A lot of the work we do as photographers does not involve a camera. Whether it is administrative or pre-production, there are many incredible tools out there to help with the various tasks the business requires. Here are our “Top 5 Apps We Could Not Live Without”. We use all of these apps for every project before we even pick up the camera!

*This article does contain affiliate links for some of the recommended apps and I do receive some commission from the brands when you use the links to sign up/make purchases. This comes at no additional cost for you. I became an affiliate for the brands I love and use regularly and would recommend the products either way. We do not receive any other endorsements from these brands. Thank you for supporting us to continue to create this content by using the links below.

 
“Your new studio management suite. All in one place.

Sprout Studio helps you build your photography business with a consistent brand, great client communications, helps you know what to focus on while streamlining the “business stuff.” With Sprout, you can keep everything in one place so nothing falls through the cracks.”

 
We have been with Sprout Studios since the day they launched. It is always great to find a Canadian-based company supporting the photography industry and they have designed a “Client Management Suite” that does it all in one place. Everything from invoicing, scheduling, accounting, proofing galleries, sales galleries, and so much more. The online app is designed more for portrait and wedding photographers but, I have been using it strictly for commercial work since the beginning. They have made it easy to switch from other Photography based CRMs and the best part about this company is their support and how well they listen to their users. Like many software companies, they look to us to help improve the system but, they actually listen to the feedback. They do have working photographers within the company who use it for their client work. The only quirk is, there are way more wedding photographers than commercial photographers out there, so sometimes we have to find little workarounds making it a little less automated for us. But, that isn’t really their fault, it is the nature of our business, unlike photographers in those genres, our rates and projects can vary drastically from job to job.

Use this link to get a 21-day free trial PLUS 20% off your first month or annual subscription.

Milanote

Available for Free and Premium plans
“Get organized. Stay creative.
Milanote is an easy-to-use tool to organize your ideas and projects into visual boards.” We use Milanote from beginning to end with our client projects, personal projects, general content creation, and many other business planning tasks. It is easy to use with a drag and drop interface, quick keys, and a simple yet intuitive design. Milanote comes with many pre-made templates such as mood boards, pre-production boards, creative briefs, and so many other useful and time-saving templates. You can also create your own so that it is designed to fit your regular workflow. Sharing this content is often a necessity for us, and thankfully you can share anything you’d like with clients, contractors, and staff. When you share, you can set the parameters for what the viewer can do, so you can make the collaboration process even more collaborative. It’s funny because I am currently writing the draft for this article in Milanote using their “Blog Post” template. I have tried many programs in the past to help with organization and without a doubt, nothing has compared to the beauty of Milanote. I am not an affiliate or ambassador for the company, I’m just in love!

Todoist

 
“Free up your mental space.

Regain clarity and calmness by getting all those tasks out of your head and onto your to-do list (no matter where you are or what device you use). Todoist is used by 20 million people to organize, plan and collaborate on projects, both big and small.”

 
You might be wondering why I don’t just use Milanote for my to-do lists as well. They do have to-do lists as a feature as well but, think of it like this, Todist paired with my Google calendar is designed to help me deal with high-level tasks where Milanote is when I go deeper into those tasks turning them into larger projects. Todoist has designed an app focused on lists, quick notes, and allows you to structure your lists however you’d like. Youtuber Carl Pullein has a great series on time management using time blocking and how to use Todist to aid in the process. For me, I make my lists so that I know what I am planning to do for the week and beyond. Also, handy for shopping lists for personal or production. For some people, checking something off your list isn’t enough of a reward to keep going, Todist rewards you with a thing called “Karma Points” they have no real-world value but, mentally, the karma points can be like a little game and produce a more rewarding feeling of getting through your list of tasks.

Sunsurveyor

Available for $9.99
“Sun Surveyor takes the mystery out of the sunrise, sunset, and moon phases, allowing photographers and filmmakers to scout the best locations, plan effectively, and get the perfect shot. The Live Camera View, Interactive Map (with Street View), 3D Compass, and detailed Ephemeris provide a wealth of information about the largest natural light source in the galaxy, as well as the moon, and milky way:
  •  View augmented reality projections of the sun and moon paths, pinpoint the time the sun or moon will be at a particular location in the sky
  •  Predict and plan for the golden hour, blue hour, and every sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset
  • Prepare night photography shots with the Milky Way & star trail features”.

We use this app for every single on-location shoot, it is a staple in the pre-production process, and regularly use it on set. A common scenario is planning for an architecture & Interior design shoot. We will use this app to pre-plan our shoot day, arrival times, and a rough idea as to where we should be and when. Once we arrive at the location, I do a walk-through of the site with the app to study where the sun will be and begin planning out the order of our shot list. This allows us to work through each room with the best possible light throughout the course of the day. This tool is so valuable to planning and working with your own lighting and the largest light source we have available to us, the sun.

IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sun-surveyor/id525176875

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ratana.sunsurveyor

 

Google Earth

Available for Free

“Explore the whole world from above with satellite imagery and 3D terrain of the entire globe and 3D buildings in hundreds of cities around the world. Zoom to your house or anywhere else then dive in for a 360° perspective with Street View. See the world from a new point of view with Voyager, a collection of guided tours from BBC Earth, NASA, National Geographic, and more. And now, visualize the immersive maps and stories you’ve created with Google Earth on the web on your mobile device.”

Sometimes Google Maps is just not enough detail for us and it is restricted to roadways. When pre-planning your shoot or scout, this incredible tool allows you to do this from the comfort of your studio, home, beach or wherever you might be as long as you have an internet connection. This tool paired with Sunsurveyor should help your cover most of the questions you may have before a shoot. Of course, there is nothing better than an actual in-person scout. But, in a lot of cases, this is not possible or it will cost more to do this. When working with various budgets, not all clients will want to pay for a scout, so unless it is buried in some other line item, it will be on you. That is also assuming that your shoot is only a short drive away. Imagine scheduling a scout for a shoot that you have to fly or drive multiple hours to? No one has time or money for that.

In conclusion, these are the apps we use almost daily to complete our operations. Everyone is unique so, give them a try and see what works best for you and your day-to-day. All paid services have some sort of trial so the only thing you will be missing if something doesn’t work for you is time. But, you’ll likely gain a better understanding of what it is you need to do your best!