Photographer's Delight | A Photographer's Arsenal (Beyond the Camera!)

It's been a little quiet around these parts, but you can guarantee if it's a little cricket-y then something is probably happening over at Persuasion Boudoir. It's been a busy, busy month over there!

So I figured it was due time for another Photographer's Delight post!

Amidst the busy month, I've gotten emails about things I use to help my business run smoothly and effectively. There are a lot of programs I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE and am happy to share what works for me!

STUDIO MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
Pixifi

This came along when I most needed it. I tried StudioCloud before and it kind of drove me crazy with all of the frequent and unnecessary updates and provided mediocre invoicing.

Pixifi is web-based for one, and that was an important feature to me! It has a great lead/inquiry form setup, invoices are smoother, my clients have their own private portals to access live information (and make payments!), and the workshop functionality alone is worth it! I use it for my boudoir marathons, Orchestrated shoot registration, and for my workshops. It even has a Taxes and Expenses function which I will be implementing in 2012 from the current software I'm using. If you'd like to play around with it, I have a special code for a 30-day free trial. Just email me. :)


EDITING SOFTWARE
Lightroom 3

Yep, it's all I use. I LOVE it. I create my own presets and do what I need to do! It's a great way to learn how to edit photos because of the visual aspect of changing elements. 'Nuff said.

DESIGN SOFTWARE
Photoshop CS5

I know. It's funny that I don't use Photoshop for photo editing... but I use it to create my ads, marketing tools, mini-albums, and all that fun photographer business stuff. It's a vital tool in this arsenal!

BLOGGING SOFTWARE
BlogStomp

I can't even begin to tell you how this transformed my entire workflow. I can watermark images in less than 5 seconds. I can watermark an entire wedding in less than 5 minutes. It's unbelievable! MUST HAVE for anyone posting photographs on the web!



WEBSITE SOFTWARE
Showit

I started off on a very tight template site, and when I found Showit, huge doors opened. The website finally felt like ME. No coding necessary. And I could just move things around and put them wherever I wanted. No more tables and HTML jargon!! WOO HOO!

There was a learning curve with it as it took me weeks to figure it out. Thankfully, I'm stubborn. lol I figured it out and things haven't been the same since! Best website program out there (though I understand it may not be for everyone). The Orchestrated website is also built on the same platform.


ALBUM PROOFING SOFTWARE
SWAT: Simple Wedding Album Tool

This is a recent addition to the arsenal. I found out about SWAT (a designing tool created by KISS Books) during Showit's PASS Premier in DC back in June... and I love it! I do purchase my wedding albums through KISS, and while it makes it easier, it's not why I love it. It has the options for client interaction ON the album proof. No more email attachments and trying to figure out "How do I switch out that image in the lower right corner but above that B&W one?"

Each spread has a comment box. Client fills it out. It gets sent to you. VOILA! Instant awesomeness and has made albums a lot less stressful. :)


IMAGE DELIVERY SOFTWARE
Dropbox

If I need to send a few files to clients or vendors, Dropbox is where it's at. SO easy. It's on my desktop; I plop a few files into it... and SHAZAM! I can access it on any computer. My album designer and I use it to exchange files, too. It just makes everything easier.

Hope this helps! May your businesses thrive and get organized and efficient!
- Chelsea :)

2 comments :

  1. Wow, I just have to say, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! Thank you for being selfless in sharing things that you have, no doubt, took a lot of time learning the good old fashion way (trial and error). As a newbie in the photography world, I find a lot people are not too inclined to share their method of madness, espeically when they live nearby. What a shame! Photography is an art, and it's bummer that we don't spend more time inspiring and helping others, rather than hiding. As Audrey Hepburn said "you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and one for helping others", or something to that effect. I applaud you for your awesomeness. :) Keep up the amazing work, and the fabulous photos!

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  2. So glad it's been helpful, Shabauna! :) Best wishes to you and your business!

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