Managing Your Time as a Photographer
When learning how to run a photography business, one of the many things you will need to figure out is how much time is poured into a photo shoot for a client. While you will spend a good amount of time actually shooting photos, there is a lot of time that goes into behind the scenes work. Figuring out where your time is going will help you to manage your time well and plan adequately. Here is a breakdown list of things a project for a client will include.
Correspondence to Clients
Calling or emailing back and forth between clients is one of the initial ways in which you will be investing time towards a photo shoot. This time is where you will be setting a date, time, and location for shooting. You also should use this time to figure out what your client’s expectations are. Having an understanding of your client’s needs before going into a photo shoot will help you to reach their needs effectively.
Session
The most obvious way in which you will be spending time is in your actual photo shoot session. This will include driving time and setting up/cleaning up the photo shoot. In order to use this time well, plan ahead to figure out where you will be shooting and what kind of shots you want as an end result. Having a clear picture in mind will help the shoot to progress smoothly and ensure a stress free time for your client.
Post Processing Your Photos
Editing can be a very time consuming process for some photographers. Remember to factor this in when you are figuring out how many hours to work on a photo shoot for a client. This will differ from photographer to photographer depending on how heavily you process your images.
Sending Clients the Final Products
Communicate with your client how you will be giving them the finished images. If you offer prints, make sure your clients are informed how long the prints will take to develop and give them a time frame for when they should receive the prints. Even if you are only sending them a digital copy of the images, let them know approximately when they will receive the digital copies. This can vary depending on how much you decide to edit.
Posting to Social Media
Make sure you take the time to market and brand your business through social media. Posting pictures from a recent photo shoot on Facebook is a great way to get your images out there. Tagging your clients in their photos is another way to publicize to their groups of friends.
Watching and monitoring your time as a photographer is a necessary thing, especially if you are juggling several different shoots in an allotted time. This post outlined a basic list of ways in which you will be spending time for a client. There are also many other things to consider that are crucial to running a business. Managing finances, organizing and backing up images, marketing, and many other things will all play important roles in your photography business. As you keep track of your time you will be able to plan your photo shoots successfully and manage your time effectively.
