The Best Outsourcing Tools for Photographers: Save Time & Scale Your Business
As photographers, we wear a lot of hats—shooting, editing, emailing clients, scheduling, marketing, and everything in between. But the secret to scaling your business while avoiding burnout is outsourcing.
By delegating repetitive or time-consuming tasks, you can focus on revenue-generating activities like booking more clients, refining your craft, and delivering a top-notch experience.
So, what tools and services are the best for outsourcing as a photographer? Here’s a breakdown of my favorite outsourcing tools to help you streamline your workflow and reclaim your time.
1. Client Relationship Management (CRM) Systems
A solid CRM (Client Relationship Management system) keeps everything in one place—inquiries, contracts, invoices, email templates, and scheduling. If you’re still managing everything manually, switching to a CRM will be a game-changer.
💡 Best CRMs for Photographers:
✔️ HoneyBook – Perfect for beginners, easy to use, and great for solo photographers.
✔️ Tave – Best for studios or photographers managing a team. More advanced automation features.
👉 Pro Tip: If you’re setting up a CRM for the first time, I highly recommend hiring a pro to configure it correctly. Jen Bays at Success Beyond the Lens is fantastic for setting up HoneyBook.
2. Gallery & Image Delivery Systems
Your gallery system should be fast, user-friendly, and make online sales easy for your clients.
📸 Best Client Gallery Platforms:
✔️ Pic-Time – My personal favorite! Offers great online sales features for albums and prints.
✔️ Pixieset – Another solid choice with a user-friendly interface.
✔️ CloudSpot – Great for branding and a fantastic alternative to Pixieset.
💡 Pro Tip: When choosing a gallery system, look at how well it integrates with print sales to add an extra revenue stream to your business.
3. Outsourcing Photo Editing & Culling
Editing is one of the biggest time-sucks in a photographer’s workflow. If you’re spending hours behind your computer instead of booking clients, it’s time to outsource your editing.
🎞 Best Editing Tools & Services:
✔️ Aftershoot – AI-powered culling & editing to speed up your workflow. (Try my affiliate link for a discount!)
✔️ Imagen AI – Another great AI-based editor that learns your style over time.
✔️ RetouchUp – Perfect for outsourcing quick, detailed edits like skin retouching or background removal.
✔️ Private Editors – If your edits require a lot of hands-on work, hiring a professional editor (either on-staff or freelance) is the best option.
💡 Pro Tip: If you shoot high volumes (like weddings), using Aftershoot or Imagen AI for initial edits and having a private editor refine them is a great hybrid solution.
4. Virtual Assistants & Studio Managers
If admin tasks are eating up too much of your time, a virtual assistant (VA) or studio manager can take over things like:
📩 Answering emails
📅 Scheduling calls
📷 Sending galleries to vendors
📝 Organizing contracts and invoices
💼 Where to Find Virtual Assistants:
✔️ Upwork – A great place to hire freelancers for admin work.
✔️ OnlineJobs.ph – A fantastic resource for finding full-time or part-time VAs.
💡 Pro Tip: If you’re managing a team of photographers, a studio manager is a must-have to keep everything running smoothly.
5. Social Media Management & Scheduling
Posting content every day can be exhausting, but using a scheduler makes it so much easier.
📲 Best Social Media Scheduling Tools:
✔️ Meta Business Suite – Free and great for scheduling Instagram & Facebook posts.
✔️ Later – Easy drag-and-drop scheduler, great for Instagram & TikTok.
✔️ Planoly – Another excellent Instagram scheduler with grid planning features.
✔️ HootSuite – Best for scheduling across multiple platforms.
💡 Pro Tip: Schedule your social media posts at least a week in advance so you can focus on engagement and growth instead of scrambling to post daily.
6. Album & Product Sales Services
If you want to increase your revenue without extra work, outsourcing album design and product sales is a no-brainer.
📖 Best Album & Print Sales Services:
✔️ Storybook Design Co. – Full-service album & wall art sales. They handle the entire process from design to client ordering.
✔️ Pic-Time & Pixieset Storefronts – Great built-in print and album sales options.
💡 Pro Tip: Outsourcing album design & print sales allows you to offer premium products without having to manage the back-and-forth of revisions yourself.
Start Outsourcing & Free Up Your Time
Outsourcing is the fastest way to streamline your workflow, reduce stress, and grow your photography business without working 24/7. By using the right tools and services, you can focus on what actually moves your business forward—booking clients, improving your craft, and making more money.
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