A photographer’s time is extremely valuable. If a photograph is not shooting then revenue stops flowing into the business. Conversely as a photographer frees up his time so that he can shoot more sessions in a week, revenue into the business increases. Outsourcing tasks is one way in which a photographer can create more time to shoot. This article looks at some tasks which can be successfully outsourced and suggests some ways in which the outsourcing might successfully take place.
1. Image selection and editing. Image selection and editing for most photographers take up as much time as does editing. Album creation also fits in this category. As a result a photographer who can have someone else do this work at the same quality or better of what he does will quickly free up resources to grow his business. There exist companies who focus on only doing this type of work. This work can be outsourced to them. In addition and individuals are willing to perform this work as employees or on a contract basis. If the work is given to someone who will not be working from the office, a photography business will need to plan on transferring large files on a regular basis. Another option to solve this remote problem is to employ remote technology to allow experienced workers to access the files through a Go-To-My-PC or other remote platform.
2. Ordering. There are services which, for a fee, will after the photographer has uploaded his pictures, display the images and then take and fulfill the orders. The bite of course comes from the service taking a large chunk of the purchase price. However, if a photographer is swamped with work this is an effective way to free up some time.
3. Online Marketing. Online marketing has become an increasingly important way in which photographers get additional clients. This work can be performed from anywhere. Usually a photographer just writes a quick not to add to the blog. The photographer can write that quick note as soon as he is finished editing a session. Someone else can then upload the proofs to the web, upload a sneak peek and comments to the blog and tag the client on Facebook.
Photographers are a busy bunch. They can increase their availability for more shoots or increase the amount of time they spend with their families by outsourcing some of the redundant non creative tasks to others.
