ShootDotEdit

Partner Interview: Zenfolio

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Our next partner spotlight shines on Zenfolio, an all-in-one solution for photographers to display, share, and sell their work online. We spoke with Brittany Nelson, a valued member of the Zenfolio team, to learn more about the company.

How did Zenfolio begin?

“Our about page says it best: [Zenfolio] began in the cradle of so many great ideas: a coffee shop. Four friends with a passion for photography, a shared background in technology, and complementary skills had a goal. They wanted to create an all-in-one Web solution for photographers—both amateur and professional—to organize, display, and sell their images with uncompromising quality.”

How does Zenfolio work with ShootDotEdit?

“ShootDotEdit will cull, color correct, and then upload a completed job to a photographer’s Zenfolio account. This takes away one additional step for the photographer and cuts down on the time it takes to get the event online and published.”

What is your favorite part of your partnership with ShootDotEdit?

“I love that the partnership between Zenfolio and ShootDotEdit takes away pain points for photographers and makes it easier for them to edit and upload their weddings after they are shot. Using ShootDotEdit is a great way for photographers to partner with a Specialist in post-processing and save themselves a huge amount of time in not only editing but also posting the wedding.”

What is your favorite part of working with photographers?

“They are creative, artistic, and really great people.”

What do you wish photographers knew better about Zenfolio?

“Zenfolio caters to every type of photographer, not just professional. That’s why we have several plans: basic and unlimited to those who do photography more as a hobby, and then Premium and Premium Business plans for those who are looking to sell their work. We also have a high-volume plan for businesses that have lots of clients, such as photo studios, schools, sports photography, and more.

Also, our support team is fantastic. They are available seven days a week, 365 days a year and are here to answer all of our users’ questions or for people who are thinking about joining Zenfolio. Our support team consists mostly of enthusiast and professional photographers (wedding, landscape, editorial, etc.), so they know exactly what photographers need.”

Describe a day in the life at Zenfolio…

“Drink coffee, eat onions, and drink lots of coconut water. Oh, and get daily delicious lunches delivered from waiter.com.

The ongoing (funny) story at Zenfolio is the office is split on onions. Half of them love it, half hate it. It started with one of the founders being highly sensitive to onions (aka repulsed), so it is now an initiation if you will to ask new hires what their stance on onions is and to share an embarrassing story of course.”

If you could be any piece of camera equipment, what would it be and why?

“A telephoto lens so I can see far into the distance, in focus.”

Thank you, Brittany, for taking the time to talk with us! Learn More about ShootDotEdit’s Integrated Partnership with Zenfolio!

Interested in learning more from a real photographer who uses both ShootDotEdit and Zenfolio? Click the banner below to hear how Corrado Amenta cut his turnaround time down to less than one week!

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ShootDotEdit Reviews from Professional Photographers: Introducing Case Studies

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Deciding when to trust a Specialist with your post-production is a big decision and not one to be taken lightly. While many professional wedding photographers know about the benefits of taking the leap to outsource photo editing can have on their business, sometimes the last step needed is to hear from fellow photographers.

For Updated Reviews, Check: ShootDotEdit Customer Reviews: True Testimonials 2021

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How to be an Artist and an Entrepreneur

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How would you categorize a professional wedding photographer? As an artist who runs a business or as an entrepreneur who makes art? ShootDotEdit works with professional photographers from all over the world and have found the most successful to be a mix of both artist and entrepreneur. Being able to manage a thriving business doesn’t make you any less of an artist.

The policy consultant and author, John Howkins once said,

“Entrepreneurs in the creative economy… use creativity to unlock the wealth that lies within themselves. Like true capitalists, they believe that this creative wealth, if managed right, will engender more wealth.”

ShootDotEdit has compiled some tips to help create success as both an artist and an entrepreneur.

1.    Identify your Style

Cultivate your own personal style, your own “signature” look and feel for your images. Find a niche and work within it.  This may mean that you make a strategic decision to only work on weddings, passing up other opportunities. Find a balance between what you are best at and what you love most, and then build your brand around it!

2.    Embrace efficiency

Setting up efficient business practices will create time for you to focus on your passions, on personal projects, and on serving and loving your clients. Not only will it allow you to spend more time on being creative, it also helps you make more money. Streamlining your business through efficient business practices will save time and money in the long run. ShootDotEdit has great resources for being efficient. Ultimately, faster delivery to your clients = happier clients.

Related Article: 5 Ways Efficient Business Empowers Your Photography
Related Article: Finding Time to Do It All: Tips for Managing Your Time

3.    Practice & Be Passionate

Entrepreneur and Marketing guru, Seth Godin says,

“Practice alone doesn’t produce work that matters. No, that only comes from caring. From caring enough to leap, to bleed for the art, to go out on the ledge, where it’s dangerous. When we care enough, we raise the bar, not just for ourselves, but for our customer, our audience and our partners.”

Channel your passion into your work and you will always deliver an amazing product.

4.    Persevere

Georgia O’Keefe stated,

“To create one’s world in any of the arts takes courage.”

Running a business is hard work. There is a lot more than just creating a beautiful image.  Stay positive and focused on your business, and keep moving forward. Remember: your business must succeed to provide a platform for your art. The two go hand in hand.

5.    Say No.

Don’t compromise yourself. Say no to people who want you to work for free. Say no to things that fall outside of your niche. Your time is the most valuable thing that you have, so don’t waste it on anything that doesn’t work towards moving you and your business forward.

Related Article: Just Say No – Why Extreme Focus is Important

6.    Learn to Sell

Talent alone doesn’t book the next appointment.  Understand the basic ideas of how to sell. Listen to your clients and ask solid open ended questions to determine their needs. The most successful photographers know how to get brides and grooms to buy.

Related Article: How Professional Wedding Photographers Can Simplify Sales

7.    Network. Everywhere.

There is no better testimony than one from a client who is happy with your work. The beautiful thing about wedding photography is that you can meet clients everywhere. Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals. Go to industry events. Talk to other vendors. Become friendly with venue owners and wedding planners and other people who are a part of your industry.

A professional photographer doesn’t have to be either an artist OR an entrepreneur. To be truly successful, whatever your definition of that may be, embracing both attributes will help generate growth as a person, as a business and as a photographer. Access our Guide to Marketing for Wedding Photographers to learn more about selling your brand to ideal clients!

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The 90/10 Model of Outsourcing

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Most professional wedding photographers have a “Signature Style” to their images… a style that is unique and individual. This process that a studio goes through to take images from capture-to-client is typically very detailed and very personal. And, in order for a photography business to stay focused on the action items that produce profit (ie. shooting, marketing, and sales), a robust workflow solution is mandatory. Hence, the haunting question, how does a professional wedding photographer achieve both their Signature Style and sustainable/dependable workflow? We have the answer.

Enter the “90/10 Model”: A Specialist performs 90% of the robust workflow, the artist finishes the job adding their “Signature Style”, the remaining 10%.

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing

Many photographers struggle with the decision to partner with a Specialist. A large part of that struggle comes from the notion that the photographers is the only one who can execute every element of the workflow. In reality, Specialists can help with the science of color correction – providing you with consistent images every time. For example, ShootDotEdit utilizes a Color Profile to accurately edit according to each photographer’s style preferences. These color corrections are complete and custom, allowing the photographer to focus on what only they can do: the artistic edits associated with their Signature Style.

Jared Platt, Lightroom Expert and ShootDotEdit Advocate, put it best when he said:

“90% of the editing work that we need to do can be done by someone else. We only really need to be involved in the 10% – the icing on the cake. That’s what 90/10 is.”

90/10 Model

The best workflow for a photographer is one that saves time and maximizes creativity. The 90/10 Model lets ShootDotEdit handle 90% of the workload, color correcting images according to a photographer’s style preferences. This leaves the last 10% of the workload, the stylized editing that adds style, to the photographer.

90% (ShootDotEdit)

  • handles the science of color correction
  • edited according to a photographer’s style preferences
  • removes the boring and tedious portion of the workflow

10% (Photographer)

  • handles the art of adding style
  • minimal time, doing the portion that only the photographer can do
  • creatively fun and engaging

Related: How can outsourcing editing for your photography business benefit you? Find out in this comprehensive blog post!

In the end, photographers retain their Signature Style, but without all of the tedious and time consuming parts of post-production!

While many photographers chose to add a Signature Style to the color corrected images, it isn’t required. ShootDotEdit delivers images that are custom color corrected and are ready to share. However, by utilizing a Specialist like ShootDotEdit, each photographer has the ability to do as much or as little with the images after color correction.

If you would like more information about how to integrate ShootDotEdit into your workflow, please access our Free Guide below!

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Partner Interview: Pictage

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ShootDotEdit is proud to partner with some of the amazing leaders in the photography industry. This week we wanted to shine the spotlight on Pictage, our all-in-one post-shoot partner company. We spoke with Natalie Hunter, the marketing coordinator, to help us explain why Pictage is so unique.

Making Photographer’s Lives Easier

Pictage was built to make photographer’s lives easier from the very beginning. When they first started, this meant digitizing a bucket of film in a garage. They have grown to have the ability to handle everything post-shoot. From email marketing to publicizing an event to printing an album. They even offer full customer service and print fulfillment to a photographer’s clients. In addition to all of this, they have a beautiful client proofing interface that is constantly being updated to keep up with the latest technology.

Since Pictage’s goal is to offer everything a photographer would need post shoot, they wanted to include post-processing services, but they also knew that ShootDotEdit does it best. So Pictage gives their members the option to send images to ShootDotEdit. Once the color correction is complete, ShootDotEdit uploads the files directly back into the photographer’s unique Pictage gallery. It fits in perfectly with ShootDotEdit’s “Fast is Best” motto and ends up saving Pictage members time!

We asked Natalie what her favorite part of the partnership with us was and she replied:

“Great things happen when “Fast is Best” is partnered with our mission to help photographers so they can focus on shooting. By having SDE send images directly to Pictage, photographers save a download and upload, which could potentially mean saving a whole extra day in their workflow! This just makes sense and also makes them look like the hero to their clients (who are probably checking their phones and emails every five minutes waiting for that announcement).”

What is your favorite part of working with photographers?

“Photographers are truly inspiring people, not only because the work they produce helps to make the world a more beautiful place, but because they can perfectly capture a feeling-a moment in time-that means the world to someone.”

More than just a company, They are community

Pictage also prides themselves on building and supporting photography communities around the country. Through their network of PUG (Pictage User Groups) Meetings, they offer a space for photographers to get together and build networks of support. Meetings are supported by Pictage and run by local photographers. They feature topics relevant to what’s going on in the industry.

What would you like photographers to know about Pictage?

“Mainly that there is so much more Pictage offers than simply being a proofing site for clients. Not only do we have a great product line of albums, cards, wall art and even calendars, but we also have an amazing community of photographers that meet around the nation for monthly meetings (face-to-face, I know!) simply to discuss the latest trends and concerns that many professional photographers share. When someone signs up for Pictage, we’re here to help photographers grow, learn and thrive.”

Describe a day in the life at Pictage…

“Pictage handles every aspect of a photographer’s business beyond the shoot, and we have dozens of people dedicated to every aspect of this work. All day long, our software engineers improve the photo gallery website and add new features. Our album designers and retouchers make photos and layouts look their best. Our professional print lab and album-binding team crank out high-quality products while our quality-assurance staff reviews everything to ensure excellence. Our shipping department packs and ships orders to clients across the globe, while our customer-support staff takes phone calls and answers questions from photographers, clients, and guests. It’s a busy office, but we love the work we do!”

Natalie, thank you for taking the time to share with us why Pictage is so special. We couldn’t agree more!

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Our Aperture Webinar with Sara France

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Are you interested in learning more about how to use Aperture in conjunction with ShootDotEdit? Download this FREE webinar, hosted by our President Jared Bauman and our Aperture Expert Sara France! In the webinar, Sara will walk through a job submission with the Aperture Workflow, showing you:

– the most efficient way to prepare, send and receive a job using ShootDotEdit
– how to quickly stylize your images and add your own special touch in minutes
– tips and tricks for Aperture efficiency
– Bonus Q/A at the end!

If you’ve ever wondered how to incorporate ShootDotEdit into your workflow, or have struggled with submitting your first job, this webinar is for you! Download HERE!

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Our Newest (Fast) Partner – Align Album Design

PrintYou choose ShootDotEdit as your wedding editing service because you believe Fast is Best for your clients and your business. When it comes to Album Design, we chose Align for the very same reason.

Fast is Best, and this partnership allows you to continue that speed in your album production.

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You can access this partnership inside of your ShootDotEdit DotTracker account!

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“We believe the faster we return your images, the happier your customers will be, the more your business will benefit.”

Take a look at all of ShootDotEdit’s Photo Editing Services here.

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What is a Specialist?

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While growing your successful photography business, you inevitably get to the moment where you have to make important business decisions. You are spending more time on tasks that do not involve taking photographs and interacting with clients, the reasons you started your business. In order to create more space to do the things that you love and that bring in the most money, you have to outsource and partner with a Specialist. But what exactly is a Specialist?

spe·cial·ist

noun \ˈspe-sh(ə-)list\

: a person who has special knowledge and skill relating to a particular job, area of study, etc.

Specialists are experts in their field

Whether you choose to partner with a Specialist for your wedding photo edit needs, image fulfillment, bookkeeping, or blogging (just to name a few), you want a company or person who is an expert in that particular field. When you are searching for the perfect Specialist, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask for references or a client list and talk to the people who have used that service. A person who is an expert will have all of this information ready to share before you sign on.

For more information, read our post on choosing the right partner.

Specialists are more efficient

Specialists should save you time and therefore money. They are repeating the same tasks over and over, and chances are, they can do it more efficiently than you. Even if it is a task that you dislike but can complete quickly when you choose to partner with a Specialist that is time that you are freeing up.

Related: 10 Reasons You Need to Outsource Photography Editing

Specialists invest in education

Think of all the hours of training, second shooting and learning anything related to photography that you went through to become a leader in your market. Now think of all the hours of specific task training you would need to obtain the level of a Specialist in another field. We always recommend keeping current with software updates and tutorials, as it will make you a better photographer, but by hiring a Specialist, you are acknowledging that you don’t have unlimited time for training and doing, and that is ok.

We strongly believe that making the choice to work with a Specialist is the gateway to bringing your business to a new level. Now you see how hiring one in an area (or two!) of your business, will give you more satisfaction and fulfillment in your work life and make you more profitable.

To learn more about appealing to your target market, download our Guide to Marketing for Wedding Photographers by clicking the banner below!

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Partner Interview: LensProtoGo

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We recently sat down with LensProToGo, one of our partner companies, to share why we feel they are outstanding. LensProToGo is one of the nations largest online photo and video rental companies; you can rent camera bodies to lenses to lights to cords – everything you may need and they ship all over the United States.

Meg Rodney, whose official title is “makes awesome stuff happen”, took the time to answer our questions. We asked Meg about the background of LensProToGo and she told us the story of how Paul, the owner and founder, left Corporate America seven years ago to become a photographer. He was working hard to support his family, and he had an idea to supplement his photography income by renting Canon gear out of his spare bedroom. It grew to include more kinds of gear, which he had to move to his basement to store and ship. Before he knew it, he was moving to the first warehouse space while starting to hire employees. Paul knew he didn’t want to hire just anyone, he wanted the best customer service in the industry. Not automated responses, but real people who could answer questions and give helpful feedback. So he established the company policy of only hiring photographers. Real working creative professionals who understand the needs of a person who is renting from them.

This dedication to the professional photographer and the commitment to provide them with the best customer service are the main reasons why we at ShootDotEdit choose them as a partner. Being fun to work with is also a plus! Read on for more tidbits from Meg about LensProToGo.

What is your favorite part of your partnership with ShootDotEdit?

We absolutely love how open minded everyone is on their team. At LensProToGo, we think outside the box. I mean…way outside the box. We aren’t a very rule based company. We’re photographers and filmmakers. We’re creatives. Like us, ShootDotEdit is always open to trying different things to improve their customer experience and give back. More than that, everyone on their team is considered a really great friend of ours. Nothing is better than friendship in the world of business.

What is your favorite part of working with photographers?

We LOVE working with photographers (and filmmakers) because we’re photographers and filmmakers too! I think our most favorite part of it is that our customers come to us as a resource. We, as a team, shoot a variety of things (weddings, portraits, babies, pets, products, cars, etc.) so when we don’t know the answer we’ll hand it off to someone who does. We get the warm and fuzzy feeling when this happens because people trust our judgement. We’re here to make sure their shoot is the very best it can be and it’s an incredible feeling when we hear back that all went better than expected because of our suggestions.

Also, Photographers are just cool! Our conversations with them are normally 20% about the order, 50% answering/asking questions and 30% talking about what they are having for dinner or something having to do with dinosaurs. I bet you Verizon customer service doesn’t get that last part!

Describe a day in the life at your business…

Coffee, slippers, hugs, morning meeting, high fives, oatmeal, laughs, local drop offs, e-mails, answering phones, answering phones, answering phones, coffee, e-mails, answering phones, UPS drop off, laughs, clean gear, sort gear, clean more gear, test focus, answering phones, lunch as a family, high fives, answering phones, e-mails, dance party, laughs, more dance party, packing gear, answering phones, e-mails, packing more gear, high fives, pack the rest of the gear and UPS picks up.

For the most part it’s mostly customer service, tons of shipping and a lot of fun!

What do you wish photographers knew better about your business?

I think the one thing we’d want them to know, the most, is that we’re people too. Today, so many companies run as robots. You place an order, get a confirmation email, and it ships to you. Sure, it’s easy, but what’s personal about it? We’re here to assist you in any way we can. It may be hard to understand… but WE LOVE TALKING and may even hold the record for longest customer service call. More than that, there is a human hand in every single step of the process. Your order is seen by the customer service team and either handed off to the shipping team or they will specifically handle any issues/questions.

If you could be any piece of camera equipment, what would it be and why?

LensProToGo would be the 24-70 (we’re a team of Canon and Nikon users so I won’t specify a brand!). I say this because we are ‘the trusty workhorse’. We get the big picture and zoom in to focus on individual customers!

LensProToGo currently has a staff of about a dozen photographers and filmmakers with more coming onboard in the immediate future. They invite you to contact them with questions about renting gear, using gear, or photography and film related questions in general or follow them on social media – Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. They always have something new and fun up their sleeve, and they usually have some great gear pictures to lust after. You’ll have to check it out to see more! And when you go to their site, LensProToGo has provided this special offer to our readers, feel free to use code SDEJHV34 for 10% off all rentals good until April 30th.

Thank you Meg for taking the time to speak with us. We can’t wait to see you at WPPI!

Speaking of WPPI – Download our Free Show Guide below to help you navigate your way around.

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