This has been a hard time for many photographers, not being able to shoot or see clients. It’s been hard to feel like we can’t do anything for our businesses at this time, but I wanted to give you a list of 5 easy things to do for your photography business during quarantine. They may not be the most glamorous parts of the business, but hey-o! You’ve got some time on your hands so here were go!

5 Easy Things To Do For Your Photography Business

Declutter Your Hard-drives

I see so many photographers asking how to store images, how to store raws, how to back up images (you can see an old post all about this here), and so many more posts regarding images. Chances are you take many photos during a session, but what happens to those images after you deliver. Are you saving those RAWs for time and all eternity? Do you have a method for categorizing your images? Well now it the PERFECT time to start if you haven’t done it in the past.

My images are always backed up three time. You can see more about that in my other post I linked above, but the key is to have a method and stick to it! I always have one hard-drive per year (or more if i need it!) and break it into groups-weddings, engagement sessions, portraits, personal. You can do the same, or you can do something different. But then each client gets their own sub-folder. This is the easiest way for me to keep things straight and then if i ever have to go back to a session, I know right where to go!

Update Your Images On Your Website

I know I’ve said it once and i’ll say it again, I LOVE SHOWIT! Showit is where my website lives out it’s days and it’s a drag and drop custom design platform for your website. One of the things I love MOST about it, is that I can change out my images SO easily. I do it throughout the year, but if that’s not something you do, NOW IS THE TIME! With this down time, you have the ability to go through your current website, find images that don’t quite speak to your quality of work, or isn’t an accurate representation of your editing style. Update those babies! Your website is your first impression to clients, and you want to make a great one!

Go Through Old Blog Posts

This one might be a touchy one. I’m not saying go through old blog posts and delete them. I’m saying that most likely, you have posts on your blog that are evergreen posts. What I mean by that is that year by year, you could go back to that post and what you have on that post is still relevant to brides today. For instance, I have bridal education posts like why details matter on the wedding day, posts about planning your wedding and advice, and more just like that. I don’t always have the time to go to those posts and update the images on them, but this is the perfect to go through yours! Update your images with current images so you can re-share those posts and they look sharp as ever.

Dust of That Camera

Cleaning your camera and lenses can be a drag. I personally put it off as long as I can because I hate sending them in. You don’t have to send them in (at this point I don’t think you can), but even getting some lens wipes, and giving your lenses a good wipe down is always a great idea. Take off your lens filters (if you use them) and clean off the dirt on the inside. It’s in there, don’t worry. Clean off the makeup that’s caked onto your eye-piece. Wipe down the screen on the back. Take the time to disinfect it just like people are disinfecting their groceries right now. HA! Also, clean up your camera bag. I had garbage from snacks in mine that really needed to be cleaned out. 😛

Breathe. Take Some Photos.

Last but not least, breathe. We can do hard things. This time will end and we will all make it through this tougher and more resilient. It’s easy to worry about what is going to happen in the future. “Is my business going to make it?” “Am I going to have the money to cover my bills?” “Will I be able to get groceries this month?” This is a trying time for everyone, but it’s always good to take a step back, take some deep breathes, remember that this is temporary, and we will rise again from this.

Oh, and get out at that camera and take some photos. Take photos of your kiddos. Take photos of your dog, your kids toys. Work on lighting. Work on finding different light than you’re used to. Use this time to grow. Be daring, and try to do something outside the box. We’ve got this guys!