This post may contain affiliate links. See our affiliate disclaimer here.
Out of college, Katie found her first job as a photographer second-shooting weddings. And after years of working as a professional wedding photographer, she was burned out.
That’s when a friend told her about her new business editing photos. Most wedding photographers edit their own photos, but when you’re shooting a wedding every weekend, the backlog of photos to be edited piles up. So her friend started a freelance wedding photo editing business to assist busy wedding photographers. Suddenly her weekends were free to spend time with her family and she could structure her workdays however she wanted.
Exhausted from shooting weddings every weekend, this really appealed to Katie.
Katie’s friend let her apprentice her business to learn the trade and now photo editing is Katie’s mobile business, allowing her and her husband the chance to travel full-time.
I’ve brought a lot of photographers on the show. Wedding photographers, landscape photographers, brand photographers—but hearing Katie’s story is a good reminder that taking photos isn’t the only way to make money as a photographer. She found a creative solution to a problem most photographers have and created a business around it. (She also teaches how to start a photo editing business here!)
What we talk about in this episode:
- How many images Katie edits for each job (and how long it takes)
- A workaround for handling file transfers
- The transition from photographer to editor
- The usefulness of Adobe Presets Facebook groups
- Pricing her new business to replace her photography income
- Developing your style as an editor (and how that affects who your clients will be)
- What Katie’s clients are looking for and how she solves their problem
- How Katie learned photo editing and her advice for anyone who wants to learn
Links mentioned in this episode:
-
- Adobe Lightroom Smart Previews
- Lightroom Preset Facebook groups (for example)
- How to Become a Private Photo Editor Course
