4 Things I Could Not Live Without as a Photographer

Owning a business is hard. Like, really hard. On top of that, I’m a mom and that keeps me super busy. Between email, editing, shooting, carpooling, dinner, laundry, cleaning, walking the dog; sometimes I feel like my head is spinning. Even if you don’t own a business, finding tools that make life just a little bit easier is essential. Here are 4 things I could not live without.

Iphone. Not just for making phone calls, but it’s key for getting work done. Did you know that Instagram won’t let you write paragraphs? If I want to write something to go with an image, I pull up the Notes app on my phone and start writing. Then, I just copy and paste into IG. I also use apps like Evernote to schedule reminders. I will answer emails and catch up with social media while waiting in the pick up line at school. I also use my phone to take everyday shots of my own kids and behind the scenes pictures at sessions.

Dropbox. Another Instagram secret. I upload images from my desktop to Dropbox so that I can post to IG whenever I want even if I haven’t taken a picture with my cell phone. I also use Dropbox to share images with clients who have purchased digital files.

Sun Calculator App. Since I’m a natural light photographer, I’ve always got my eye on the sun. As the seasons change, I use an app to tell me when sunset is so that I can schedule sessions for about 2 hours before that. I simply plug in the date and it tells me the perfect time.

Gmail. Soooo crucial to keeping me organized. I make labels and color code everything. Before creating labels, I would lose emails all the time. Now, I just move things into specific folders like Booked Sessions, Pending Orders, Signed Contracts, etc.

What are some things you can live without?