When I quit my corporate advertising job to start my photography business, I had NO idea what building and running a photography biz would look like.

I went from working in an agency with 200+ people to being a one women show …. and let me tell you, it was TOTALLY overwhelming.

I was trying to learn to brand and market my business, get clients, learn how to pose people, manage my business finances, create systems and processes …. and so much more.

I quickly learned that just because I was going at it alone from my little apartment building office that I could and needed to lean on other tools / apps / programs.

Here are 13 of my favorites that I use in my business every single week.

+ Tave

What it is : the BEST client management + invoicing software

Why you will want to use it : Tave can become your assistant! This system does EVER-THING and you customize it completely.

Why I love it : I use it to automate client emails, send invoices, track my P+L and create workflows. Tave acts like a VA for me, and I would be LOST without it. It is worth every. single. penny.

Get hooked up : Get a FREE 60 day trial when you use this link to try ’em out

+ Smartslides

What it is : a photo slideshow website

Why you will want to use it : It makes creating a slideshow SO freakin’ easy. They have a ton of pre-licensed music tracks so you can just grab your favorite song, upload your photos and hit publish.

Why I love it : My clients LOVE that they can download the slideshow and share it on social media (which is FREE advertising for me). And I love it because it creates an experience for my clients so that when they view their photos for the first time, it is the best of the best images curated to tell a story.

+ Photographer’s Edit

 

What it is : customized editing company that edits all of my sessions and weddings

Why you will want to use it : You will no longer have to spend hours of your life behind the computer editing.

Why I love it : I love that my editing team takes care of the heavy lifting, so I can spend time working on my business instead of in it.

Get hooked up : Want to try them out? Use the promo code BrittBekas when you sign up, and you will get 50% off your first order!

+ Planoly

What it is : Instagram planning application

Why you will want to use it : To curate the most gorgeous IG feed

Why I love it : I use Planoly to plan my Instagram feed a week in advance including pre-writing all the content for each photo and determining the best hashtags for each post. My favorite feature is that I can copy my hashtag lists right into my post from a stored hashtag list.

+ WordPress

What it is : blogging website I have used since 2011

Why you will want to use it : To create and publish content outside of what is on your website

Why I love it : WordPress is my go-to blogging platform, and I continue to love it because of the plug-ins, easy to use design and more.

+ Pixieset

What it is : gallery hosting website for all my photography clients

Why you will want to use it : Beautiful, modern galleries where your clients can their download hi-res files order AND order prints from professional labs

Why I love it : I have used Pixieset since 2014, and I adore the ease of the website for both myself and my clients. And the online print ordering has streamlined the process of my clients ordering prints since they can select, order and ship them through the website — all while I sit back and let my lab take over.

Get hooked up : Score some extra storage space in your account when you use this link

+ Fundy

What it is : desktop album design software that allows you to create albums in minutes that are compatible with all the major professional labs

Why you will want to use it : You can design an album in less than 15 minutes so you can get back to everything else on your list.

Why I love it : I can drag and drop the images I want on a spread, and Fundy will pre-populate different design options based on the number of photos / size. It makes designing an album so freakin’ simple and when my clients have changes, it is easy to tweak the spreads and design different options for them. 

+ Blogstomp

What it is : blogging software that allows you to create beautiful photo collages and easily resize your hi-res photos for the web

Why you will want to use it : You won’t have to export your photos twice so they are sized for web.

Why I love it : I use Blogstomp when I want to have two vertical photos side-by-side on my blog without having to use Photoshop.

+ Photomechanic

What it is : photo culling software

Why you will want to use it : You will no longer have to wait for Lightroom to load all your RAW files.

Why I love it : This was a TOTAL game changer for me. I can now cull a session in less than 10 minutes and a wedding in less than 30 minutes.

+ Acuity

What it is : a calendar scheduling website

Why you will want to use it : You will no longer have to send 5 emails back and forth with clients / vendors / potential clients to get a meeting scheduled. Just send them this link, and they can select the time that works best for them based on your calendar availability. 

Why I love it : Each month, I log in and block off any days off. Then I simply keep my google calendar updated. It syncs with my calendars, so my clients always have my exact availability to schedule a meeting with me. I can even set up questionnaires within the website so I know exactly who will be joining us and whether they prefer to meet in person at my studio, via Facetime / Skype or on the phone.

+ G Suite

What it is : a set of cloud computing, productivity and collaboration tools, software and products developed by Google

Why you will want to use it : You will look extra professional when your emails, calendar invites, and Google documents come from your business email and not a random @gmail.com email address

Why I love it : I can keep all my business documents in one place in Google and when I am sharing timelines / photo request lists / etc, it all comes from my business account. Plus, I love the extra storage space on Google Drive so that I can host all my important documents in the cloud and access them on-the-go.

Get hooked up : save 20% off your G Suite subscription for the first year

+ Tailwind

What it is : an epic scheduling and analytics tool for Pinterest

Why you will want to use it : So your content and portfolio is always be updated and shared on Pinterest without having to pin these images every single day at random times of the day.

Why I love it : I batch all my Pinterest content and pins each week. Tailwind automatically finds the best time to pin the content to my assigned boards for me for when it will get the best engagement. I can track all my pin analytics (including which pins are doing the best), and I even set up reoccurring pins so that Tailwind re-pins my best stuff over and over without doing a thing except for setting it up once. Yes! Total game changer and the number one reason my clients are emailing me saying they found me on Pinterest.

Get hooked up : *snag $15 off when you sign up with this link for Tailwind*

Looking for even more FREE resources to take your photography business to the next level? Check out more of my best tips + advice.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item / subscription, I will receive an affiliate commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you which helps me continue to publish amazing content for free for you. All opinions remain my own.