Dear First name / Friend,
How are you? Did you have a nice summer?
I'm in the middle of a couple of hectic work weeks working for a couple of major equine brands. After this, things should slow down, right? Haha - no! Whenever September rolls around, I feel a mild sense of panic that good weather and foliage for photography are quickly fading away. I also look at my schedule, packed with shoots until the leaves fall, and wonder how on earth I will get it all done! But instead of just freaking out, there are some things we can do to prepare for the busiest part of our photography season and roll into the holidays with our sanity intact. |
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3 Ways to Prepare for Busy Season |
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1. Limit How Many Sessions You Will Book |
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It's tempting to say "yes" to every inquiry that lands in your inbox or DMs, but doing that is the fastest way to burn out. One way to keep from overbooking is to set specific dates you are open for photography or set a limit for the number of sessions you will book each week. The extra benefit of this is that you will have dates available for rescheduling in the event of bad weather. Bonus tip: If you are overbooking, it's a good idea to look at your pricing. Whenever my schedule fills up, it signals to me that it's time to raise my prices. |
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I rarely work on Sundays. It's the one day a week I set aside for myself, so I can enjoy my horses and have proper downtime (hello, Sunday afternoon nap!) This makes me feel refreshed and ready to hit the ground running on Monday. It doesn't have to be Sunday for you; when I was primarily a wedding photographer, I took Mondays off. Bonus tip: Take the day off from social media as well. Give yourself a chance to quiet your mind from all the mental noise. |
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3. Speed up Your Workflow |
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One way to balance a heavy workload is to have an efficient workflow. Take a look at your workflow and see if there are steps that could be shortened or tightened up. Your workflow should also include a solid backup step, so you don't accidentally lose files when you get busy. My workflow is based on batching for maximum efficiency. Here's the Reader's Digest version: - Prepare for the Session (charge batteries, format cards, test gear)
- Create (the best part!)
- Download to an external drive
- Back-Up to separate external drive
- Cull using Photo Mechanic (faster than Lightroom)
- Import just the images I plan to edit
- Edit in Lightroom
- Export to JPEG
- Light Retouching in Photoshop
- Rename
- Upload to a Gallery
Bonus tip: If you want to learn my workflow in-depth, you can purchase my Rapid Workflow for Photographers course for just $79! I promise it will more than pay for itself in time AND money saved! |
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What I'm Reading and Listening Toā¦ |
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What Iām Reading I havenāt finished āBuilding a Second Brainā yet, but Iām sharing it now because I feel like itās going to be a game-changer for my business and could be for yours too! Have you ever felt a great idea slip through your fingers because you didnāt write it down? This book is about capturing, organizing, and using the creative thoughts that come to your mind throughout the day. What Iām Listening To |
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4 Equine Photographer Marketing Strategies |
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Iāve gotten excellent feedback from those who have listened to this episode, saying they found it very beneficial, so check it out! |
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Each fall, the Hair of the Dog Academy hosts a LIVE virtual 3-day event to help pet photographers improve their craft and grow their business. They will have 16 speakers teaching over the 3 days. The price for all this is an unbelievable $17, 100% goes to the Hair of the Dog Conservation Fund. Because their primary audience is pet photographers, I will be teaching on September 15th at 12:30pm on Equestrian Photography basics. Topics include Safety, Tools of the Trade, Camera Settings, Session Preparation, Posing, and more. |
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New! Mentoring Monday Carousel Posts |
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Iāve been sharing #SPPMentoringMonday posts for a few months now, and Iām excited to elevate them by creating shareable/bookmarkable carousels with some of my best tips and ideas. This week, I shared 3 ways to stand out from the herd!ā If you havenāt seen it yet, you can read the post on Instagram. Make sure you follow me, so you donāt miss future Mentoring Monday posts! |
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I sincerely hope you are enjoying the Pegasus Journal. If you know of another photographer you think might benefit from these emails, would you consider sharing it email with them? Thank you! And, as always, if there's anything I can do to help you grow as a photographer, please reach out by hitting reply to this email. š |
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Until next timeā¦ Warmly, |
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