purchase any camera gear! Basically, you bid on brand-new products and can save hundreds of dollars! I have personally saved over $1000 on my camera gear using Greentoe. Shipping is always free too 🙂

Click HERE to receive a $25 credit

 

 

B&H Photo

The other place I buy most of my gear! This is basically Amazon for photographers. They have awesome customer service and quick delivery. I also purchase external hard drives and memory cards from B&H.

 

Honeybook

If you take nothing away from this post, pay attention to this one!! Honeybook is the client management system I use for all my weddings and sessions. If you don’t currently have a client management system, it’s time to do some research. They have an incredibly responsive customer service team and are constantly trying to improve and cater their system to photographers’ needs. I use Honeybook for all my client emails, invoicing, contracts, questionnaires, and it links up to QuickBooks to make managing your financials easier!

Click HERE to save $200 on your first year with Honeybook 😱

 

Packlane

I get Instagram DMs every time I do a story displaying my boxes for my client welcome gifts asking where I get them from! I design and order them from Packlane. They allow completely customizable boxes for your brand in a huge variety of sizes. I have already recommended Packlane to a ton of photographers, but you could use them for any type of business.

Click HERE to earn $25 off your first order

 

Two Bright Lights

Are you sitting there wondering how all these other photographers are getting published  to wedding inspiration blogs all the time?  Have you tried individually submitting your work to each blog separately? It can be so time-consuming! Two Bright Lights makes the process so much easier. All you do is create an album for your wedding or session, find a place to submit it, and send it over. And if it gets declined? Easy. Rsbumit that wedding or session to a new submission in a matter of seconds!

Their Website

 

Planoly

Managing your social media is a huggggeee part of running a modern day small business! I use Planoly to schedule posts, save hashtag sets, automatically post to Instagram and Facebook, and get analytics about my social media. Planoly has a free and paid version so you can get started today! It even lets you format and plan out your Instagram stories!

Here is my referral link

 

ShowIt

I have saved the best for last! This is the host I use for my website. ShowIt’s websites are in a drag and drop format, so you don’t need to know how to code or do anything fancy in order to design your website! They are completely customizable so you can start from scratch, or you can use a template they provide. Their sites are created with photographers in mind which makes them such a better option than Wix or Squarespace.  Also, their customer service is out of this world amazing! I met their CEO, Todd, last year and he is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever talk to. All of their customer service reps are patient (trust me…I have been annoying 😅) and respond quickly. I could go on and on, but go check out their website and start a free trial!

 

I know this was long, but I wanted to be able to give you guys a complete list of my favorite companies to work with! Hopefully this helps you as you start figuring out where to start, or where to pivot, your small business!

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