Everything You Need to Know About Outsourcing Your Editing
When you’re in a time crunch, finding someone to edit your photos can be difficult. You head over to Fiverr (or another freelancing site) and have to sift through countless retouching gigs. And let’s not forget to mention that the prices and quality you might find vary so much it’s like you’re on a roller coaster.
Outsourcing your editing can be a game-changer for your photography business. It takes something normally very time intensive off your plate, opening up more opportunities for other tasks. This can be a huge stress relief for many photographers (me included). But as a wedding or elopement photographer, you want to be a little picky who you outsource your editing to. You don’t want just anyone—you want someone who understands the wedding business, can mimic your style, or has a style you personally love.
It’s important to feel confident outsourcing is the right choice for you. You should be picky when it comes to your decision, so I’ve put together this guide on everything you need to know about outsourcing your editing to help you make the best decision for your business.
Decide Whether Outsourcing is Right for You
The first thing you’ll need to do is decided whether or not outsourcing is right for you. If you have a very particular editing style and that’s why your clients come to you, you might not even consider it. However, outsourcing allows you to free up time in your business to pursue other projects, find more clients, get ahead on other work, and so much more.
It’s no secret editing is one of the most time consuming parts of being a photographer. And unless you have a magical preset in Lightroom that you never have to adjust, you’re spending countless hours in front of your computer making sure every photo is perfect. I suggest making a pros and cons list of outsourcing your editing to help you make the decision. You may find out it’s worth it or you may realize you’re not quite ready yet.
Be Picky About Who You Hire
Wedding photographers are often hired based on the style of their photos. After all, couples want beautiful memories to cherish and relive for a lifetime. If you’ve made the decision to outsource your editing, it’s essential to find the right person for the job. There are endless professional retouchers and editors on Fiverr or other freelancing sites, but not everyone can be what you’re looking for. I suggest “shopping” around before landing on one person. If they offer a trial edit, even better. This way you can see their style, get an idea of their turnaround time, their prices, and the quality of the edits. You don’t want to send over a whole wedding album, only to get it back and realize you hate it. Take your time and be picky.
Utilizing Outsourcing to Grow Your Business
Just think, every minute you spend editing is a minute taking you away from potentially growing your photography business. You could be taking on more wedding clients or working on your social media. Not to mention, as elopement photographers, we do more than just photograph your elopement. We help plan out the details, create a timeline, go location scouting, find vendors, help with travel, and so much more. All of those little details make a difference for your clients, and spending all your free hours editing takes time away from that.
Once you get to a point where you no longer need to find as much work as possible to grow your portfolio, all of the other little details come into play. When you outsource your editing, you’re outsourcing to an expert (or so I would hope). This means you can feel confident they will do a good job and will be consistent. This is one less stressor on your mind. You can use that time to spend working on all other facets of your business.
As an elopement photographer, I know how time consuming editing can be. I also understand the wedding industry and style many couples want to see. If you’re looking for someone to trust with your editing, I can help! Fill out my form today and let’s see if we’re a good fit!
