Tools I Can’t Live Without after 10 Years of Running My Photography Business
After 10 years of photographing families, I’ve learned that the right tools can be the difference between loving your business and drowning in admin work. Here are the ones that actually keep my business running smoothly while I focus on what I love – capturing those genuine family moments.
Quick heads up: some of these are affiliate links, but I’m sharing them because they legitimately save me time and stress. If they help you too, we both win!
Small Business Banking & Bookkeeping: Found
What I needed: Something simpler than QuickBooks (which felt like overkill for my solo business) without the $30/month fees. Traditional business banking wasn’t much better – clunky interfaces and fees that made my accountant cringe.
Why Found Works: It’s built for small business owners, and you can actually tell. The free version handles everything I need, including automatic expense categorization that saves me hours during tax season. But here’s my favorite feature – the bucket system. I have Found automatically split incoming payments into different “buckets” – monthly expenses, taxes, my pay, and overflow. No more scrambling to figure out what I can actually spend versus what needs to stay in the business account.
Photo Sharing & Print Store: Pass Platinum
What I needed: Client galleries that look professional and make ordering prints easy. Plus, print sales are a significant part of my revenue.
Why Pass Works: The galleries look beautiful and match my brand perfectly. But what really sold me was the integrated print store. Instead of sending clients somewhere else to order prints, they can do everything right from their gallery. The profit margins are solid, the quality is consistently great, and the whole process feels seamless and professional. I’ve had clients tell me that ordering prints was actually enjoyable, which says a lot.
Bookings: Session
What I needed: A way to stop the endless back-and-forth emails about availability and reduce no-shows and last-minute cancellations.
Why Session Works: Clients can see my actual availability and book themselves. No more “Are you free Thursday? What about Friday morning? How about next week?” It syncs with my calendar, so no double-bookings. The automated emails handle all the pre-session communication, and requiring payment at booking has virtually eliminated no-shows. When someone puts money down, they show up.
Culling, Editing & Retouching: Imagen + Lightroom Classic + Evoto
What I needed: A faster way to handle editing without sacrificing consistency. Culling hundreds of images per session and maintaining my editing style across thousands of photos was taking over my life.
My Workflow:
- Imagen handles culling and base editing. I’ve trained it on thousands of my edited photos, so it understands at a basic level why I make the choices I do. What used to take hours now happens in minutes.
- Lightroom is where I do the rest of my editing and keep everything organized. It’s still the backbone of my workflow for fine-tuning and managing my catalog.
- Evoto comes in for retouching – removing distracting elements, smoothing skin, fixing those inevitable wardrobe malfunctions that happen with kids.
This three-tool system has given me my evenings back while keeping my editing consistent across thousands of images.
Social Media: Buffer
What I needed: A way to post consistently without having to be on social media everyday. I was either posting sporadically or scrambling to find something to share at 9pm.
Why Buffer Works: I can batch-create content early in the week and schedule everything out, including stories. I can go on vacation and have everything keep running. The analytics show me when my audience is actually online, so I’m not posting into the void. Being able to post to Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest from one place saves me from logging into three different apps every day.
Design: Canva
What I needed: A way to create professional marketing materials quickly and simply.
Why Canva Works: The templates actually look professional, and I can customize them with my brand colors and fonts. Whether I need social media graphics, client guides, or promotional materials, Canva lets me create quickly and efficiently.
The Real Talk
Yes, these tools cost money. In the early years, every monthly subscription felt like a big deal. But here’s what I’ve learned – the right tools pay for themselves by giving you time back. Time to shoot more, edit faster, or actually have a life outside your business.
From behind the camera, I’ve watched so many photographers burn out trying to manage everything manually. I’ve had my fair share of burnout moments. But these tools? They’re what let me focus on doing what I love instead of drowning in the business side of things.
If you’re spending hours on tasks that could be automated, or if client communication feels chaotic, maybe it’s time to invest in some systems that actually work. Your future self (and your family) will thank you.