You started a photography business because you love photography and all of the sudden photography has the least to do with your business! The overwhelm of running a business is hard enough, however in the beginning most of us are probably also working another job and managing children and a household! It is a lot. Here are some of my top time saving tips to help you reduce that feeling of overwhelm and get you back to doing what you love, taking pictures!

1. Create email templates!!

   If you are still writing every single email from scratch you are wasting precious time. Take some time to figure out what emails you are writing over and over again. These will be inquiry responses, session reminders, gallery delivery emails, etc. Now open up a document on google drive or even using notes on your computer and craft a well written email that can be used universally in all of those scenarios. Now when someone inquires you can simply copy and paste that email, make minor tweaks like personalizations or answering any questions, and hit send. This will take you one minute instead of 5 or ten. HUGE game changer. If you are a higher volume photographer you may be ready for a studio management software. I use honeybook to automate all my emails, however you dont’ need that in the beginning. You can simply make your own templates and copy and paste.

2. Create a batch work schedule for yourself.

   Being a photographer is the best job in the world, however it is still a job so treat it as such. Batch working was a huge game changer for me and it will be for you as well. What it means is that you dedicate certain days of the week to certain tasks and you don’t move on to any other tasks until the designated focus is done. For example, on Mondays I edit. On Tuesdays I schedule social media content. On Wednesdays I schedule website and blog content.

   There is no reason why you should be ping ponging all over the place. Turn your phone on silent and get some work done. “Not enough time” is the oldest excuse in the book. Batch working is the perfect way to keep yourself accountable.

3. Create an efficient editing system or consider outsourcing your editing.

   Editing is probably one of the biggest time sucks of being a photographer. It is normal for it to take time to improve your editing skills but while you are on that journey you must prioritize time saving techniques. You will never be profitable if you are spending hours upon hours on each session. If you are finding yourself “correcting” a lot of in camera mistakes like exposure, focus, or composition, take the time you need to improve on those skills. It may be a lighting issue. Learn how to batch or sync edit so that you can edit many images at once. Trust me, your client isn’t zooming in and checking to see if everyone’s eyes are tack sharp or if you removed that stray hair from their face. Spot editing is usually a waste of time.

   If you are getting to a place where you have two or more weeks of photoshoots backlogged for editing it is time to consider outsourcing. I have been outsourcing my editing for five years and I will never turn back. I use Image Salon for all my editing.

4. Utilize a scheduling tool for all social media content and schedule your blog posts.

   Posting in real time on social media and your blog is the biggest waste of time ever! It makes it harder to stay consistent and it also makes it harder to craft a marketing strategy! Remember I was talking about batch working up there? Take one day a week to schedule all of your social content then another day to schedule blog content. If you don’t market your business, meaning simply sharing about your business, then you won’t have a business. Prioritize scheduling. Now. I use later.com.

5. Get the household help you deserve and take your business seriously.

   Listen up, no man would say “I am going to work during nap time and that is it.” You started this business because it means something to you. So take it seriously. Ask your household partner to take over the household and childcare duties on certain days for a number of hours so you can actually get work done. It may be time to pay a babysitter or get a housekeeper come a few times a month to help with the load at home.

   If you have a full time job while also running a business, set aside a few focused hours a few times a week to dedicate to your photography business. Don’t let time be an excuse. You got this!