Software and Apps I Use as an Elopement Photographer
Over the last decade or so, I’ve spent a lot of time refining how I run my business and how to do it efficiently. I’m only one person and can only do so much! I’ve trial new apps and software that looks promising, set up accounts on countless sites that seem helpful, and everything in between.
But now that things have been running smoothly for a few years now, I have a pretty detailed workflow that includes software and apps that are easy to use, save me time, and make things super easy on the client side. And I’m gonna break it down for you!!
Apps for Running my business:
Notion
Not only is Notion the BEST tool I’ve ever used to organize my business, I also organize my life with it!!
Personally, I use Notion for goal setting, keeping a list of books/movies/TV shows I want to consume, ideas for birthday gifts for my besties so that when their birthday comes around, I already have brainstormed it, a list of all my plants and their specific needs, and more!
For photography, it’s where I host Basecamp (the portal all of my clients receive), where I make lists and databases of PNW locations that couples could elope at, business goals I’m aiming for this quarter/year, and where I empty my brain with future business ideas or things to work on.
It can feel pretty overwhelming to start using Notion because there’s so much flexibilty and freedom, but start writing and you’ll get the hang of it in no time. Here’s a start up guide to get you going!
Dubsado
My customer relationship management (CRM) software that I adore: Dubsado. This is where all of my contracts, invoices, questionnaires, and forms live. It’s also where I manage my client call scheduling and the contact form I use on my website.
I’ve been with Dubsado since 2017(!), and man do they take things seriously. Other than knocking it out of the park with my business needs, I love being able to submit feature ideas, participate in beta testing of new things, and keeping up with what changes are happening!
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Squarespace
You’re on a Squarespace-built website right now, folks! Not only is Squarespace incredibly easy to use, it’s also customizable when you want to go above and beyond.
I built my first website on Squarespace in 2013 when I had no idea what I was doing, and it’s been with me since then!
Flodesk
If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter The Summit, do it now!! I push out a semi-regular newsletter via Flodesk about what’s going on in my business and in my personal life, plus always a photo or two of my dog, Fern. Sometimes it’s sent out twice in a month, sometimes twice in a year, so do not fear high levels of emails hitting your inbox 😂
For 50% off your first year, use my affiliate link through the button below! ⬇️
Xero
Let’s be real: many creatives either hate or completely fear all things related to taxes. I FEEL YOU. It’s been a journey of trying to find the right software that’s easy to use but also can produce in-depth reporting for my accountant, and at an affordable price. Xero is exactly that!
When I tried to set up Xero in the beginning, it felt confusing and a little overwhelming (like any new software does). I decided it’d be worth it to hire a bookkeeper to get my account set up and reconciled for the current year, and it was SO easy. I found my bookkeeper on Upwork and she got me up to speed, showed me over a Zoom call how to use the software, and is available if I need more support.
I currently have the most basic subscription they offer, and for the first time in my life I feel confident about tracking my bookkeeping and expenses!
Zapier
If you’re into automating parts of your life that should already be automated, Zapier was 100% made for you. Basically it’s a site that allows you to connect apps/websites to each other that don’t normally communicate well. Some sites have integrations with other websites to make things easy, but Zapier basically lets you integrate any action between any two apps/websites. Cool, right?
I’ve connected many of the apps I’ve already listed through Zapier even though those apps don’t have a native integration between them. It’s seriously so helpful!
Some ways I use Zapier as an elopement photographer:
I get a text any time I receive a new inquiry or a client signs a contract so I don’t miss a thing
Every time I publish a post on my Instagram feed, the date, link, and text are added to a Notion database so I can reuse content or find a post quickly
Whenever a client inquires, all the information they have filled out in the contact form gets added to another Notion database so I can track booking statistics and trends
My favorite Zap: When a client signs their contract (where they have to enter their full address for tax purposes), Notion automatically creates a line on my To Do list that includes the couples’ names, their elopement date, and the full address so I remember to send a thank you card/welcome package. It sits at the top of my Notion so I see it immediately, and I simply check it off when I send it!
Google analytics
You’ve gotta keep track of your website visitors, babes! If you want in-depth information about what pages visitors use the most, what blog posts are read and for how long, and even how many active users are currently on your site, Google Analytics is the way to go.
You do have to install some code to your website platform, but most have a step-by-step guide on how to do it.
It’s so fun to see info such as what age range typically looks at my website, where people are finding my website, and even what time of day most people are browsing my site!
Apps for Editing and sharing photos:
Of course we’ve gotta go over what programs I use to manage and edit my photos! I now have an entire workflow that makes sense to me, keeps my backend time spent fairly low, and automates parts of the process for me. To be fair, that workflow has been tweaked, changed, and completely restarted countless times over the years and it’s an ongoing project!
Photo Mechanic
The first thing I do after backing up my photos to the cloud and two harddrives is open up Photo Mechanic and cull through every last image and give them all a rating for different things. For example, I’ll give every image I want to edit 1 star and every image I want to make into a GIF 2 stars. Plus I color code the many rounds of edits so I know where I left off!
There are a few apps out there that do this, and you could technically cull all photos in your editing software, but this app makes it SO fast - there’s no delay whatsoever when flipping through photos and that in itself saves me a ton of time.
Aftershoot
The staple and first step of my editing process: Aftershoot AI editing
AI editing software might not be what you think it is! It’s not some trained robot editing my photos to perfection based on trends or other photographers. You are required to upload thousands of your own photos to the software for Aftershoot to analyze and learn from, and it will apply similar settings to photos you bring into the app. And it changes over time as my editing changes!
To get 10% off your first year subscription, use my referral link below.
*Aftershoot also offers culling, I just haven’t used it yet!
Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop
The 🐐, for real. I remember being in high school and using Photoshop version CS3 on the school computers and wishing I had the program at home for my photos. I’ve stuck with Adobe since first using it in 2006 and still love everything it offers!
After a few years of booking clients and having a higher number of images to edit, I was shown Adobe Lightroom! This program makes it easy to apply edits to batches of photos that have similar lighting and subjects. In the last couple of years it’s paired really nicely with Photoshop and has even started to use AI for things like editing out distracting objects.
Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom work hand-in-hand and I use both for every single elopement and session!
JPEG Mini
Over the years I’ve needed to resize a ton of images in batches for various things: printing, submitting to publications, or even just making a web-size version of every image before photo hosting websites started doing it themselves.
That’s where JPEGmini comes in! It’s a super easy-to-use app that’s a one time purchase. Win-win.
Pic-Time
Photo hosting has come a long way in the last decade. I used to deliver all photos on a physical USB drive because there just wasn’t a streamlined way to send hundreds or thousands of photos to clients yet.
Enter Pic-Time! Now I’m able to upload tons of photos, organize them by different parts of the day, create slideshows and blog posts with the photos, and give my clients a super duper easy way to download and share their photos.
For your first month FREE, use the link below ⬇️
Planning tools I love:
Google my maps
My Maps is a great tool for showing clients multiple locations across the PNW so they can see an overview of where they might want to elope. It’s so easy to drop a pin on your secret locations, change the colors and icons, and share as an embedded map on sites like Notion.
CalTopo
Not only do I use this map constantly when planning trips for myself, I also use it to scout and research locations for couples! You can see maps from the National Forest Service, see park boundaries and where cell phone service will be, map out new trails, get more info about wildfires and planes flying over you, and so much more. It’s been a total game changer for me when researching new-to-me locations for elopements. So much info and data in one place!!
NW Wildflowers
Pretty self-explanatory: A map that’s constantly being updated in the spring to give you all kinds of information about wildflower blooms in the Pacific Northwest. You can see things like links to specific types of wildflowers and when to expect peak bloom!
https://nwwildflowers.com/map/
WSDOT
If you want real-time data about road closures and even live webcams of mountain passes, the Washington State Department of Transportation is going to be your new best friend. Not only can you see individual forest service roads, but also see what collisions have happened on interstates and things to watch out for!
https://wsdot.com/Travel/Real-time/Map/
USFS Map
This map has the nitty gritty details of individual forest service road closures and tons of ranger notes. Love it!
✨Photographer Mentoring✨
Hey photog’. Chances are that you feel unsure about parts of your photography business or you’re just looking for a way to elevate your business and client experience. We love a self-aware entrepreneur. Hell yeah🤘🏻
Consider mentoring!
Are you interested in learning more about how I do things? What my specific workflow looks like? How I use SEO to drive ideal couples to my website? Want to learn how to nail your first call with a client so they book you?
I’VE GOT YOU.
Photographer mentoring is a stellar way to get advice on just about anything - I’m an open book! Truly I love building community with other photographers, showing them how to offer an incredible experience for their clients, and making them feel confident in their services.
