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Outsourcing 101
122 Plays2 years ago
Hey there, we've got a question for you. Are you a busy wedding photographer who's thought about outsourcing your photo editing, but you're nervous about the process? Maybe you're nervous to hand your editing over to someone else, or you don't know what to expect. In today's episode, Ayla breaks down the process of outsourcing your editing to a Private Photo Editor, and explains the whole subject! We break down what outsourcing even IS, how to know if you're ready to hire a photo editor, what the process will look like, and expectations of the editor/photographer relationship. This episode is PACKED with valuable information that should definitely help you, especially if you're a photographer who has been feeling overwhelmed with editing, but doesn't know where to start. Give today's episode a listen, and don't forget to download it so you can come back to it later!
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Transcript
Introduction to the Art of Intention Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the Art of Intention podcast with Beth and Ayla. Two best friends turn creative entrepreneurs. This is a place for us to discuss everything business, friendships, and faith and occasionally more. We're so excited for today's episode. We think you're going to love it. Stay tuned.
Why Outsourcing Matters for Photographers
00:00:21
Speaker
Hello everyone and welcome back to the show. It is so, so good to be here recording for you guys. Honestly, these recording days are just like the best part of my week, my month, however often we record. It's my favorite day and I'm really stoked to be here and I'm really excited for today's topic.
00:00:40
Speaker
So today is called Outsourcing 101 and it's definitely for the photographers listening. I'm a private photo editor for wedding and portrait photographers and today I wanted to break down outsourcing all the way from the decision to outsource your editing, what to look for in an editor, and what the editor and photographer relationship should look like.
00:00:59
Speaker
Yes, I'm so excited to get into it. Just like you said, these are some of my favorite days of the month too. So yes, and this episode is going to be great as a photographer. I think it's really important the photographers pay attention. It's going to be worth it. So a few years ago, I did not know what the outsourcing process looked like.
00:01:16
Speaker
And I didn't really know if it was for me. While it's definitely an important decision to make for your business, not everyone has to do it. I have so many good things to say about outsourcing your photo editing as a photographer who has done it. And when I say not everyone has to, we'll talk more about that. I think Ailey, you have some more wisdom about like what stages you should know when you're ready for it.
00:01:37
Speaker
But I do think that once you've reached a certain size in your business, you may have to. But anyways, I'm excited to pick your brain about this and hear more of your perspective, Ayla, of what the process should look like. Yeah, for sure. I definitely think, I know there's photographers who listen to our podcast and who have potentially considered taking this step in their business. So I really hope to just lend a helping hand and some encouragement to some people listening. So we're going to get into it right after we hop into community news.
Impact of Maui Wildfires on Tourism and Local Life
00:02:06
Speaker
OK, for today's community news, we want to do a follow up on last week's episode that we put out about the situation in Maui and the wildfires in Lahaina, now learning that it's multiple places on the island. But we're just kind of focusing on that for today. And like I said, we did a full episode last week. So feel free to jump back and listen to that to get some more information as well. But of course, the situation has kind of been changing day by day. So we just wanted to bring a few updates. So
00:02:34
Speaker
One thing that's really interesting, I have many thoughts on it. I probably won't get into all of them today, but it's definitely not something to be ignored. So even though it's a little different than our normal community news, I really wanted to share it. But basically, there is a law in Hawaii where no new land can be sold to
00:02:53
Speaker
say, big developers unless it's been part of a natural disaster. Unfortunately, really quickly after this situation, Lahaina is still figuring out what kind of donations they need. They're still trying to find missing people. They are being contacted to sell their land because it has now been a part of a natural disaster.
00:03:10
Speaker
And the people of Lahaina are being urged to not sell their land because now this is a land grab. So I'm definitely on the side of the people to not sell their land. I think that's unfortunate that people are still grieving and this is now something else they're dealing with. So anyways, that's one of the first things I've noticed to really come out of it. And this law that no new land can be sold to big developers has just been passed like a couple months ago. So that's really stirring up some interesting kind of conspiracies. And that could be a whole conversation.
00:03:40
Speaker
for a separate time. We're not going to go into it today because right now we think it's most important to first focus on what we even know and how we can help and it can really come across harsh if before the people have even, like I said, gotten to mourn and find their families, everyone's talking about conspiracies. So whether they're true or not, we don't know every single detail. We just want to make sure the people of Lahaina are safe and okay and taken care of with their immediate needs first. But that is something to happen very quickly after this disaster.
00:04:10
Speaker
Yeah. And then kind of continuing along with that, with the Maui update, um, there's another big thing that has kind of developed and that's the debate between visiting Hawaii or not during this time. So as far as
Benefits and Signs for Outsourcing Photo Editing
00:04:24
Speaker
traveling to Maui goes, there's people on both sides, of course, locals. And just quick note, I'm going to be talking only about the opinion of the locals, because that's really the opinion I care about right now. If you're some like self-described like warrior for Hawaii and you don't live here and you never have, then
00:04:38
Speaker
Honestly, I don't care about your opinion this time. And I think you should really avoid speaking for those who do live here because those are the people who are affected by this. And this is kind of a, it's a big issue. Yeah. So first, the one thing that everyone agrees on. So there's two different sides, but this is the middle point that everyone agrees on. Um, and it's that West Maui should be closed.
00:04:57
Speaker
West Maui is closed actually all of it to tourism and anyone who isn't there to help so no tourism there don't even go there by boat because we know that was something that happened like two days after the fire or maybe even the day after the fire there was a snorkeling company like not too far from the shores of Lahaina and people were literally just snorkeling where people were just dying in the water like hours before
00:05:15
Speaker
Oh no. Oh my gosh. It was insane. So that's one thing everyone agrees on. All of West Maui, the fire happened in Lahaina, but all of West Maui for respect and also for the police to be able to just figure out what's going on, to find people, that's all closed. Let the police work get done over there and let the people mourn and let them help each other. However, I think it's important to look at a couple of things when deciding if you are for or against travel to the rest of Maui and Hawaii.
00:05:44
Speaker
First thing is the people who are calling for absolutely no visitors to all of the Hawaiian islands are honestly the same people who don't want anyone to visit Hawaii anyways, even before the fires. It's a certain group of people. So you have to take their opinion with a grain of salt, knowing that not everyone feels this way. A lot of people are hearing these opinions of avoiding all of Hawaii for like the next two years or forever.
00:06:06
Speaker
And they're not realizing that this is not the opinion of the majority. They're citing that there are not enough hotel rooms or hospitals on Maui so they need to fly everyone to other islands. And honestly, it's just not true. I'm on the other island that everyone says people are flying to and there's just not many people coming over here because people want to stay with their families on Maui. And there are honestly ample hotel rooms for them and other locals are opening up their homes and churches are providing spaces. There are way less locals displaced
00:06:34
Speaker
than the number of tourists that visit Hawaii each day on Maui. So there's no way that there wouldn't be enough space for them. But again, I understand the sentiment, but I think it's important to know that when you see like, oh, the hospitals are overrun, there's just no resources. That's not true. It is a big disaster and there's a lot of people displaced, but there's not like 10 million people being flown to every island and it's just not, that's not what's happening.
00:06:57
Speaker
So the other thing to think about when deciding how you feel about this is when other areas in the world have had such similar disastrous fires. So for example, let's think 9-11 or when the campfire that killed almost every or that killed almost a hundred people and basically flattened an entire town in California in 2018, were people calling for everyone to avoid California, to not visit California, to cancel coming to California, the whole state? Or was all of Northern California shut down and people had to cancel their livelihoods?
00:07:26
Speaker
And
Financial Implications of Outsourcing
00:07:27
Speaker
people weren't allowed to go to work anymore. Honestly, no. Because people still need to do work. People have to work in the midst of disaster. And people arguably need more money when they're in disaster. The people who have to take care of others on Maui need money to do so. And it's argued that they need money now more than ever. And yes, some of that work is tourism.
00:07:48
Speaker
because this is also a debate. People are saying, oh, Hawaii doesn't need tourism. In a perfect world, Hawaii wouldn't need tourism. But the fact is, the statistic is that one in four Hawaiians have, one in four people who live in Hawaii have a tourism-related job. 36% of native Hawaiians, true Kฤnaka Maui, work in the tourism industry. That's a big number.
00:08:09
Speaker
And yes, I totally that's a really good point to make is what you're saying about West Maui specifically and then visiting the island of Maui and Hawaii as a whole. I think it's yeah, it's reasonable to look at that and say, yeah, you should probably consider
00:08:24
Speaker
going to Maui right now, is that even going to be a fun place for you to just go as a tourist right now? Probably not. I would definitely consider other things, but you're just highlighting what the situation actually is. When people are describing, no, there's no room and no this. We're not necessarily saying what you should and shouldn't do as far as flying there. Here's the information of the facts. Here's the facts of the actual state the island did. That's what we're focusing on. Because every time something happens these days,
00:08:52
Speaker
It's so easy for misinformation or on rampant. So we're really just trying to like not tell you what to do or what to think. Here's just what's happening. Right. If you feel like avoiding it, that's fine. And if you, a lot of people are not a lot, but a few people have canceled their trips and just donated the money to help. That's amazing. If you want to do that, that's great.
00:09:07
Speaker
And if your trip was in West Maui, I would suggest that you do that. But again, we're not telling you what to do. But it is important to note that Maui is a big island and Lahaina is a small town. That doesn't lessen the tragedy of what's happened. And it doesn't mean that there aren't thousands of people displaced and then thousands more who then take their attention and time and money to take care of those thousands who were displaced. That's true. So all of Maui.
00:09:30
Speaker
is crying right now. And all of Hawaii is, you know, sad and mourning it. But the truth is the people who are taking care of the people who are displaced on Maui, they still have to go to work. They still need their jobs. They still need the money. Yeah. Yeah. And jumping back to that statistic that Beth mentioned of 36% of native Hawaiians, they work in the tourism industry. So it does remain important. That statistic does not include photographers because local photographers aren't considered a tourism
00:09:59
Speaker
industry. So the number is really higher as photographers are a huge group that is affected when when people aren't coming anymore. So like on paper, it's that 36%. And then of course, there are more people like Beth, like local photographers, local native photographers, and just others in kind of the tourism industry, but not on paper who might be suffering from this too. So definitely, if you do claim to have connections
Finding and Establishing Relationships with Photo Editors
00:10:22
Speaker
to Hawaii, figure out how your friends are doing there.
00:10:25
Speaker
and see if there's any support you can send their way. If they're on a completely different island, but now their jobs affected because of this, it's just a really good time to band together and just really actually check in on how everybody is doing like person to person. To completely cut off tourism, which is what a lot of people are calling for. And then a lot of people don't even live in Hawaii and have never lived in Hawaii. They're trying to echo this call to completely cut off tourism would be COVID 2.0 for many people in Hawaii. And people love to say that Hawaii doesn't need to rely on tourism. What happened to Hawaii businesses during COVID?
00:10:53
Speaker
People weren't allowed to travel during COVID, businesses shut down. People lost their livelihoods during COVID. So I understand people want to say that Hawaii doesn't need tourism, but that's not true and we saw that in COVID. And to completely cut it off because Lahaina burned down and to cut off tourism on all of the islands, it would be COVID 2.0, which more people wouldn't be able to recover from because people are still trying to recover from COVID.
00:11:14
Speaker
So Ayla, I thought a good way to kick off this episode would be summarizing outsourcing as a whole and putting it into context for those who may not be familiar with it. So can you sum it up for us?
00:11:25
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. So outsourcing as a whole applies, step away from photography for a minute, it applies to almost anything in any business. So designing your website, social media management, communications and admin, even employees and secretaries and assistants are forms of outsourcing. It's anything in your business that does not necessarily require you.
00:11:47
Speaker
and your hands as the business owner. It's anything that can be handed off for somebody else to help you with. So for photographers, you could outsource so much from your photo editing, to social media management, to finances, certain communications and administration work. You're kind of hiring somebody to do certain tasks for you, but they are not an employee. So earlier I said, employees are a form of outsourcing, but like you as a photographer outsourcing to one person, it's a professional transaction, they're not an employee.
00:12:15
Speaker
Yeah, that's a really good distinction to make. An outsourcer is not an employee. And that also is a distinction that is made by law on your tax forms too. So for a business owner to hire employees, you would of course need a different business license and the relationship looks different. Outsourcing is a business transaction between two professionals. It's more of a consultant.
00:12:36
Speaker
Yeah, so the process for outsourcing your photo editing in a nutshell is this. Essentially, you as a photographer may decide that you no longer want to spend as much time editing as you are, whether it's, you know, it might be taking your time and you would rather focus on other parts of your business or a list of reasons that I'll get into. So once you find an editor that you like, you send them the editing that you don't want to take on, whether that's all your photo shoots or just some, it varies, photographer to photographer.
00:13:04
Speaker
And now that aspect of work is off your plate. Usually an editor can have a gallery back within a week. This could vary, but that's standard within that time, give or take a few days.
00:13:15
Speaker
So it gets the work done quickly for you. And then the idea is like that you're done, like you're mostly hands off, you're editing, that's a task that's off your plate and complete, other than sending it to your client, your bride and groom, your model, whoever the shoot is for. Editors can be either a single person or you can outsource to an editing company. And there's pros and cons that kind of come with each one.
00:13:38
Speaker
Awesome. That's a great overview, I think. So I know how I would answer this, but kind of moving on to the next portion, I want your thoughts. How would a photographer know that they need outsourcing? And does everyone need to do it?
00:13:53
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, awesome. I'm so excited to get into this. So first off, I almost don't recommend outsourcing for everyone, at least not in certain points of your business. So I do think every single photographer can benefit from outsourcing your editing as your business grows, but there's really a timing to it. It may sound funny since outsourcing is what I do, but I don't think becoming a photographer means that you have to.
00:14:17
Speaker
right away, especially when you're getting your photography business off the ground. Outsourcing maybe and is probably an expense you're not ready for financially. So once you're settled in your workflow
Technical Aspects of Outsourcing Editing
00:14:29
Speaker
and your prices, make sure you have the proper
00:14:32
Speaker
budget and that your prices account for the photo editing that you're getting done, that would be a great time and it may be a lot easier for you to jump into outsourcing your photo editing. And I also recommend getting to know the editing process well. You don't have to be an expert, but get to know your editing software. Get to know Lightroom, Photoshop if you use it so that you understand what your editor is also working with.
00:14:52
Speaker
This is a side note, it can be a separate service for you to completely hand off your editing and you've never really touched it. And you may not know finding a style, you may not understand. That is a service that other editors will offer, like finding your style and creating a custom preset. There are people who will do that so you can fully 100% hand off your editing. But generally in the industry, a lot of editors are working with photographers who've been doing their own editing for a couple of years and kind of know what's going on.
00:15:22
Speaker
Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, I like that. So then yeah, what about the other part? Yeah, so for the other part of this question, how does a photographer know if they're ready to outsource their editing? Here's some of the things I would look for. So kind of starting with most like obvious, like, if this is happening, I would 100% recommend outsourcing and then just some kind of smaller reasons later on. So first off, honestly, if you just straight up hate editing,
00:15:50
Speaker
Like for real, it is so normal to outsource parts of your business that you just don't like. I hate finances. So I get help for those. I've never been good with numbers. And even when I was a child, my mom was like, Hey, like you'll just hire somebody to do your numbers for you. Like it's totally normal to just like,
00:16:07
Speaker
not like certain parts. So I even have a couple of photographers who love the actual photography part. They love showing up for weddings. They love getting creative with their shoots. And then they're like, I cannot sit at a computer at the end of that day. Like I just cannot. So completely normal if you just honestly don't like that part of your business, completely reasonable to look into outsourcing it. Again, familiar with your software, but ready to hand it over.
00:16:31
Speaker
If you find that you're starting to run out of time, if you're delivering galleries late, and I mean more than just a day or two late, if you're starting to become like weeks behind on your editing queue and that becomes an outward facing problem, you want to eliminate those as a business owner in life as quickly as possible. So definitely a good time to look into editing. If you're starting to fall behind or you're like last minute all the time, that gets exhausting. That gets so scary to be last minute all the time. So that's number two. The next one
00:16:59
Speaker
is if you're finding that your editing is becoming inconsistent this can again be because of time you're rushing but if you're having trouble keeping galleries consistent an editor can help you kind of streamline your style and there will be this is like kind of subjective not every gallery takes going to look the same especially if you shoot in multiple locations but still like what makes you
00:17:20
Speaker
You with your style if you find yourself losing some of that and editor can kind of help just like
Expectations in the Photographer-Editor Relationship
00:17:25
Speaker
bring it back because you're not going through these the Exhaustive process of thousands of photos just like a few. I love I never thought about that. It's a good. That's a good reason. Yeah. Yeah
00:17:35
Speaker
Yeah, and you might not notice it until, again, you don't want it to be outward facing, but like you wouldn't, not to say, I haven't noticed this happen, but it could happen to where like, say you deliver and a client's like, this doesn't look anything like what you'd give me because you rushed that gallery, you know? Like, yeah, so it can just help prevent some of that because you've got fresh eyes looking at it.
00:17:53
Speaker
if you're burning out. I know this may shock some people but your busy season does not mean you need to be working around the clock just barely scraping by and even getting sick. If you're in a constant creative rut struggling to love your job like you did before and just overall feeling constantly
00:18:10
Speaker
tired and burned out, you may need to and very well likely need to take editing off your plate. I'll get into this but burnout can also mean that you're lacking creativity and handing off your editing can actually bring back your shooting and editing creativity. That's what I hear about burnout a lot is you just don't have the drive to be creative anymore because you're meticulously editing over and over and handing that away can help you get that back.
00:18:35
Speaker
Next up, if you find that you have to turn down other work because of your editing queue, if you have a certain amount, it's a good idea as a photographer to set, you know, a financial goal of how much you want to make in a year and therefore how many shoots of each kind you need to do to make that goal. And if you're starting to not be able to take that amount of shoots on because of your editing queue, eliminating editing can free up so much time to take on additional
00:18:57
Speaker
jobs. I just had a photographer this year. It wasn't astronomical, but she was able to do two or she was able to do three weddings instead of two one month because she's like, Oh, I don't have to worry about editing. And it can be so small such as that. But she's like, you know, I have a family I would never take on this much in a month without without an editor. So it may seem small, but you know, one extra job every couple months or every month can make a huge difference. And yeah, help you book more work.
00:19:23
Speaker
I actually love that point because even just being able to pick up, let's say it's one more wedding a month and let's say she charges $2,000 for that for 12 months. I mean, how much is that? Let's see. Best doing math. I have a calculator. That's $24,000 a year.
00:19:43
Speaker
There you go. So if you're able to do one more wedding a month and that's every month for 12 months because of outsourcing and you charge about $2,000 for that, you are making an extra $24,000.
00:19:56
Speaker
So outsourcing totally has that, in my opinion, that kind of domino effect of if you're able to realize how much it's going to help you in so many ways, especially financially. So I love that point. This is absolutely, I love, thank you for sharing all this and you organized that so well. I love that.
00:20:13
Speaker
These are such good tips to know and think about when it comes to outsourcing and really anything in your business. It's 100% normal to need a hand in your business, especially if you're a solo business owner. I heard once, I think it's like there's no such thing as a solo, as a successful solo business owner because the most successful business owners will have at least, they're very good at delegating.
00:20:37
Speaker
It's you who built it. You're the one who's growing it. It is your business. You can be a solo business owner. That's more of just a fun saying. It's not like a legitimate, like you can't be successful if you're one man job, but to get to a certain level of success, you're going to outsource and you're going to delegate. Yeah. That makes you such a good business owner and leader.
00:20:54
Speaker
I do this to myself all the time. Actually, here I am preaching about it, but totally being like, no, I just have to do this, this, and this. It's so smart to be able to just delegate and understand what you can let go of.
Personal Insights and Transformation Through Outsourcing
00:21:05
Speaker
You may actually want to be growing your business, but you can't because you're too busy with the day-to-day. You're too busy just trying to get the next gallery sent back, just trying to finish the last thing. But outsourcing your editing can help you actually grow.
00:21:18
Speaker
other aspects of your business. Do you want to get into course creation? Do you want to get into mentorships? Like do you want to get into anything like that, but you don't have the time? There you go. That's another reason to delegate and do all that stuff. And so Beth with those are all the points pretty much. And then I'm kind of curious
00:21:34
Speaker
What was going through your head when you were considering outsourcing your editing? Like you said, I work for Beth. I like to say we work together because we're also friends. We're able to talk about the galleries more than I normally would. But what was going through your head when you were considering outsourcing your editing? I know the situation was different because we were already friends, but how did you know within your business as a business owner that something had to change?
00:21:57
Speaker
Yeah. Good question. And yeah, first of all, definitely consider us partners because I knew nothing about this and you really guided me when I, when I came to you and said, I need this. You were the one who guided me. So definitely agree with that. It was the best photo editor in the world, just so everybody knows. I know your books are full, so I'm definitely advertising for you, but sorry. I'm on a wait list because she's so good. Okay. Oh, thank you. But yeah, it was a couple of years ago. Actually how, I mean, I don't even know how many years ago it was at this point, but a couple of few years ago,
00:22:27
Speaker
To be honest, the biggest thing for me was that I was just falling behind. I was very busy at this point. I was full-time and it was my first time being truly full-time and really, really busy. I was falling behind on deadlines and I wasn't even able to post on social media, which meant I wasn't booking new clients. When busy was over, it was dead season. Not slow season, it was dead season.
00:22:50
Speaker
It was too hard to try to balance everything and I would spend so many hours editing thinking, I could be posting on social media. I could be having a personal life. I could be expanding my business in other ways and I just wasn't able to do that because it was just going out on shoots and then editing.
00:23:08
Speaker
And I just, in order to get everything done, I had to put so much time into my work that I had no life. And I wasn't being, life, I wasn't taking care of myself. And I was also kind of a side thing also. I wasn't, I was starting to not like the editing process because I was so overwhelmed.
00:23:25
Speaker
And what fun I would sit down and it was my like relaxing time because I'm very shy. So going from, you know, a photo shoot where I have to meet new people and I was very nervous for that, you know, editing was my relaxing time and it started to not be that way. It was just as stressful as the rest of the work. And I, that was a big red flag for me.
00:23:43
Speaker
On top of that, this was another big one, I wanted to grow my business in other ways. I was starting to do workshops and mentorships and I had these big goals and dreams for those and just was finding that I didn't have enough time to do them because again, I was editing in other parts of the work too. All parts of the work are time consuming.
00:24:01
Speaker
But when I think about it, I thought I think the next best step I can take is to outsource my editing and that's going to give me back the most time. Kind of what was stopping me was I didn't, I was kind of picky with how I wanted my photos to look. And I didn't realize that I could find someone who would keep the quality of my work and who would really make sure that my work when outsourced looked like my work when it wasn't outsourced.
00:24:24
Speaker
right oh thank you so much for sharing it that was that was so good and i think that's something that a lot of people might think that they're alone in is i i don't want to do this anymore i can't do this but it has to look this way and that's not that's not a photographer being like picky whatsoever like or what i plaster all over my website is your works precious and unique and you've taken time um
00:24:47
Speaker
I'll get into this but I work for a lot of those really like artsy and unique and just vibey photographers where it's it's not just like slap on a preset and let's go it like it takes some work every single
Conclusion: The Power of Outsourcing for Growth
00:24:57
Speaker
photo is like precious in its own way and I love to approach it that way so it's completely normal to be like how do I hand this to somebody and just understanding that there's not just because we're best friends I do this for every single person that I work for is
00:25:09
Speaker
We communicate, we talk, what should this look like? And that's not just me, that's many other photo editors should, and we'll get into this, but should be able to do this for you. So thanks so much for sharing. And I'm just so glad, so glad that that was able to just change your business and give you the room to do all that stuff. Life changing. I mean, I'll probably go into it later in the episode, but it was life changing for sure. And yeah, I'll talk more about that later.
00:25:33
Speaker
But anyways, that's kind of a good summary on what outsourcing, what the outsourcing process is and how to know if it's for you. So Ayla, if it's okay with you, let's jump into finding an editor. For those listening who are thinking, this is me, I relate to this, but like, where do I start? What would you say, Ayla?
00:25:50
Speaker
For sure. I love this. I will preface this by saying, Beth, you touched on it. This episode is not a sales pitch for me. I'm not just trying to be like, hire me. I'm actually at capacity for new clients right now. I closed my books like a month ago. Amazing. Definitely not trying to sell my services, but I am listing resources for the overall outsourcing
00:26:10
Speaker
process there's lots of resources to get started on it but yeah if it's something you've considered but you're nervous if you're maybe in the boat Beth was in of like I know nothing about this but I know something needs to change here's what I have got to say for you the places where I got the most business and I've seen the most successful editor photographer relationships start
00:26:30
Speaker
is Facebook and Instagram and actually mostly Facebook because of groups. There are numerous Facebook groups for photographers finding editors. You can search private photo editor, photo editing, outsourcing, anything like that. Multiple groups will find up. I'll let you take it from there. You can also look on Instagram. You can type in private photo editor, boutique photo editor, editing, outsourcing, anything like that. And that's a really good place to start.
00:26:55
Speaker
And I actually recommend this over going straight to Google and searching photo editing. You can do this, but your first few results are most likely going to be larger editing companies, which could be what you're looking for. Some people like to go that route because it's a little bit less expensive. But if you're looking for a one-on-one photo editor, which is what I recommend really for the best results, social media is the way to go. And I guess I'll quickly touch on this between companies or one-on-one photo editing.
00:27:23
Speaker
I've seen amazing results with either, so it's really up to you as the photographer. Basically, the biggest, the bigger benefits with larger companies is the editing could possibly be a bit more affordable. But the downside is you might have a new person editing your work every time. So it can be a little bit harder to build up that relationship of, oh, I like to do this, but not this. And I've had photographers come to me after leaving larger companies because they're unsatisfied with inconsistent editing. Not to say that's every large company, just saying that's kind of one of the things
00:27:52
Speaker
to think about. So with one on one, you might be paying slightly more, but you've got one person who knows your style down pat, hopefully just as well as you do and then is able to keep it consistent. So those are just kind of either one can totally work. But I'm just saying if you're looking for one person, social media is the way to go.
00:28:09
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. If you weren't going to touch on that, I was going to too. I was going to say, I think it translates to more work for you as the photographer to go with a big company because you're kind of having to re-explain to new people every time your specifics, especially if you are specific or, I mean, we'll use the word picky, but rightfully so. If you're picky about your
00:28:26
Speaker
you have to be re-explaining that every time and kind of saying, oh, I always like to, you know, take the, take these tones and bring them down. And yeah, yeah, I would say more like a studio photography can find help with like bigger companies just because it's more consistent situations. And now kind of moving on, what should a photographer look for as they start finding photo editors?
00:28:45
Speaker
Right. So like as you're searching, you're finding profiles on Instagram, on Facebook, whatever, you're starting to message people. There's many ways to go with this, but I would say number one is finding someone whose work resembles your own niche. Now, niche is kind of a whole conversation in and of itself. Do you have to niche down?
00:29:03
Speaker
For photographer's due, do you shoot in any style? Do you shoot in one? I know for sure, again, not speaking for every editor here, but editors are generally encouraged to kind of work within a niche. You should have the capabilities to really style match, and that should be your main skill over one specific style. But generally, it's a good idea to pick who you want to market to as an editor and try to attract those clients. And as a photographer, look for an editor who looks capable of doing the work that you do.
00:29:31
Speaker
Now, this is not an exact copy of your editing style. That's not what you're looking for because everyone's editing style is wonderfully unique. You really shouldn't find somebody who can do exactly what you do because you're you and they're them. So it is going to be a little bit different. But think about your niche. Do you do film emulation photography? Do you like bright and airy?
00:29:52
Speaker
true to color editing. Do you go for warm, super vibey and play with shadows? Look through your potential editor's website and see if they have a portfolio and then keep in mind kind of what you do and what they do. Also know there will be, if your editor has a portfolio, keep in mind there will be a variety in their work because they'll have multiple clients.
00:30:11
Speaker
work usually with varying styles. What's the overall vibe? Usually people categorize niche into like the light and airy and then warm or dark and moody. And those are the two, but there's lots within that. Like I edit for range, but I kind of keep it in the moodier arts here.
00:30:28
Speaker
styles like not so much light and airy more like the moody ones but then that varies so much I have like a bold and colorful photographer that I work for I have vintage vintage like film emulation so they do kind of switch but does that make sense like there's a variety but still kind of in one branch of like their vibe and like I said you're not looking for your exact style but you're looking for someone who could do it
00:30:52
Speaker
I would also say, expect professionalism. This may be a hot take, but your editor should have a clean, professional website that's easy to navigate. Definitely look for a website. They should be reachable through their website. And just really, yeah, relationship kept professional over email. I actually just redid my website from its first draft at the beginning of this year. And it makes me hurt for what the first draft of my website was. If you had the pleasure of seeing it, thank you for still being here.
00:31:20
Speaker
I think it was totally fine. It's just as you grow and kind of learn how things should look, you know, you get hard on yourself, but I redid it and completely shifted it towards clients who I wanted to book. It used to be pretty basic. I made it colorful. I made it like kind of artsy and kind of like
00:31:37
Speaker
as unique as I could, but towards this direction of photographers that I want to attract it. Oh my gosh, how my inquiries changed so much. Like my goal when we're doing my website was like, I want high level professional photographers to feel like they can trust me. I want photographers with lots of followers who charge a lot for their work to look at my site and think that they can trust me. And that's like the inquiries that I started getting in was like established people. It was kind of unfortunate that I had to close my book so shortly after because like, anyway, that's like more in website design.
00:32:06
Speaker
But a good professional website that caters to your photographers is definitely number one. So you as the photographer, going back to the photographer, if you're figuring out if an editor's right for you, imagine this. Separate yourself from looking for a photo editor. Imagine you're booking another photographer. Imagine it's for your own wedding or your own head shots or brand shots or a couple shoot. Would you hire them based on how their website looks, what their photos are, and their writing? If the answer is yes, definitely inquire with them.
00:32:34
Speaker
If you're looking and you're like, I don't know if I would hire this person, then you wouldn't hire them for your editing either. So yeah, pretty much just look at their work, see if it's close to what you do. And if it's professional and you'd book them for something else, photography related, they should work pretty well for you as an editor.
00:32:49
Speaker
Wow, that is such a good point. I love that you touched on that. And honestly, your point that you made about website being really good and to have a design and layout that matches the clients you want to attract, that applies to everybody, but also even photographers too. And I love that you shared about how your inquiries changed when your website changed. That's really good. And if that doesn't tell us how important a website is, I don't know what does.
00:33:14
Speaker
Okay, so now let's talk about the day-to-day outsourcing process. So once you have found an editor you like and they agree to take you on as a client, we're going to break down what that looks like and I can share it on my end as a photographer and Ayla will explain on the editor's end what they're doing. So I will say there are two sorts of kind of outsourcing relationships. So off and on and long term or maybe one off and long term. Yeah.
00:33:41
Speaker
Some editors will take on one-time jobs such as quick photoshop work or just one photoshoot for a photographer who needs a quick fix and then there's long-term editor-photographer relationships. Today we're summing up what the long-term relationship looks like as I would say that's very common in the industry and usually what's sought after when you're trying to outsource.
00:34:00
Speaker
Right, and also kind of like I've been saying, I know in this next portion, I'm not speaking for every private photo editor here, you may offer services in a completely different way than what I'm describing, and that's totally okay. I'm giving a general idea of what photographers can expect
00:34:15
Speaker
when outsourcing and of course there'll be some variety in that and there'll be some variety like photographers listening might have had a different experience there's going to be a little bit but yeah this is a general idea and with that there's kind of two services that editors will offer so they're not super important but i'll just get into them quickly to establish like the two differences in how they handle their editing so the first one is queue based that's what i do and basically you just edit jobs in a queue your jobs come in
00:34:43
Speaker
you go from the one you got most recently and work your way through. And then there's appointment base where photographers have to like book in an editing appointment with you. So they book it on your calendar. The job can be sent anywhere leading up to that date. They just have to have it in their inbox by that date. And then that's when the turnaround starts for the editor three to five days or whatever their turnaround is. That's however each editor wants to do it. I like Q-based and that's just kind of how I've always done it. No way is right or wrong. That's just the two.
00:35:13
Speaker
ways that photographers will be operating in. But what I'm explaining today might sound more key based because that's what I do and have the experience in. So when an editor on boards of photographer for long term editing relationship, they will likely have the photographer fill out some sort of style questionnaire in order to begin learning their style, like written out on paper.
00:35:33
Speaker
or not on a survey online, but you know, on paper. The photographer will also sign a contract. This can vary, but the contract, in my opinion, is not binding the photographer to a timed term of service. In my contract, I do list how long the service will be. Is it a year? Is it six months? But I tell them that's very loose. Either of us can terminate the contract at any point. It's really just to establish expectations, office hours, turnaround time, things like that.
00:35:59
Speaker
So then, when it's time to send a gallery, it starts by the photographer preparing anchor images and smart previews. Again, not all editors require this, but if you're reaching out to one on Facebook or Instagram, chances are they will expect this of you, at least in the very beginning. So be prepared to pre-edit some images for your photographers and build smart previews. And Beth's going to expand on that because she's done this a lot of times for me.
00:36:21
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. Kind of expand on what previews are, smart previews are in anchor images. Anchor images are a few images that the photographer pre-edits for the editor in order to help them learn their style visually. And that's not just in the beginning. It is throughout every gallery they send them because, especially for weddings, you have different lighting scenarios. So it's just to also let the editor know, here's how you want this scenario edited. How I do this is I take all of my sneak peek images that I had to edit anyways to send
00:36:49
Speaker
And I'll add a few more into there and Cole some more to cover different lighting situations throughout the whole day. And this usually takes me a couple hours. Once they're all edited, I give them each a five star rating in Lightroom. So they stand out on Ayla's end when I send them to her.
00:37:05
Speaker
And then I export the whole gallery, all those together, um, those star to anchor images as well as smart previews. So the whole gallery is exported as smart previews. And then I, we transfer them. We use, we transfer, uh, to send them to Ayla. So you heard us say smart previews a couple of times now, which can sound scary, but they're actually very simple once you learn it.
00:37:26
Speaker
So you build smart previews in Lightroom and Lightroom essentially takes the data of your photos and the edits and makes them into viewable previews that can then be edited. This way, you and your editor aren't exchanging huge raw files, which can slow, I mean, we all know, right? Which can slow the file sharing and editing process so much. So keep in mind, your editor probably has more clients than just you and likely does not work on external hard drives. So smart previews are key for their workflow.
00:37:55
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. And again, it can sound daunting, but every pretty much every single photographer I've ever had practices at one time might take some time. And then it's like, boom, easy to do right after that. So pretty easy if you haven't had to deal with them before, because I had to learn what smart previews were when I started. And I was like, I don't know, but it's just a couple buttons. And there you go. So anyway,
00:38:14
Speaker
Once you pre-edit your anchor images and build your smart previews, you send them to your editor with whatever file sharing tool they recommend. Like Beth said, we use WeTransfer. Once it's in the editor's hand, they edit the gallery using your anchor images as reference. It's normal for the edits to not be 100% perfect in the beginning of the relationship. Sometimes it is, and that's just grand when you edit it and it's like, ooh, looks good. But it is normal to be like, oh, by the way, the blacks were super dark and we lost some detail in these, you know, like whatever, just some,
00:38:43
Speaker
some finessing notes to do at the end of that. But I would say after a few galleries, between three and five, if even that many, the editor should have your style pretty down pat after that. This can vary if there's a trickier catalog, but of course you'd let your editor know about that.
00:38:59
Speaker
Yeah, for instance, Ayla has edited, of course, several weddings for me. So she knows what I expect in different lighting situations and overall just in my editing. But of course, if there's a location with like reception lighting, that's like really like a weird hue or a harsh ceremony lighting, something that's like really unique and unexpected for a wedding, she may not be used to editing that for me. So I'll let her know.
00:39:21
Speaker
And one thing that I like that we do is Ayla taught me how to use Loom, which is like a, I don't know if you have done that before, but Loom is like a little... I forgot to put this in the notes. Thank you for bringing up Loom. Yeah. So what I love is that Ayla taught me, so there's this thing called Loom, L-O-O-M, and it's kind of like any little, like it's like Zoom or
00:39:44
Speaker
whatever, but you pre-record it. It's a free browser extension, so it's free for you to use. You can just put it as a clickable button just at the top of your browser, and it starts a little screen recording. It's really good for, yeah. I was just saying, yeah, I love it because I can go through what questions I have for you or little notes of things I want to change and actually show how I edit or how I would do something. Then it screen records me talking and my screen as well, of course, and then I can send that to Ayla.
00:40:14
Speaker
So yeah, I have a few photographers who do that for me. Whenever they send something before I've even started editing it, they'll say like, Oh, here's this, you know, reception, the steps I take for this lighting is this, this, this, and they can actually show me, which is really, really great for visual learners. So yeah, thank you for bringing that up. There's that. And then you can also write it out like in we transfer as well. Exactly.
00:40:35
Speaker
So anyways, when we're thinking about learning the editor, learning your style, I like to think of it as this. If you as the photographer are having a hard time editing a photo shoot, your editor will too. And this is where communication is the key. It can be as simple as including some notes. Like you said, Ayla, when you send the gallery, you edited just something like, Hey, the bride's dress seemed to pick up a lot of blue hues in this wedding. Can you keep an eye on that? Make sure you turn the blue hues down in the whites or this lighting reception was really orange.
00:41:01
Speaker
So, you know, I brought the orange saturation down. Whatever the problem is, just trust me this guarantees much better results from your editor and only takes a moment from your end.
00:41:10
Speaker
Yeah. And like Beth said, that can be either way written out just in your WeTransfer message box or yeah, screen recordings are awesome. We're all photographers, editors, we're all very visual. It helps so much. It just takes a few minutes of your time. So thank you so much for adding that. And I meant to add too, in this process of sending and receiving galleries, most editors will build their photographer for the editing jobs once they've received it.
00:41:33
Speaker
some before they even start editing. Like most will request payment for the editing before they even start the job. So just be prepared for that. Be prepared to pay upfront. I tend to make some exceptions for my long-term clients who I've had for a while and I trust them. But in the beginning, be prepared to pay for a job upfront just as you would expect a client to do for a photo shoot. And then once the job is complete and payment is all taken care of, the editor returns and edited Lightroom catalog back to you.
00:42:02
Speaker
Yes, and the editor is sending you back edited previews, if you remember those. You are then importing those edited previews into your original gallery and then sending them to your client however you normally do that. So your editor should provide you with detailed instructions on how this works. That's another nice thing is don't worry, you're not having to learn all this on your own. Whoever you hire, if they're a good editor, they're gonna have an entire onboarding process in which they share instructions with you and teach you how to do anything, well, most things that you wouldn't already know how to do in regards to editing.
00:42:33
Speaker
Yeah, totally. They should definitely be available for stuff like this because I've had a mix of photographers who know exactly what smart previews are and some who are like, I see that button. I never use it. I don't know. And your editor should totally be able to help you out with that. If they're like, figure it out. I don't know. Definitely find a different editor.
00:42:52
Speaker
So I know that got pretty technical, but that's it. That's the process. And it's also normal for technical difficulties to happen for the first few catalog exchanges as well. So just photographers, be patient with your editor as you learn the process. Your editor may send you an email.
00:43:08
Speaker
saying like, hey, sorry, I can't start editing this gallery because it doesn't look like smart previews were built or I don't have the full image selection or whatever issue may happen. That can be frustrating, but usually it's a really quick fix. So just be prepared to maybe iron some wrinkles out again. Sometimes you just exchange it perfectly the first time and that is great.
00:43:28
Speaker
And that happens pretty often, but it's also very normal to just have some technical issues. And that's another great tool to use Loom, that screen recording that I said. Then you can see, do you know how hard it is to describe technical issues over email, like what people are seeing? It's so nice to just be able to visually see what your photographer is seeing to help you better troubleshoot the problem.
00:43:49
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. It's kind of like a substitute for like a FaceTime call. Yeah. Cause you don't have to schedule a meeting and be at the same place at the same time. So even if you're both busy, you can just send your FaceTime call. Totally. Anyways, that was solid. I feel like we summed that up pretty well. Hopefully.
00:44:04
Speaker
I hope it brings some clarity to any photographers who have been considering outsourcing, but I have no idea what this looks like. For a final little part of this episode, we wanted to quickly cover expectations. What are the expectations of the photographer and what are the expectations of the editor? What can the photographers expect from this business relationship? Ayla, if you want to cover that. Yeah. I'll jump in and talk about what an editor should bring to the table.
00:44:30
Speaker
What is expected of them in the job and then Beth? I'll let you do the same for photographers because I feel like we both have some pretty good things to say on that So all right, I'm talking to the editors here editors your this is my number one your photographers are busy people Especially if they've obviously made the decision to outsource they don't have time to edit so they're busy if they are dream client of yours They're likely very busy all the time, especially this time of year that we're in right now and it's only gonna get crazy You're going into fall
00:45:00
Speaker
Don't feel hurt if they're not emailing you back right away with long, chummy emails like, I'm besties with some of my clients. We're like, how are you doing? Oh my gosh. And then some, it's very professional. Let's make the point and go. And they might not be emailing me back right away if I have a question for them or I sent a gallery. It might be a couple of days actually before they even download it, depending on what the thing is.
00:45:25
Speaker
Just, they may need time to respond to you, they may keep answers short. You are just one part in their busy day, so don't take it too personally if they're not always getting back to you, emails are kept short. That's something I had to learn because I am very personable with my clients. Not saying they're not being personable, I'm just saying like,
00:45:41
Speaker
your one step in their many moving parts of business. So just be aware of that. Be willing to fix and own up to your mistakes. I see it way too often sometimes where editors can be like, this photographer is so picky and this is like blah, blah, blah.
00:45:56
Speaker
Not to say there aren't boundaries that can be crossed in that relationship. Photographers would understand this too with client relationships. Sometimes people are hard and that's okay. But I'm talking about if a photographer gives you very normal feedback about your editing in a gallery, don't take it personally. It's you're not the problem.
00:46:14
Speaker
It's just something that has to be fixed moving forward. Feedback and communication are literally the cornerstones of a healthy editing relationship. They're not being naggy or picky. Their work is precious and unique. And they took years to make their work look the way it does. So it should be treated with respect and be treated that way. So just own up to your not even mistakes, but just if if an edit is not
00:46:35
Speaker
how the client, how your photographer would do it, and they say, hey, in the future, I like the whites to be true white. Can you bring them up? That's not a problem on your end. It's just something that you apply forward, moving forward. And I will just say, I personally don't offer, I don't offer re-edits on a gallery. If I botched it, like just wrong, sure, I'll re-edit it for free, but that's never happened to me. I just say, oh, perfect. I have a running document with your editing notes. I'll add that on there and make sure it's done in future.
00:47:02
Speaker
So yeah, just be willing to continue to fix as the relationship goes on. If something is really wrong, you have to be willing to own up mistakes on your end and have solutions to fix them. And it's no fault of the photographers. Ask permission before sharing a photographer's images always.
00:47:21
Speaker
I shouldn't have to say this, but you know, establish permission before sharing a photographer's image. You have no idea who their clients are. And the clients like talking about their bride and groom or their model or whoever may want their images to be kept private. You never know. I edit some maternity sessions that are very intimate.
00:47:38
Speaker
obviously like that's not for me to share. So ask permission before sharing photos to your socials as well as asking if you can use their raw photos for comparison purposes. This is really crucial in my portfolio sharing but of course I when I ask permission for a photographer I say I'd love to use these on my socials and website. This includes sometimes sharing the unedited photos for comparison
00:48:02
Speaker
Is this something that's okay with you? And of course, if there's ever a shoot that the couple requests to not be shared, please let me know and I won't share it either. I just do this over email. There's probably a better way to do it, but this is established in writing over email. And then establish if your photographer wants to be tagged. Some photographers are totally fine with sharing images and they're like, you don't have to tag me.
00:48:23
Speaker
because it's up to them if they want the world to know that they outsource or not, and that's completely fine. Every photographer I've asked is all good with me tagging them, so that's never been an issue, but just offer that as well if you're going to be asking them. All right, next. Yeah, next step. Sorry, I'm coming to the end of my list here, but next step.
00:48:39
Speaker
that you should expect going into editing, efficiency is key. This kind of goes back to your photographer being busy. This could be a whole other episode, and we did kind of cover workflow recently, but keep your workflow simple and efficient. Busy photographers are not hoping to fill out millions of forms to onboard and have like a 20-step process for each gallery. Eliminate unnecessary steps that would take up time so your photographer can feel at peace, and it's just quick and simple on their end. And be willing to continue
00:49:08
Speaker
to make your process more efficient. That's what slow season is great for. Is there anything that takes too long in the process? Next up, it is not the end of the world. If you can't complete a gallery within your turnaround time, but you have to tell your client immediately, do not leave them hanging, wondering where their gallery is. Let them know you need a bit
00:49:27
Speaker
more time and give them a reasonable due date. There's no problem. I have to do this in my busy season, not often, but probably each of my clients has heard me say like, hey, I would love to take more time on this gallery. Things got a bit busy for me this week. Is tomorrow okay? Or is Friday okay? That should be, and that makes clients more comfortable with you because you're not
00:49:48
Speaker
just not showing up on their expected gallery delivery date and delivery at days later and just hoping they don't notice like just when in doubt communicate clearly. Next up, be honest if there's something that you cannot do, does your client use a sky or skin mask? Do they require Photoshop services or culling?
00:50:05
Speaker
If there's something you don't know how to do or offer, tell them immediately. I told clients before that I'm willing to try something. It was kind of earlier in my career and it was very specific skin masking that I hadn't really gotten into. And I told them, I was like, honestly, I haven't had to do this much. I'm willing to do a trial run and see what it looks like. You can just say, I haven't done this, but let's try it for your gallery and see.
00:50:28
Speaker
how it works. And some clients are like, no, sorry, I need somebody with more experience. Or they're like, yeah, let's try it out. See, maybe it's more simple than you think, right? You can totally be willing to try something, just be really clear with your client that you might be new to that, or that you don't really offer that. That brings them more comfort than insisting, I know how to do it, and then doing it poorly. This is like
00:50:50
Speaker
for me removing objects. I don't really offer a lot of services like that. I can remove people far away in backgrounds. I do that plenty. But when someone's like, oh, this giant chandelier was in the way, can you remove it? I'll be like, no, because what if I said yes. And then it was just the most botched removal job ever. And I was like, here you go, pay me. Like, no, just say no, you might have to consult more professional services for that.
00:51:12
Speaker
Yeah, good points, good points on all of that. I think that's a very good thorough list. So I guess I'll chat about photographers or chat to photographers now. Here's what you can expect to bring to the table and what your editor needs from you to give you their best work. Like we said in the beginning, your editor is not your employee. That's a really good note.
00:51:30
Speaker
They are another professional and you are participating in a business transaction. They should not be expected to be on call for you and if you had an editing emergency and need a faster turnaround than what's in your contract, that's okay. Just understand they may not be able to meet those needs or you may have to pay extra. In addition to what Ayla said about communication with your editing style and providing feedback, understand that your editor is a human being. Imperfect edits may happen in the beginning and it's not because they're bad at their job. Have grace as you provide feedback with your editor
00:52:00
Speaker
And if you find yourself unhappy with gallery after gallery, it is possible you may need to switch editors or look back and see if you've communicated well. Have you been communicating your editing notes? It's normal to make a few little tweaks before sending your gallery to your client. So as long as you're not extensively fixing the edits or redoing the whole gallery, it's a normal part of the process.
00:52:23
Speaker
And know if you are being too picky. This is an important note that I want to make on behalf of photographers. A great way to gauge this is if you wouldn't do it yourself, why would you expect your editor to do it automatically? Editors are meant to be an extension of you. So if you wouldn't even be that picky with yourself, if you wouldn't go through and change something super small and specific on every single edit, then just realize that and they probably won't either.
00:52:49
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. And overall, just like I said, make sure you've communicated an editing note before getting frustrated with your editor. This has not happened to me, but I've heard it happen kind of within the industry is eventually a photographer may like ghost their editor or stop sending them work. And it's like you were always overexposing my images, but like nowhere in the relationship did you say, Hey, I'm finding that these are a little overexposed. Can we bring them down?
00:53:12
Speaker
That kind of speaks for itself. If it's something you're noticing yourself being frustrated with, have you let them know that? Because chances are if you let them know, they'll change it. And then if they continue to not, that's a separate problem, but just make sure you have pointed that out to them. Or else, how would they know? Yeah, exactly.
00:53:28
Speaker
Okay. So during busy seasons, your editor may need an extra day or two for gallery completion. Again, this is normal. If you have a strict and close due date for a gallery, let your editor know it's so important to have this communication. I definitely sent a like calories where I had to say, I need this within a week. Like it's super important. And it was, and also acknowledge that that's kind of your fault. If you can't get the gallery to them until it's a last minute thing,
00:53:53
Speaker
Just know that that's a you problem. I know that sounds kind of mean to say, but that's a you problem. So you have no idea if they're going to have time for that. Okay. So another one, this isn't necessary, but if you're loving the results of a gallery, take two minutes and let your editor know. So this is kind of on the flip side. So you don't have to send a lengthy email full on praising them for every little thing, but you know, something like the gallery looks amazing. I was able to send it straight to my couple with no edits. Thanks again. It goes a long way.
00:54:23
Speaker
If you do wanna send more details and say, oh my gosh, you just did amazing with this part of the editing, thank you so much for being consistent with this, that also again goes a long way and further helps your editor understand what you like and dislike and it's just gonna benefit you because your galleries are gonna come back more consistent, the works just gonna keep getting better because they know exactly how to serve you.
00:54:43
Speaker
yeah totally like you said like not necessary like it's very normal to just like send off your gallery your photographer downloads it and that's just the relationship all good no feedback is good feedback like if a photographer has nothing to say it means they didn't have to change anything so that is good but selfishly i will say just a little encouragement a little i'm a like words of affirmation person i just it doesn't it can be gallery looks great thank you so much goes a long way because then i know i did that correctly i can apply everything i did to the next one so
00:55:11
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. And just like photographers, you'd want somebody who was a client to come to and say they love their images. So it's a little bit different, but still everybody likes to hear it. All right. And I know not every photographer likes this, but be willing to edit your anchor images. Okay. At least in the beginning of the business relationship.
00:55:29
Speaker
It's okay to have the goal of editing less anchor images as time goes on, I guess, or maybe none over time, but that can happen a lot faster if you're willing to edit in the beginning and edit as much as you can. Again, if you can't just edit one or two photos in a wedding day that are during like perfect lighting during bride and groom sunset portraits.
00:55:49
Speaker
and expect the editor to know how you deal with indoor getting ready photos, how you do harsh ceremony lighting, how you handle flash photos at the reception or orange hues and indoor lit reception. It's just you have to edit as many as you can if you want your goal to be a smoother process in the future.
00:56:07
Speaker
oh preach preach yeah and the reason i include the goal of less over time is i'm finding that more and more with um like other i'm in lots of groups for editing like with other editors and stuff and a lot of them are saying like i have a client who doesn't want to do anchor images and i'm like oh it's so hard because i get it again i get that you're busy but i have a note about anchor images
00:56:27
Speaker
Right here. It's just oh it helps so much like the biggest goal I hear is just like consistency and quickness within editing and anchor images are just so Essential to that so I've started kind of offering with people like the goal of less over time I don't offer no anchor images at this point because it's just I've tried that early in my career I've tried to edit without anchor images and the clients never happy honestly I
00:56:50
Speaker
The client is like, oh, can you look at past work I've done and edit like that? And it's just, it's not, it's really not that it's not easy to do. Some people are probably really gifted and can do it quickly. But for me, if you want it to be done quickly, having it like pre-edited within that gallery.
00:57:05
Speaker
is essential. And just like Beth said, yeah, if you edit the two most perfect like couples outdoor at sunset pictures and say, make the rest of the gallery look like that, it's almost impossible because you have so many situations. So definitely be willing to do as many as you can in the beginning. I've done this for Beth and a few other clients whose style I have down pat. I do say like, Oh, if you
00:57:25
Speaker
are short on time, and you need to edit less. I've got your style, but not like I've got it. But yeah, like Beth said, in the beginning, as much as possible. And if you're happy to just keep doing as much as possible, again, that continues to guarantee consistency for you. And then one last point I like to mention with anchor images is this. Anchor images are what allow you to keep your editing creativity while simultaneously handing it over to another person. So earlier, I kind of talked about burnout, and you might feel like you're losing your creativity.
00:57:53
Speaker
handing over your editing is a great way to keep your style and your touch and your brand on your photos, but not have to do it to every single photo. My main client base is very creative photographers who love to play with shadows, cropping, colors, black and white, which are my favorite ones to edit as a fellow like very creative person. I love Beth is kind of my main client who does this for me, but I have a few others who do too.
00:58:16
Speaker
who are like, hey, I had so much fun with this wedding. Feel free. I found that fun cropping really worked well. And that's just some subjective takes that you get to have some free range with, hopefully, if that's the relationship. That's very unique. Not every editor might want to do that, and that's fine. That's my bread and butter. That's what I love to do. But you editing anchor images throughout an entire gallery, a couple for getting ready, a couple for ceremony, a couple
00:58:42
Speaker
for maybe the couple went inside this super dark moody cabin and you've done completely different lighting that you've never done before as a photographer and you're playing around with it. That's a chance for you to get creative and decide how you want these really nice edits to look and still hand it over to somebody and they just do it to the rest. So it's absolutely, you should not be losing any creative control. You should not be losing
00:59:06
Speaker
any of your brand, because that's a worry I've heard from photographers who are hesitant to outsource. They're like, I don't want to lose the quality of my work. And Anchor Images is how you do that. It's literally your work being cloned over and over by me, your clone, hopefully, because it's like you've already put your breath and your voice into it. So that's my main way to sell Anchor Images. It's not that I want to edit less pictures for you. It's that I want it to look the best it can be. And it's you. It's not me doing anything to your images. It's you and what you've already what you've already decided the gallery is going to look like.
00:59:35
Speaker
And that's the other thing is like, sometimes I think I had a shoot on my portfolio once that had like desert red rock in it. And I've had someone say, can you make my images look like this? And they send me pictures in the forest, beautiful images. It's not the same place. I have like no way to necessarily make them look, I can do the same preset that was used in that other one, but it's not gonna look the same because it's a different place, right? Like every shoot is completely 100% precious and unique.
01:00:02
Speaker
and your editor should be treating your work that way and it starts with you treating your work that way. So overall your editor should feel like somebody you can trust who understands you and wants to help you up level your photography business. While it's a professional relationship I love finding little friends in my clients and just like hyping them up
01:00:19
Speaker
and my emails and socials, especially during busy season, it's hilarious. Sometimes the conversations I have with some of my photographers who are just like, we're both drowning. And we just get to come together over that, have little friendships. That's how it should feel. You should be having a new business hype person, somebody you trust, somebody you're thankful who came into your business, and somebody who you genuinely, just like you love that connection with. I feel like it should feel really good to send work off to your editor because you can trust that it's gonna come back. It's gonna be what you need it to be.
01:00:49
Speaker
It shouldn't be hard or stressful. Again, not to say that the beginning doesn't have kinks you have to work out, but it should be a good relationship. That's the only way I can think of how to say it. It should just feel good every time. Yeah, I love that. I mean, there's a reason that I recommend outsourcing editing as the first best recommendation for photographers. I just reflect on how it changed my life and my career. And I mean, I guess just to sum it up,
01:01:19
Speaker
I had more time to have a life outside of work, which is always the goal to have a good life work balance. And I absolutely feel like my work improved because like you said with burnout, I wasn't hating editing. So it went from going to have to edit, you know, thousands of photos to editing those anchor images and really pouring my heart and soul into them. And then the bulk of the kind of just repetitive work went off to the editor.
01:01:46
Speaker
And so it just felt like everything was more organized. There's not an aspect of my business that didn't improve after I outsource editing. I had more time, yeah, I had more time to respond to clients in a timely manner, more time to advertise, which meant posting on social media. So I got more clients. I had more time to do things like workshops. I could work on my website on the side. I just, each session was less of a, and each wedding was less of a burden and now felt more like it's a job that I love.
01:02:15
Speaker
because it's such a daunting task to have to have like a few weddings in the month plus other sessions. And then you sit down and realize how much editing that is. And again, some people want to do that, but I'm just telling you, when you get to a certain size in your business, you need to outsource. It's going to benefit you.
01:02:35
Speaker
Even if you think, no, but I can do it all by myself. Okay, you can, but is it going to be as good? Is your life going to be as good as if you outsourced? Like I said, there's not one part of my life that it didn't improve. Thank you so much for sharing that.
01:02:51
Speaker
I mean so much to me just as your friend, but also like I want that for other clients so much that feeling of like, Oh, why didn't I do this sooner? Not in a bad way, but you know, like this is great. This is what I want to keep doing for my business. I love that feeling so much. And again, I'm not trying to just like, you know, toot my own horn over here.
01:03:10
Speaker
But you're not the only client to mine that's felt that way and not in an I'm so great. That's what the process is completely set up to be. Oh, and just a side note, if finances are something you're worried about, like if your budget is something that you're worried about, first off, double check your prices.
01:03:25
Speaker
And this might be kind of like a slow thing that happens over time whenever you do raise your prices, but your editor can probably help you with this too. But just generally learn some rates of what editors are charging and kind of figure out what that would look like for you. Do some quick math on what that would look like for you. Oh, my gallery sizes are usually about this size. This editor charges this much. This is about this many dollars per wedding, $300 per wedding or whatever.
01:03:49
Speaker
And then see if you have to reevaluate your packages to include that. Like it's it sounds hard, but it's actually just some pretty simple addition and subtraction that needs to happen to make sure that your wedding packages are compensating for that because you definitely should be able to incorporate this as an expense. It's just as important as any other business expense if your business reaches that level. So hopefully prices aren't the reason that you're holding back from this. But if it is, it's worth the changes that you might have to make in your business to compensate for it.
01:04:19
Speaker
Man, it's a business expense. We talk about write-offs all the time on here. Like, you know, write that off.
01:04:25
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. To go along with what you're saying, if you find that you're too busy, but you don't make enough money to outsource, but you're overwhelmed, I promise you, that's a price problem. I promise you. It's an investment into your health, your business, and your happiness. It's an investment. But guess what? You get way more in return than you put out. You get more time. You get more freedom. You get more consistency. You get your love back for your work. You're a better worker. It's an investment. And you get more for your investment.
01:04:55
Speaker
Well, amazing. Thank you. Yeah, thank you guys so much for sticking around. Thank you, Beth, for just like your input. I think it's so valuable to have a photographer who's done this because I can hype up outsourcing all day as the outsourcer, you know, as the person who makes money from it. But it's so awesome to have your input as well as like, it is so worth it.
01:05:14
Speaker
for your photography business and honestly I know a lot I can speak for a lot of editors on this point it's work I really love to do and not just for the actual editing part but it's so rewarding to actually like get to help cultivate that change in photographers lives and
01:05:29
Speaker
I've become really passionate just about business in the last couple of years and I love looking at ways to improve business, to streamline business and this is just one of them too. So I get really hyped about it. So yeah, thanks so much for your input on it and thanks to everyone else for listening along. I really, I wanted this episode to be helpful and I really think it was. So thanks for sticking around.
01:05:47
Speaker
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01:06:08
Speaker
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