Image utilizes the Victorian Gothic Candle Sconces backdrop.
Make More, Work Less: Automate, Outsource, and Optimize
WITH RUSS TURNER
If you’ve been a photographer for more than five minutes, you’ve probably heard the advice.
“Just book more sessions."
”Well...yeah, that works.
It also means more editing, more emails, more paperwork, and more nights wondering why you’re still sitting in front of your computer when everyone else has gone to bed. At some point, it feels like you’re running two businesses. One is photography. The other is administrative services.
I’d rather spend my time behind the camera.
The nice thing is, you don’t have to choose betweenmaking more money and having a life outside yourbusiness. Booking more sessions isn’t the only wayto increase your earnings. A few small changes cansave hours every week. Use those hours to bookmore clients if you want. Or don’t. Go have dinner with your family instead. Nobody ever looked backand wished they’d answered one more email.
One Backdrop Multiple Uses
Backdrops that feature soft greys, warm taupes, muted florals or have a painterly quality are good flexible options to look for. A backdrop with these qualities acts as a canvas that can be quickly restyled to deliver multiple looks. A little visual texture goes a long way when you plan to reuse the same drop for multiple shoots.
Automate the Stuff You Hate
Think about everything that happens before andafter a shoot.
The inquiry comes in.
You answer questions.
You send a contract.
You collect a deposit.
You schedule the session.
You send reminders.
You deliver the gallery.
Most of that is the same process every single time. So why are you still doing it manually?
A CRM like 17hats can take care of a lot of it for you. Contracts, invoices, questionnaires,reminders, scheduling. Once it’s set up, it just works in the background while you’re outmaking photographs.
That’s really the point. Technology shouldn’t replace the personal side of your business. Itshould replace the repetitive stuff that doesn’t need your attention in the first place.
Image utilizes the Butterflies Live Painting backdrop.
Image utilizes the Victorian Gothic Candle Sconces backdrop.
Outsource the Things That Don’t Need You
Photographers are terrible at asking for help. Ask me how I know. Somewhere along the way we convince ourselves that we have to do everything.
Shoot.
Edit.
Answer emails.
Update the website.
Post to social media.
Keep the books.
Sweep the studio floor.
Your clients don’t care who exported the JPEGs. They care about the finished photographs.
If editing is eating up every evening, take a look at Evolve Edits. They work with photographers every day and can handle everything from basic corrections to complete gallery edits while keeping your style intact.
Backdrop: Victorian Gothic Candle Sconces
Editing isn’t the only thing you can hand off.
Virtual assistants have become a great option for photographers who are buried in the little jobs that somehow eat half the day. They can answer routine emails, schedule sessions, update your website, format blog posts, manage your calendar, and handle all those small administrative tasks that never seem important until they pile up. You don’t have to hire someone full-time, either. Even a few hours of help each week can make a huge difference.Here’s the question I keep coming back to.
What’s an hour of your time worth?
If spending $50 saves you three hours, that’s a pretty easy math problem. Especially if those three hours let you book another client...or just finish work before dinner.
Optimize Your Workflow
Sometimes the answer isn’t working harder. It’s working smarter.
If culling a session takes forever, Aftershoot can sort through the obvious duplicates, blinks, and missed shots before you ever start reviewing the gallery. Adobe just got into the culling game with the latest version of Lightroom. You now have the option of letting Lightroom do the heavy lifting with culling, identify missed shots and duplicates and organize the selections so you don’t have to.
When it’s time to edit, Evoto speeds up many of the repetitive portrait retouching tasks while still leaving the creative decisions where they belong: with you.
If consistency is your biggest challenge, Imagen learns your editing style and applies it across an entire gallery. You spend less time repeating the same adjustments and more time polishing the images that deserve your attention.
Notice the pattern?
None of these tools are replacing your creativity. They’re replacing repetitive clicks.
Image utilizes the Grunge Stonewalled backdrop.
Image utilizes the French Tromp Loiele backdrop.
What About Just Charging More?
I’m sure someone was waiting for this section.
“Just raise your prices.”
Honestly, that’s good advice.
If you’re consistently booked and your market supports it, raising your prices is one of the fastest ways to increase your income.
But it’s not the only way.
Saving five hours every week has value, too.
Maybe you use that time to book another session. Maybe you finally have time to update your portfolio.
Maybe you spend a Saturday with your family instead of catching up on editing. Those are all wins. The nice thing is that none of these ideas compete with raising your prices. They support it. A smoother workflow creates a better client experience, reduces stress, and gives you more confidence when it’s time to charge what you’re worth.
Final Thoughts
When you finish reading this, grab a notebook. Think about your last client, from the first inquiry to the final gallery. Write down every step.
Now ask yourself three questions.
Can I automate it?
Can I outsource it?
Can I optimize it?
Start with one thing. That’s it. Don’t rebuild your business this weekend. Just make one improvement. Then another a few weeks later. Before long, you’ll spend less time managing your photography business and more time actually being a photographer. That’s the whole point.
Image utilizes the Greco Wall 3 Landscape backdrop.
Russ Turner is an alternative portrait and live event photographer based in Metro Detroit, specializing in alternative, steampunk, and fantasy-inspired imagery. Known for blending dramatic atmosphere with thoughtful lighting and strong visual storytelling, Russ approaches each shoot as a collaborative creative process. Whether crafting imaginative studio scenes or capturing the energy of live events, his work emphasizes authenticity, texture, and mood. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for world-building through photography, Russ creates images that feel immersive, intentional, and uniquely expressive.
Learn more about Russ Turner on Instagram, Facebook, and his website.