Free Photography and Business Resource Guide
/Ever wonder how I stay organized as a business owner? I sometimes wonder the same thing. Luckily, the internet does a lot of the behind the scenes for us now. I’m honestly not sure how people ran businesses by themselves pre-internet. Here are the photography and business resources that keep my business streamlined plus discount codes to get started yourself.
free instagram story highlight cover template
This is the same Canva template I created and use for my own IG story highlight covers. Includes instructions.
FREE IG STORY HIGHLIGHT COVER TEMPLATE
style & select
This is the online styling service I send to every client before their photography session. They have access to this personalized styling tool to coordinate outfits for their entire family from the comfort of their couch.
Photographers can use code RACHELLE10 for 10% off their membership.
pic-time
This is what I currently use to deliver my clients’ online galleries. I recently switched to Pic-Time from Pixieset and I like it so much better. With Pic-Time, clients have more print options (photo albums, USBs, photo boxes, calendars, framed photos, etc), you can upload GIFs to client galleries, add a song that plays when clients view their gallery as a slideshow, better sales stats. You can also create automated sales campaigns and Pic-Time does all the work for you by emailing your clients, it’s incredible. A repeat client recently told me they liked it better when they viewed their gallery in Pic-Time vs Pixieset.
You'll get one month free if you use code PL7BWP when you sign up with Pic-Time.
camera gear & fave amazon business purchases
Check out my camera gear in the link below. Aside from the camera bodies and lenses, I also link every random accessory and piece of equipment I use to run this photography business. You’ll find everything from baby shushers for newborn sessions, the tool I use to calibrate my lenses, favorite camera gear backpack, the fanny pack I use at every outdoor session, and some of my favorite business books. Full disclosure, if you purchase any of the items from this link, I’ll get a small commission. By doing this, you’re helping to support a small business owner, rather than Amazon getting all of the profits. I so appreciate your support.
quickbooks
Quickbooks Self-Employed is what I use to get all of my business taxes and expenses in order. You can link your credit cards so tracking expenses is unbelievably easy, I don’t have to deal with the hassle of receipts. Also if you download the app, it will track your mileage if you allow the app to run in the background. The amount of time it saves for logging miles is worth the cost alone. Quickbooks also links to Honeybook making invoices and finance stats seamless and connected. I still have a CPA for checks and balances, and Quickbooks allows you to send your information to your CPA so they can review it for tax purposes.
Get 50% off Quickbooks Self-Employed by signing up through the link below:
honeybook
Honeybook is a CRM I’ve been using to help book clients more efficiently and stay organized. I’d be lost without it. It houses all of my brochures, proposals, emails and contracts as templates, making booking so simple. You can automate workflows for next level streamlining. I truly believe you need a CRM like Honeybook in order to scale your photography business.
Use code “RACHELLE” or the link below for 50% off your first year:
etsy
Looking to sell your photography presets or digital templates online? Etsy is a convenient place to start. I sell invitation templates, presets, Cricut designs, and other printables and digital downloads.
You'll get 40 free listings by signing up for an Etsy shop through this link below:
canva
The easiest way to create digital elements online. Sometimes I still use Photoshop for certain designs, but when I want quick, easy, and on-brand, Canva is where I go.
You'll earn a free credit that can be used towards a premium element by signing up through this link below:
convertkit
I haven’t tried all of the email marketing platforms out there, but I have tried MailChimp, Flodesk, and ConvertKitl. Out of those three, ConverKit offers the best automation. If you want a set-it-and-forget-it email marketing plan, ConverKit is where it’s at.
Your first 1,000 subscribers will be free by signing up for ConvertKit through the link below:
vistaprint
I use Vistaprint to print all of my business cards. For reference, I typically order 250 cards at a time in premium matte finish.
creative market
Creative Market offers fonts, graphics, themes, photos, and templates. It’s an online marketplace for community-generated design assets. I’ve curated a collection of templates that photographers and other small businesses may find useful. These range from fonts to pricing guides to Squarespace templates. Check it out in the link below:
wandering weddings
Wandering Weddings is a place for adventurous couples to find elopement resources and wedding vendors. As a photographer, I pay for the membership to advertise my business and appear in the search results for Michigan Elopement Photographers. It also helps with SEO since they backlink to your website.
Receive 10% off your Wandering Weddings membership using the link below:
WANDERING WEDDINGS REFERRAL LINK
how to make a gif
An animated GIF is a file which contains a number of images or frames. The images or frames are in a specific order, which conveys the animation. I love incorporating GIFs into my shooting because of the storytelling element they deliver. Check out this free resource I created for you to learn how to create your first GIF in Photoshop:
email signature generator
A bomb email signature tells everyone you mean business. I’ve tried 3 other email signature generators and always found something was lacking. Check out this free email signature generator from Honeybook that’s been my favorite so far:
