Photography is a field filled with passion and love. It’s not just about the camera, but it is the emotion, the mood, the inspiration, a photographer steals in a flash. But is the ability to capture the essence of the moment, is all that’s required? Well, sadly for most photographers out there the answer is, NO. Below we have compiled a list of 10 DIY tools that’ll not only help you market and edit your pictures but will also help create a strong identity for your photography business.
For starters with limited pocket-size, this is a significant problem. Besides the expense management, they have to strategies what tool to have and what to leave for the moment. In addition to your incredible talent, you require some artificial support, so that your work gets enhanced, marketed, and all the other things necessary to survive and stand-out amongst the rest in the field.
10 Amazing DIY Photography Tools
1. WordPress
You need this one when aiming to achieve high in the field. WordPress is an online platform that helps you create your own website, blog, or both, with no hassle of finding a developer, holding discussing, and getting one made. At WordPress, you can choose a website layout from hundreds of photography themed templates and customise them to choice. The best part is WordPress creates mobile-friendly websites/ blogs and when in need or confusion you can always ask for free expert advice.
For a photographer having a website or blog of own proves very helpful in attracting potential clients. So, don’t wait, search for wordpress.com and get started with your website.
2. Canva
Photography is about clicking beautiful, meaningful pictures, but photography business has more layers to it than just images. One such layer is that of creating a strong visual identity that would represent you on all possible mediums, including Facebook and Instagram. Canva is a fantastic online tool that helps photography startups build a stunning brand identity – it enables you to create a Photography logo, visiting cards, banners, posters, pamphlets, and all that is known as business material. Advantages of Canva don’t just end here, it even lets you create social media graphics for different platforms, each sized according to respective channels requirement. So, forget about finding a graphic designer and DIY your photography business needs with Canva.
Photography is a visual-based profession, and, therefore, you can’t afford to compromise with own visual identity. Use of Canva amazing user-friendly interface and professionally designed layouts and paint a personality for yourself that’s tough to challenge.
3. Tiny PNG
As the name suggests, TinyPNG is a tool that helps you compress images, making them apt for your website or blog. The thing is uploading heavy pictures on a site makes it slow, thus making it look not-so-good in Goggles eye (something you sure don’t want). Second, it irritates the user landing on your page, ultimately forcing them to leave a half loaded page. Therefore, always first compress your images using a secure tool and then upload them to your site. TinyPNG is an excellent alternative to expensive software and lets you compress up to 20 images, max under 5MB each at once.
4. SEMrush
Clicking beautiful pictures and posting them online won’t do the trick, you need to pour in more efforts making sure what you have published is viewed. For that to happen, you’ll have to optimise your content; you’ll have to include keywords that are searched the most regarding your picture. This way your website will enjoy greater tariff and that too genuine one.
It’s no joke to create a well-optimised content; the work requires a digital marketing strategist. Starters can make the job done using alternative tools like SEMrush and develop optimised content themselves without any paid help.
5. Grammarly
Many may argue that this language editing tool is a bit out of place amongst the crowd of all photography related talks. We however feel otherwise and in a bit you’ll know why. As a photographer, there is a lot you have to do apart from clicking pictures, and that’s sending or replying to client emails, creating social media content, and at times even write a blog related to your passion. In all the tasks mentioned above, Grammarly would be your keen partner helping you correct those silly typos and grammar errors. After all who wants to send an error-filled write-up to the client and spoil his impression.
6. Google My Business
What happens when someone types your or your business name into the Google search bar? All the pages with your listing pop up, right. Now, with Google My Business you can create your very own Google listing both on Google search and maps. It’ll help you stand-out, make you appear genuine, and would attract more customers. You can include information about your business like address, timings, images, website, etc. and even engage with customers by replying them and also update them about latest offers.
7. SurveyMonkey
Another great and unconventional photography tool is the SurveyMonkey. This one here is a survey tool that’ll help you understand your clients better, ultimately improving your services and customer base. Using this tool, you can create interactive surveys, send them out to your clients/post them on your website or social media channels, and at the end generate meaningful insights. Doing this will help you understand, what clients expect from a photographer, things that make them comfortable, and other such useful insights.
8. iStock Photo
After taking some really nice shots, how about selling them and earning a few bugs. Sounds great, isn’t it! Well, iStockPhoto is a reliable platform that’ll give you a better understanding of the photo selling world and help you find your ground in the said world. Talking in terms of numbers, every time one of your images is downloaded from iStock the site pays you a standard royalty of 15%. It can go up to 45% depending on your pictures popularity and demand.
9. Snapseed
Snapseed is a Google developed photo-editing application available for both Android and iOS users. It is regarded as one of the best in the field mainly because of the incredible control it offers to the user. In totality it allows you to edit a picture in nine different ways with the help of editing tools like healing tool, brush tool, saturation and colour temptation tool, and more.
10. Instagram
We have saved the best and the little obvious one for the last. For a photographer there’s nothing more bad than missing out on Instagram advantages. It is a platform that gives your shots a global platform for everyone see and appreciate your work. We recommend to switch on to business profile as it makes you appear more of a professional and comes with Instagram Insights benefits.
Now that you know about all the necessary and benefiting DIY tools for your photography business, stop wasting another second and penny of yours in nonsense ventures. And get on to some good work done quickly.
