I feel like it’s super common for photographers to run their businesses part time until they’re ready to take the leap into full time. This was definitely my story, especially since I don’t have a partner bringing in another income! Before I quit my 9-5 job, I learned (the hard way) how to avoid burnout as a photographer. 

It can be STRESSFUL working a fulltime job and then running a business on the side. Cuz let’s be real, even though it’s part-time, entrepreneurship is really a fulltime job.

These are allllll my top tips on avoiding burnout as a photographer, whether your business is part time or full time! Keep reading for tools on organizing your photography business, free instagram tools, and setting boundaries as an entrepreneur!

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Organizing Your Photography Business  

While juggling two jobs, staying organized helps so much. Even if you’re just starting your photography business, I recommend setting up all these tools as soon as possible! It’s better to be organized in the beginning instead of scrambling in a few months once you’re all booked up.

Honeybook is my number one photography tool for organizing contracts, invoices, client communication, and more. I use it for automated, streamlined workflows which has been a total game changer in saving time!

If you wanna try it out for yourself, here’s 50% off Honeybook for a whole year! 🙂

The next tool I love for organizing my photography business is Pic-Time! This program is pretty much the photography industry standard for delivering galleries. It’s easy for downloading high resolution photos and sharing the gallery with anyone they want. Clients can also purchase prints directly from their unique gallery link!

These two programs help me efficiently manage my business. That means less stress and more time connecting with my clients! 

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Marketing Tools

When it comes to marketing your photography business, there are two things that tend to come first: making an Instagram account and building a website!!

Instagram is a great way to network with other vendors and find new clients to shoot with. It’s free, it’s easy, and everyone who breathes is on that app. Here are a couple of my favorite free tools for marketing myself on Instagram!

Instagram for Photographers

LinkTree is good for hosting multiple links in your Instagram bio. I love this for sharing the link to my website, link to my blog, or the link to book a call with me! It makes things so much easier for clients, and when it comes to marketing, the simpler the better!

I use Later for planning my Instagram feed and making it aesthetic! I think this always helps photographers show their unique editing styles. When someone visits your page, they’re going to look at your feed to decide if they want to tap that follow button. Put your best work forward to bring in your ideal clients!

SCRL is an app that helps you make collages for a carousel post. Carousels tend to perform higher on Instagram plus it’s an opportunity to share even more pics in one post!

Building Your Photography Website

I’m sure I don’t need to convince you how important it is to have a website for your photography business! This is a one stop spot for your potential clients to see everything you can do for them. At the minimum, I suggest including an About page, Contact page, Portfolio, Blog, and Services page. 

I’ve noticed that the two most common website hosts for photographers are ShowIt on WordPress or Squarespace.

They’re both great options (I personally use ShowIt) but Squarespace does seem to be a bit easier to navigate during the building process! ShowIt is much more in-depth, but has more options for personalization.

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My Biggest Photography Business Tip: Set Boundaries!

Before I was a full time photographer I would dedicate Wednesday evenings, Friday evenings, and Saturday all day to photography. Since I worked a consistent 9-5 job, that’s what worked best for me.

Sometimes it was overwhelming, but I knew that if I took photos Wednesday and Friday evening, I would have all day Saturday to edit and do admin work. 

It’s super important to leave time for doing admin work. That’s a boundary you have to stick to if you wanna grow your business! You’ll spend a few hours a week sending out proposals, answering emails, answering DMs, etc! Make sure you’re leaving time to connect with your clients and network with other wedding vendors. My favorite place to do this is Insta. (Shameless plug: do you follow me already??)

I suggest only booking a certain amount of sessions a week. Know your limit and don’t budge on that! This will help you deliver galleries on time too.

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Outsourcing

Let’s face it: we are not superhuman. We can’t do it all ourselves! It really does take a village to grow a photography business so I always suggest you consider outsourcing. Utilize your resources and find someone who’s a pro at the things you don’t love, or aren’t good at.

You can outsource your copywriting, blog management, social media management, bookkeeping, website design, and so much more! If you ever need a reference or help finding someone to take the load off, feel free to ask me for recommendations. I’d love to help you out!

How to Start a Photography Business

I offer three different mentorship packages if you want more tips on photography burnout, organization, or growing your photography business. Check out my package options on my Education tab or shoot me an email! Let’s hop on a call to see if we’re a good fit to work together.