For a long while now (for years, in fact) I’ve wanted to start dedicating some of my blog posts to sharing answers to frequently asked questions that we get from photographers and business owners.  Should you have a specific question related to any photography, business or life topic (workflow, balance, organization, creative, technical, client experience, branding, etc.), please feel free to leave a comment below or email us at us {@} cheyenneschultzphotography.com.  When time allows, we will be pulling a question from the pool and sharing a few of our thoughts on the topic.

To kick things off, I’m sharing three things I’ve found to be really helpful in accomplishing common photography tasks at a much quicker pace.  If you are anything like me, you feel stretched to accomplish all that you need to on any given day.  A lot of the time, it feels like one step forward; two steps back when my to-do list is concerned.  The tips below are not rocket science.  In fact, I’m hoping that most of y’all are already doing these things and it was just me who was late to the game.

 

1.  Utilize email drafts

I’m no different than anyone else running their own business: the emails….they never stop.  I never really feel on top of my email.  And if I’m being really honest, I don’t know the last time my inbox hit the zero mark. Utilizing drafts is one way to help you get through your email load quicker. I have email draft responses saved for:

+ Prospective client inquiries that we are available for a wedding date

+ Inquiries that we are unavailable for a date

+ Links to other photographers to refer when we are already booked

+ Responding to common client FAQ’s (such as, “can I replace the engagement session included in your base package with another product?”)

+ Request for wedding day timeline information

+ Announcement to vendors when a wedding day blog post is up

+ Request for additional information when not provided by an initial inquiry

Taking the time out of your day to repeatedly type out the same response to emails that you receive all of the time…well that’s just silly.  And that’s what I was doing…for years.  Think of all of the time I would get back had I taken an hour to write and save drafts of these common responses!  Now, it’s just a quick copy, paste and a few words to customize the response to the individual email.

 

2.  Photomechanic

Guys. Purchasing this program and implementing it into my workflow was a game changer for my culling process.  Prior to Photomechanic, I was culling my images in Lightroom.  It wasn’t cutting it from a speed standpoint.  While I would be excited to get my eyes on the images I had captured from a shoot or wedding, the dread of how long it would take to cull through them overshadowed that excitement.  Enter Photomechanic.  With the use of two buttons (the + and – ), I can now get through my RAW images in no time at all.  I actually now look forward to culling.

Check it out on their 30 day trial offer. Definitely give it a shot to see how much time you will get back.  It runs for $150 and is worth every penny.

 

3.  USPS mail pickup

Why haven’t I been doing this all along?  Up until this season, I would package up my client/vendor mailings, drive them to the post office and wait in line to send them off.  What a darn waste of my limited time.  USPS has an online service that allows you to prepare your shipments from home and arrange for them to be picked up from your front porch.  Genius.  You’ll just need to purchase a scale to weigh your items.  I have this kitchen scale that works fine, but you might look into this one that is made for shipping.

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Thanks for tuning in, y’all.  I look forward to many more “Ask Us” posts. 🙂