10 Signs that You May Be Ready to Outsource Your Editing
Last week, I shared a blog post that highlighted a few signs that mean you may not quite be ready to outsource your editing with a private photo editor. Maybe after reading that article, you realized that outsourcing is not for you, and that’s okay! Outsourcing a task like editing is not for everyone, and it’s okay if you’re not in a place in your business where you are able to do it right now.
If you read that blog post and found yourself not relating to any of the points I mentioned, then that could be a sign that you are ready to start working with an editor. If you’ve been wondering if outsourcing your editing is right for you, then you’ll want to keep reading, because today, I’m sharing 10 signs that mean you may be ready to outsource your editing with a private photo editor!
Here’s a quick overview:
- You have a Consistent Shooting and Editing Style
- You Raised Your Prices Within the Last Year
- You’re Frequently Behind on Delivering Catalogs
- Editing Overwhelms You
- You Need More Time in Your Day
- You’re Booking 15+ Weddings a Year
- You’re Not Getting Referrals or Repeat Clients
- You Hate Editing
- You’re Not Getting Enough Time with Family
- You Want to Book More Weddings/Sessions
- Work with us!
1. You have a Consistent Shooting and Editing Style
No matter how long you’ve been doing photography, if you have your shooting and editing styles down pat, you might be ready to outsource your editing! These are two of the biggest things that cause issues when photographers try to outsource. If your style isn’t consistent, it’s difficult for an editor to try to figure out how you want them to edit your images. Consistent shooting and editing styles aren’t the only things you need in order to be ready to outsource, but they’re two of the most important things you’ll need to master before bringing on an editor.
2. You Raised Your Prices Within the Last Year
If you’re booking enough weddings and/or sessions to raise your prices, you may be ready to outsource with an editor. With a price raise, you’re promising your clients an elevated experience if they book your services. Making sure they receive their images in a timely manner by outsourcing ensures that they are getting a next level experience with you. As an added bonus, if you are raising your prices, you can raise them enough to cover the cost of outsourcing and still make your desired income.
3. You’re Frequently Behind on Delivering Catalogs
If your style is consistent and you feel confident in your work, but your client’s experience is suffering because you’re constantly behind on delivering catalogs, then it’s time to consider outsourcing to a photo editor. In a competitive market, having beautiful work is not always enough to build a thriving photography business. Client experience can make or break a business, and if you are constantly late in file delivery, you end up with a lot of dissatisfied customers. Keep your clients happy and coming back for more when you deliver their galleries quickly!
4. Editing Overwhelms You
We say it all the time around here: you became a photographer to capture precious moments from behind the camera, not to spend hours slaving away behind a computer. Being responsible for a session or weddings from start to finish can be a daunting task. Not only do you have to show up and capture your client’s memories, but then you have to cull, edit, and deliver the images in a timely manner. It can become incredibly overwhelming! Don’t let editing paralyze you from getting your client’s catalog delivered within your promised turnaround time. Take some of that stress off your plate by letting someone else do a task that overwhelms you.
5. You Need More Time in Your Day
Owning a small business is not an easy task. Many small business owners are one-woman-shows and they are constantly trying to figure out how to get everything done. There’s marketing, emailing, blogging, posting on social media, bookkeeping, invoicing, designing, all while trying to photograph clients and keep them happy. You’re juggling a million tasks and eventually, you’re going to start dropping some of them. Don’t let areas of your business suffer because you’re trying to get it all done and don’t have enough time in the day. Focus on the tasks you’re great at and outsource the tasks that you really struggle with. Freeing up that time in your day will help you be able to strengthen your business all around.
6. You’re Booking 15+ Weddings a Year
You could be booking 5 weddings a year and still choose to outsource, but if you’re booking 15 or more weddings a year, you will definitely want to start thinking about it. 15 weddings a year is a pretty big workload. Not to mention usually with those 15 weddings comes engagement sessions and bridal sessions, as well as any other photography work you choose to take on. You will find your schedule filling up quickly with that workload, so consider outsourcing so you still have personal time and time to grow other areas of your business!
7. You’re Not Getting Referrals or Repeat Clients
If your clients aren’t coming back to work with you again, or if they aren’t referring new clients your way, then something might be wrong with your client experience. As I mentioned above, photography is an incredibly competitive market, and having beautiful work isn’t always enough to keep clients coming back for more. If your clients feel disappointed with your turnaround times, they might consider finding another photographer with a similar style but faster turnaround time. Make sure you keep them happy and coming back for more with both an elevated experience AND beautiful work by outsourcing with a private editor!
8. You Hate Editing
A survey conducted by Casey Fatchett Photography revealed that 53% of wedding photographers spend eight hours or more on editing. Eight hours for fifteen weddings (on average) a year is equal to five 24-hour days a year. Why spend that time doing a task you hate when you could be spending doing other things that you love? Life is too short to spend that amount of time doing something we hate, so focus on what you love and outsource the rest!
9. You’re Not Getting Enough Time with Family
If you feel like you’re never getting enough time with family, you’re not the only small business owner to feel this way. Our business can take over our entire lives if we let them, which is why outsourcing is such a great option for photographers. You probably started your business to allow yourself more freedom with your time. If you’re like me, you did it so you could have the flexibility to be home with kids while bringing in an income. Don’t let your spouse, your kids, or your friends suffer because of your business. They love and support you, and they want to be able to spend time with you! We only have so many minutes here on this Earth, why waste it editing when you could be spending it with your loved ones?
10. You Want to Book More Weddings/Sessions
If you’re already booking to your full capacity, but you want to be booking more, then it’s time to start outsourcing that editing! Outsourcing frees up valuable time that you could be spending growing your business. Whether it’s meeting with new clients, photographing more weddings or sessions, or adding an educational element to your business, more time in your day means more time to grow those streams of revenue within your business!
Think you might be ready to start outsourcing? Contact us for more information about working with a private photo editor! We can’t wait to hear from you!
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