^{photo by RossHelen via iStock}

Since I can’t actually work with any clients right now, I’m doing as much research about photography business tools as possible. I’m pretty sure there’s not an app I haven’t heard of at this point!

With so many tools for your photography business on the market, it can be difficult to understand which ones will actually improve your photography workflow and which ones will just be a gigantic waste of time and money.  

I can’t tell you the amount of time I’ve put into photography business apps that have ended up not working for my company...

So, in an effort to help you figure out which tools you need, I’ve created this list. All of the tools for your photography business on this list have been tried and tested, and many of them have either a free trial or a free version so you’re sure to improve your business without an initial monetary investment. 

Let’s get to it!

Podium: To Message Clients

 ^{photo by Geber86 via iStock}

Podium is the first tool on this list because it completely changed how I run my business. 

Podium allows you to communicate with all of your clients in a single platform. It basically acts as an incredibly cheap secretary and pools all of your texts, messages from social media accounts, and messages from coworkers. 

That way, you don’t need to log onto 10 different platforms a day. 

Unlike the other tools for your photography business on this list, Podium also allows you to send invoices and reminders for invoices to your clients. It will save you time and money. It also makes running a business, especially for beginners, so much easier!

Plus, as anyone who has been in the photography industry for any amount of time knows, the faster you respond to leads, the greater your chances of turning prospective clients into real clients. Podium helps you be the fastest in your area. 

The Podium app works directly from your phone, so you don’t even need to be near a computer to make sure you don’t miss an important client message. 

Podium also allows you to get more great reviews on major platforms like Yelp that so many of us have come to dread, but seriously rely on. It’s much less awkward to ask clients for a good review with a single touch of a button, which means you’re going to be more likely to actually ask.  

Podium also features a free trial so you can see how it works before purchasing anything. You can get a free trial right here. 

If you enjoy the free trial, you can purchase a subscription. Subscriptions differ on how many locations you have and how many products you buy, but they start at $400 a month. 

Learn More:

• Use These Photography Business Tips to Make More Money
• Free Marketing Ideas for Your Photography Business

Pixieset: To Create Galleries for Your Clients

A lot of the tools for your photography business are about the backend, but not Pixieset. 

Pixieset prevents you from sending a Google Drive file filled with your client’s photographs, because let’s face it, Google Drive files are ugly.

Pixieset allows you to create galleries for your clients so your photos can be immediately presented in their best light.

Plus, you can put a watermark on each photo in the gallery so nobody screenshots your work.

Pixieset is also one of the best tools for your photography business because it works for clients too. They can favorite specific photos on the platform so they don’t need to keep track of the number to send to you.

Besides, you can try Pixieset for free, and they have many other affordable options. Heck, even their highest-priced plan is just $40/month!

What’s not to like about that?!

Editor's Tip: Add to your list of must-have tools a high-quality memory card. There is no point in buying cheap cards because they are more likely to be less reliable in the long-run. Instead, consider memory cards as an investment for the long-term. I use ProGrade memory cards and I have been highly impressed with their speed, functionality, and reliability. My cameras support UHS-II cards, and ProGrade has several UHS-II card options of different sizes to meet different needs. When my Canon EOS R5 comes in, you can bet I'll have a ProGrade CF Express card waiting in the wings!

Canva: To Design Graphics

I was really lucky and actually found Canva years ago. It’s one of the tools for your photography business you’ll have wished you found years ago too.

Canva is basically like a simpler version of PhotoShop or InDesign, except with dozens and pre-built templates specifically designed for social media.

Sure, you don’t get all the tools and customization options that you get with something like Photoshop, but when time is of the essence, it does the trick.

It saves me dozens of hours a month and spares me a lot of headaches. I don’t especially enjoy building graphics for social media, but with Canva, it takes only a few minutes.

You can also create welcome packets, proposals or pricing sheets online and simply send the URL to your clients to examine.

Plus, it’s completely free for individuals. Imagine a world where the best tools for your photography business are free! Give Canva a shot today.

Learn More:

• Things You Can Do Right Now to Help Your Business After Covid
• The Most Overlooked Success Tip for Photographers