It’s that time of year again, friends. And if you’re a photographer, you know exactly what I’m talking about. That’s right… busy-season! Doesn’t it feel like we just wrapped up busy-season!?! Anyway, here we go again. And I just want to be the first to say that you are going to CRUSH IT. My biggest piece of encouragement is to give yourself grace, and the rest will fall into place. You’ve got this! With that being said, I want to help set you up for success as we dive into these next several months. So without further ado, let’s get into it. I’d like to dub this as “The Wedding Photographer’s Busy-Season Survival Guide” 😉
Review Your Workflow
I’m talking about everything from your emails to your contracts. Ensuring that your pricing and packages are up to date will help eliminate any stress that could be looming over your head come busy-season. I also highly encourage going through your workflow and automating as much as you can. The CRM that I use (and swear by) is Honeybook. With Honeybook, I’m able to automate any tasks that I don’t necessarily need to have “hands on”. I can’t recommend them enough. Click to save 20% off your first year of Honeybook!
I also make sure all of email templates are updated. If you’re also looking to “beef up” your email game, my friend (and business partner) Sarah and I created a FREE✨ email template for YOU! With our magic email, getting ghosted will be a thing of the past. CLICK HERE🤗 to claim your freebie.
Update Your Website
Just as you update your contracts and emails with appropriate, up-to-date information, ensure that this is also reflected on your website! The last thing you want to do amidst the endless hours of editing is go in and update your website.
Review Your Clients’ Projects
If you use Honeybook (or any other customer relationship management system), refamiliarize yourself with the information. Go through the day-of-timeline, ensure that you know where the reception takes place, etc. Even though you will reference this information a few more times before their wedding day, now is the perfect time to gather any info you might not have.
Line Up Second Shooters
Personally, I like to have my second shooters lined up within about 6 months in advance. Not only does this help me from feeling like I’m scrambling to find someone at the last minute, but this also shows my clients how much I value them and their wedding day.
Get Your Gear Professionally Cleaned
This is 100% a necessity before diving into months of shooting. I have always used Canon Professional Services CPS. If you happen to live in California, you can actually just drop your gear up and pick it up a couple days later. I’ve always shipped my gear (for free), and it’s been returned within 3-4 business days. Everything looks sparkly and brand new! Think of it as “spring cleaning”, but for your camera 😉
Tie Up Any Loose Ends
If you’ve been working on any projects or campaigns, now is the opportune time to wrap those up. Finalize any guides you’ve been working on, get your campaigns in order, and get ready to put those aside. I just know I won’t have any extra time to dedicate to those “extras” I started during “slow-season”.
You’ve GOT THIS. The wedding photographer’s busy-season survival guide will help set you up for success and prepare you for the next several, hectic months. As you check these things off your list, remember that you have the best job in the world (if I do say so myself). Keep that in mind, give yourself grace, and go kick some butt!!
Additional Resources:
Wedding Tips – Follow me on Instagram @morganelizabethphotos 🤩
Photographer Resources – Click here 📸
Fresh, new prompts for couples – Snag your guide here 🙌🏻
