14 Tools I Couldn’t Run My Photography Business Without in 2024

Over my many years in business as a wedding photographer and as a coach & educator for photographers, I’ve had the opportunity to test so many different tools. I’ve compared CRM software and culling tools and shared my experiences here on this blog. In most of these articles, I will mention which ones I use, but I realized I don’t think I’ve ever written a post that lists them all in one place. So that’s what this article is: a list of the tools I couldn’t run my photography business without.

Why Do You Even Need Photography Business Tools?

When I first started out, I tried to save as much money as possible. So I used as many free tools as possible. I used Google Docs to create invoices, kept track of workflows on a spreadsheet on my computer, and delivered images with We Transfer or a free Dropbox account.

But as my business grew, I realized that many of the free tools that I was using were not helping me create efficient (or secure) workflows. So I started trying out different paid tools, and the ones listed below are ones that were 100% worth the price and ones I couldn’t live without in my business in 2024.

My Must-Have Photography Business Workflow Tools

The following tools are invaluable for the day-to-day running of my business:

Dubsado

Dubsado wasn’t the first CRM I tested. Over the years I’ve tried and tested many. But as soon as I tested Dubsado, I was convinced this was the best option for my photography business. I was even offered a free account for one of the most popular CRMs for photographers in return for being an ambassador for them, but after a few months of using it, I went back to Dubsado. I couldn’t promote a CRM that I didn’t think was the best option. For me, the best option was Dubsado – and I’m happy to pay because it not only saves me so much time, but it also allows me to really elevate my client experience.

Why I love Dubsado:

• Fully automated workflows, from the first enquiry email
• Conditional workflow actions – such as waiting for the client to take an action before a particular email is sent
• Integrated scheduler for easily booking calls
• Fully customisable proposals, forms and questionnaires
• Easy integrated invoicing, with auto-pay and payment plan options

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Want to learn more about CRMs for photographers? Check out the full comparison article here:
Best CRMs for Photographers

Pic-Time

Similar to CRMs, I’ve tried a lot of online galleries over the years. The first one I tried was Pass, and I’ve also used Pixiset for a short time. I switched over to Pic-Time when it was one of the newest gallery providers out there, and I’ve been a fan ever since. The main reason I love it is for the integrated shop, and for the sales automation it offers. Because I work with clients from around the world, I love that I can set up shops for different locations, so clients can order prints and albums from a lab in their country directly from the gallery. On top of that, the amazing automation means I can switch it on and sell prints and albums without having to lift a finger.

My fav things about Pic-Time:

• Looks great
• An integrated shop that you can link to labs in the client’s country
• Automated promotions and sales emails
• Create slideshows in Pic-Time
• Vendor galleries created with AI-assist

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Wise

Because I have exclusively international clients and many international suppliers, I regularly use Wise to receive payments and pay my editors and other virtual assistants. This saves me so much money in international bank transfer fees.

My Must-Have Photography Editing Tools

Adobe Photography Plan (Lightroom & Photoshop)

While there are other editing programs out there, Abobe Lightroom & Photoshop are probably the most popular out there, and they are my go-to tools for editing.

Photo Mechanic

I use Photomechanic as the first step in my post-shoot workflow for backing up and re-naming images (I rename raw files with the clients’ names). I then take the re-named raw files into Narrative Select for the initial culling process.

Narrative Select

Once images have been renamed and backed up, I import them into Narrative Select for the first cull. I use Narrative Select because I like that it’s AI-assisted rather than full AI-culling. My favourite features include the Close-ups Panel, Scenes View and Eye & Focus Assessments.

Read this article to learn more about culling software options: Culling Tools for Photographers

JPEG Mini Pro

I have JPEGmini Pro integrated with my Lightroom to help reduce the size of my raw files (since storage isn’t cheap). I also use it to bulk-resize images for blog posts or submissions.

My Must-Have Website Tools

Cloudways Web Hosting

Cloudways might not be the cheapest web hosting out there, but compared to what I was using before, it’s fast and reliable. I have multiple sites on one account, and when I have any technical issues, support is always available.

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Kadence WordPress Theme

Kadence is a free WordPress theme with some paid upgrade options. I do have Kadence Pro as I wanted the Kadence Pro blogs for their additional features.

StyleCloud

After Flothemes announced they were ending, like many other photographers, I was left trying to build a new site. I already knew I wanted to build the site on WordPress, with Kadence as the base theme, but wanted a way to style it further. StyleCloud is the perfect way to get a beautiful website aesthetic whilst benefitting from the performance of WordPress + Kadence.

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Other Tools I Coulnd’t Live Without

Clean My Mac

I’m a Mac lover, and most of the time they run smoothly and fast. However, when they do sometimes start to lag, I run Clean My Mac and it always helps to clear out any junk on my machine and speed things up again.

Backblaze

As a photographer, the thing that haunts me the most is data loss or corruption. Even though I keep multiple copies if raw files while I’m working on a gallery, I don’t think you can ever have too many backups of vital data. After looking at many solutions, I chose Backblaze.

Backblaze automatically backs up all my files including documents, photos, music, and more. Unlimited files. Unlimited file sizes. It’s that easy.

NordVPN + NordPass

I’ve combined these tools into one item, simply because you can buy them as a package (that’s what I do and recommend).

I use NordVPN for SEO research so that I can change my location. It’s also great for being able to visit sites that aren’t available in my location (not to mention the bonus of being able to change my Netflix location to get different shows). Originally I added the NordPass subscription as it was only a small extra payment, and now I couldn’t live without it.

NordPass is a password manager, available as a Chrome Plugin and also an app. I no longer need to reuse the same passwords again and again, or try to keep track of super complex passwords. NordPass remembers everything for me, and auto-fills the info on most login screens.

Grammarly

I’m terrible at making typos, and Grammarly so often saves my ass. It not only catches most of my mistakes but often helps me re-word emails and blog text to make it easier to read.

Conclusion

These 14 tools are my most-used tools in my business and ones that I certainly wouldn’t want to do my job without. Depending on where you are in your business, you may not want all of them right away. However, I can’t recommend making sure your business is future-proof as early in your business journey as possible. While you might think you don’t need a CRM right now, by the time you do need one, it’s going to be so much harder to set up and get used to working with it. Using these tools will help you save time and make sure you’re business is efficient as you grow.