This guide covers pre-shoot prep, shooting techniques, and efficient post-production.

Whether you’re being hired to shoot school portraits, local sports teams, or an important event, there’s one thing you need to master (besides your camera) for any high-volume photography assignment: your workflow. This means creating an efficient system for capturing, storing, editing, and delivering files.

High-volume photography involves dealing with a large number of images, so having an efficient system from start to finish will save you a ton of time and effort in the long run. This will result in a happier client, a better pay rate, and less headache for you. The following beginner’s guide offers an outline for developing an efficient system to offer bulk photo services to all kinds of clients.

It’s all about having a plan.

Think about the project in three stages, similar to making a movie: pre-production, production, and post production. Pre-production for high-volume photography includes anything that happens before the shoot, like emails, phone calls, research, and planning. Production is the shoot itself, using your camera equipment to create the images. Post-production is everything that happens after the shoot, including image selection, color correction, retouching, and delivery to the clients.

The best advice for photographers of all levels—but especially beginners offering bulk photo services for the first time—is that the amount of time you put into pre-production will pay off exponentially in the production and post-production phases. Skimping on prep can result in chaos on the shoot day, lots of wasted time during editing, and a confused client.

Pre-production - Before you ever pick up a camera for your shoot, you’ll want to have these items buttoned down:

• Discuss logistics and expectations with the client and event organizers to make sure you have a clear understanding of what the shoot day will entail and when they expect delivery of the images. Ask as many questions as you need to make sure everyone is on the same page.
• Write out a schedule, locations, subjects, and a list of must-capture shots, including specific portraits, moments, or group shots. Plan to print this out or to have quick access to a digital copy on the shoot day.
• Think through and document a post-production workflow that has a detailed list of steps on how you will handle the files as soon as the shoot is over. Files will need to be transferred to an external hard drive, backed up to secondary data storage, organized, batch edited with specialized software, then delivered to the clients.
• If appropriate, come up with a few different photo package options for clients to purchase images from you, which could include a combination of digital downloads, specialty prints, and albums. Make it easy and straightforward for the clients, and they’ll be more likely to purchase these extras from you.

Production - Here’s where the rubber meets the road. On the day of your shoot, be sure you’re on top of the following:

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• Know your equipment. You should be able to change aperture, ISO, and shutter speed for correct exposure in your sleep, with a clear understanding of how each adjustment will affect the image. E.g., a fast aperture like f/2.8 will result in a more blurred background; cranking up the ISO will create more noise (e.g. 800 and above); and a fast shutter speed (1/500 and higher) is best to capture action shots.
• Shoot tethered if you can. This only works for high-volume projects like school photography where you will shoot all the images in one location and the subjects are not moving around. Your camera will be on a tripod and tethered to your computer via a cord. Depending on the software you use, you will be able to control the camera from your computer, and the files will upload automatically to your hard drive, which saves a lot of time.
• Have extra batteries and memory cards on hand—more than you think you need! Nothing is worse than getting in the flow of a shoot and having your battery die or seeing “memory card full” pop up on the screen. Cloud storage is a cheap, secure and easy way to back-up your images as you go. For event photography and high-volume assignments, that’s an inevitability, so be prepared for it!
• Refer back to the schedule you created during pre-production to make sure everything is on track during the shoot day. Check off locations, subjects, and shots as you get them, and make notes of anything important to know for post-production or to pass onto the client.
• Connect with subjects by staying relaxed, being friendly, and engaging them in appropriate conversation. The more at ease your subjects feel, the better the images will come out–and since you did all that prep work, you’ll be even more at ease!

Post-production - After what is sure to be a flurry of activity on shoot day, here are some things to keep in mind after the fact:

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• Upload your files to an external hard drive and back them up somewhere else immediately. This creates redundancy that can save you if anything happens to the original files. Better safe than sorry!
• Organize the files based on whatever system makes the most sense for the event, whether it’s date, location, event, or subject.
• Import the images to your chosen editing software. There are many options out there, but Lightroom is the most popular and offers tons of useful functions for creators who offer bulk photo services. With Lightroom, you can upload, back up, add keywords, make selects, color correct, and export images all in one place.
• Batch edit the images by applying the same color corrections across any number of files. In Lightroom, you can make changes to one image, copy those alterations, then paste them to as many of the files as you want. Take a look at all the files to make sure the color corrections are appropriate, and tweak individual photos as necessary.
• Export the images to a small file size that will make data transfer fast for both you and the client. Once they’ve made selects or purchased a print or photo product, you can go back to Lightroom and export a higher resolution file if needed.

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While high-volume photography might sound intimidating, if you put effort into planning and developing an efficient workflow, you’ll be able to offer bulk photo services with a level of confidence that comes with knowing exactly what you’re doing. Producing and executing successful school photography and event photography shoots means happy clients, and happy clients will tell their friends and family about the incredible job you did, leading to more paid work for you. Win-win-win!

We’re always looking for new ways to power the business of photography. In the coming year, there are six key areas we’re focusing on that should give you and your business some jet fuel. Here’s what to look forward to in 2024 and 2025: 

1. Faster photo delivery.

We consistently hear that capitalizing on recency and emotion is key to maximizing sales after a photo event. That’s why we’re planning to offer additional ways for you to upload and deliver faster. Whether it’s utilizing new technology like our recent integration with Fujifilm that allows you to upload to SmugMug straight from your camera, or improving the efficiency of your post-shoot workflow, our goal is to help you get your photos in front of your clients as fast as possible.

2. New marketing opportunities.

Marketing is more than just getting people in the front door (or to your homepage), and we’ve got some exciting developments in the works to help you keep your customers coming back for more. First on that list is our recent addition to the shopping experience: When your customers leave an unpurchased item in their shopping cart, we’ve built a helpful reminder email that’s currently driving up to 30% more sales. Next up: we’re working on solutions to increase your average order value (AOV) and let you engage more consistently with customers before, during, and after their shoot.

3. Helping your buyers find their photos faster.

It’s hard to go anywhere these days without engaging in or overhearing a conversation about AI. Its rapid development is causing this exciting new technology to become foundational in our everyday lives. AI has many relevant applications in the photography world. One very clear example is in image recognition. As a customer arriving at a photo gallery with hundreds, sometimes thousands of images, finding the photos they’re most interested in can be a challenge. That’s why we’re planning new ways to help your customers quickly take advantage of AI and image recognition to find their photos in seconds, which leads to more sales for you.

4. Improving the customer buying experience. 

We’ve already made some large strides in this area in the past year with a modern update to the product selection flow, improving your customer’s access to Packages and Gallery Downloads, providing the ability to purchase Packages on mobile devices, and partnering with a new print lab, Fujifilm. Planned future updates include support for even faster payment for customers via Apple Pay and Google Pay.

5. Improved fulfillment of digital downloads.

It should come as no surprise that in the world of photography, digital is now king. This doesn’t just refer to cameras - digital downloads are far-and-away the most popular purchase option now as customers seek more flexible ways to buy and share photos. Digital files present ease of sharing, flexibility for printing, and a low footprint way to preserve memories for a lifetime. Knowing this, there are a number of ways we plan to improve the experience related to the fulfillment of downloads. When someone downloads a photo from you, it should be easy and fast, no matter what device they’re on.

6. Better access to data.

Understanding sales data can be crucial for growing your business. With over 20 years of sales data and experience under our belt, we plan to provide you more comprehensive insights. The goal is to empower you to make informed decisions, invest wisely in your business, identify profitable niches and optimize pricing strategies - all to ensure you maximize your revenue. 

There is a balance for most photographers when it comes to selling photos while protecting their brand and photo aesthetic. Since your gorgeous images speak for themselves, it’s up to you to make sure the words you use on your portfolio website are speaking to a wide range of audiences. 

While art patrons and loyal followers may want all the details about your photos—like inspiration, location, and how you Got the Shot—some consumers passing by may simply be looking for a perfect piece of art for their home or office. This second audience is often overlooked, and connecting with them is what we’ll be talking about today.

What’s in a (gallery) name?

Photography shoppers often know which room of their home or office they want to decorate, but they may not be sure what to put there.  Fortunately, you know just where your photos will look their best. By tweaking your gallery names (or creating specific, purpose-built galleries), you can guide customers to help streamline their decision-making—and ensure they get your best work for their needs.

For example, you could build galleries by room and function in the household: “Kitchen Compliments,” “Office Decor,” “Living Room Centerpieces,” etc..  As a bonus, you can even subdivide these by types of decor to give you an SEO boost and refine customer choices even further. (e.g. yourdomain.com/kitchens/farmhouse or yourdomain.com/kitchens/modern.)

Want to lead with aesthetics? Easy! Just swap the order and group your galleries first by style, then by room. Either way, you’ll be guiding your customers to the gold.

Don’t forget photo descriptions!

Once your customers arrive at a chosen photo, don’t stop there! Hit them with the power of words one more time by providing a tailor-made description of the photo and setting: “With this photo on your kitchen wall, you’ll practically hear the crash of waves and feel like you’re on vacation every morning.”

Many photo website builders like ours here at SmugMug allow for unique descriptions for categories, galleries, and individual photos—not to mention easy tagging for simple search. If you’re not already a customer, click here to try us for free.

Know your audience.

Does your photography fit best in the documentary or adventure category? If so, your albums might be better suited to include straight-forward titles and descriptions, like the Who What and Where. We know getting creative with naming can be fun, but it’s important to remember your audience, and if you shoot strictly landscape, it might be smart to stick to location titles to better help your customers find what they’re looking for. It’s also a good way for potential customers to find you! For more information on clever ways to help customers find you using words, check out our guide to SEO for photographers.

Renowned photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson once said your first 10,000 pictures are your worst, but we gathered a few tips from pro photographers to make the journey to honing your craft a little quicker.

Here are the top tips from pro photographers:

1. Leave it to f/8.

Without delving into details about optics and light paths, your lens has a sharpest point within its aperture range. The largest and smallest ends of that range are the softest, and f/8—which is in the middle—is where you’ll most often get the sharpest images. This does vary by lens, so we recommend shooting some test shots to find your lens’ sweet spot. Once you’ve got that dialed in, experiment at different apertures to see how each f-stop affects your image.

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2. When in doubt, crop it.

In the world of photography, you have probably heard a lot about getting the image right straight out of camera, or SOOC. And there’s wisdom to that thinking. You don’t want to “fix it in post” if you can save yourself time by getting the shot right in-frame. But cropping your photo after the fact to create a better, stronger composition is a quick and easy way to improve an image after it’s taken.  

Maybe there was a fence in your way that prevented you from getting closer to the shot, or perhaps you were capturing a split-second street shot and didn’t have time to change your lens. Either way, it’s your artistic decision to improve a composition with a little post-process cropping. And unless you tell someone you cropped, no one will ever know! Consider it a trade secret.

Pro Tip: You don’t have to crop your photos before you upload them to SmugMug. Use built-in photo tools to crop your images, or copy a photo and crop the copy so you can compare it to the original and see which you like best.

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3. Take gear for a test drive.

You don’t have to own the gear to shoot with the gear. Can’t afford to drop $16K on an 800mm lens to shoot the next game? No problem: pay a pittance to rent one for the time you need, then send it back and call it a job well done. This is also a great way to test out new gear you might be considering for your full-time kit. Not sure if that 85mm f/1.2 is worth the extra dough? Rent it and try it out. A small upfront investment can save you a big financial headache down the line.

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4. Polish in post production.

While getting photos right SOOC (straight out of the camera) is good practice, it’s rare that a photo looks better unedited than edited. Even a perfectly-lit, powerfully-composed photo can benefit from a few finishing tweaks to the white balance and saturation to make it pop—especially if you shoot in RAW. Think that sunset shot couldn’t get any better? Give it a boost in post and see what happens. 

Pro Tip: You’ve got color effects available in SmugMug's photo tools. Or you can take your editing a step further with Lightroom and publish the results directly to SmugMug without ever leaving the program.

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5. It's okay to make mistakes.

Backlit subject? High-contrast sunset? White dress, red wall? These scenarios (and countless more) can throw a wrench into your shoot, but you can still capture the photos you want with practice. Study hard, stay inspired, experiment, and make mistakes—lots of mistakes. Then learn how to fix them. Try using a fill light for that backlit subject. Experiment with a neutral-density filter during that sunset. Move your model or your lights farther away from that red wall. Discovering what doesn’t work will help you learn what does work, and will result in better photos—and technique—in the future.

Pro Tip: You’re not alone! Chances are another photographer out there has run into the same challenge you have. If you’re struggling to find a solution, don’t hesitate to consult the Internet for answers. SmugMug also has some great resources in the Development Lab.

If you find yourself glued to your camera seven days a week, it might be time to shake up your photography-pricing game.

Whether you're snapping shots at events, welcoming clients into your studio, or selling your art, the eternal question remains: How much should you charge, and when should you change your rates? And when you do decide to tweak your pricing, how do you figure out the magic number?

Here are five telltale signs it's time to adjust your photography prices (up or down!), along with some advice on how much to adjust them and how to break the news to your clients.‍

5. Your schedule is packed.

If your calendar's bursting at the seams, it's a surefire sign you're the go-to photographer in town—or beyond. And if you're having to turn clients away, that's your cue to start thinking about raising your rates.

It can be difficult to increase prices immediately, so send an email to past clients and current leads to give them a heads-up that your rates are about to change. You can also post to your social-media accounts to let people book holidays or occasions in advance.

When it comes to how much to adjust your prices, let demand be your guide. If you have a large waitlist, consider a higher amount, such as 50%. If your waitlist is shorter or you have a regular influx of leads, try a lower amount: 20% for a trickle of new leads, or 35% if you're swimming in inquiries. You can always increase later if your calendar stays booked.‍

Pro tip: Don’t panic if a few clients complain. Even if a handful jump ship, remember that a 20% price increase means more cash in your pocket and more time to savor that work–life balance.

4. Print sales are in a slump.

If you’ve noticed print sales are slowing and seasonal spikes are down, it may be a good time to think about reducing prices. But that isn’t your only option.

Try creating a photo package where people save 20% if they buy multiple prints or sizes. If you have an email list, try sending a custom deal to previous customers and share new photos you think will sell. These short-term fixes can help tide you over until demand picks back up.

If you discover your market is saturated, a price reduction may be the solution while you expand your reach to new customers or open shop in another market or niche. Don’t panic! Every photographer hits a dry spell now and then.

3. Your costs are creeping up.

Costs to run a business can always increase—sometimes unexpectedly. A landlord could increase your rent. Gear breaks. Clients demand new trends that require new equipment. 

If you’re scared to do an increase across the board, start small. Try selecting only a couple of offerings or tossing in a few add-ons to sweeten the deal, like bonus prints or limited-edition backdrops. Or change up your portrait sessions with some fun props. Not only will it add value to each session, it can also make you a trendsetter in your market.

‍Pro tip: When adding bonus prints, focus on lower-cost items that clients perceive as high value, such as upgrading the print size or material type. Metal, wood, and acrylic prints all offer an extra special touch to meaningful photos.

2. You’re a rising star.

Getting featured in glossy mags? Picking up steam on social media? That extra boost to your brand can mean big money.

Before you increase your prices, update your portfolio to feature the images that took off and brought you recognition. You’ll also want to reference them on your homepage and potentially add an “as seen in” section with logos. Remind folks that you're the mastermind behind the trend—and why they should be booking you.

‍Pro tip: If your photos are being featured across the web, ask site editors if they can link your art or name to your portfolio. Not only will this help potential clients find you more easily, it can also help boost your search-engine optimization.

‍1. You’re overworked, and everyone else is charging more.

The biggest sign it’s time to increase the price of your photography services is when you’re overworked, facing burnout, and notice everyone else is priced above you. 

To figure out your fair market value, start by scoping out the competition. Check out what other photographers in your league are charging, factoring in everything from experience to turnaround times:

• Accolades
• Equipment
• Experience
• Skill levels
• Turnaround times for deliverables
• Locations (by transportation or available parking)
• Reputation

Now pick a price that's in the middle of the pack—or maybe a bit higher. You’ll be making more per session, so even if a few clients leave you’ll still be making the same or more as you were—and you’ll have reclaimed a part of your life. 

Knowing when to change your photography pricing is half the battle. Knowing by how much and if it should be permanent is the next. Once you recognize the signs, the rest becomes easy.

Sports photography isn’t easy. Often done on a speculative basis, success only comes with a great marketing plan, a solid business plan, and a lot of hard work before, during, and after the game. We gathered a few tips to help make the process from shot to sale easier.

‍Getting the shot.

Face. Contact. Action. Ball. These are the elements of a great sports photograph. Your ability to get the shot—in sports photography more than any other field—requires more than “f/8 and be there.” Equipment matters since you very likely won’t be able to control the light. Here are a few recommendations:

• Camera body with the ability to shoot multiple frames per second
• Clean high ISO for low-light shooting
• Telephoto lens with a large maximum aperture (fast glass)
• Monopod
• Accreditation and/or permission to shoot the sport

‍1. Know your sport.

The ability to anticipate where the action will be, to predict the drama by understanding the rules and rulings, to be prepared for the ecstasy and agony of the competitors are what will set you apart as a sports photographer.

‍2. Fill your frame with action.

Minimize distracting backgrounds. Choose the right depth of field. Make sure the play or the player is your subject. Shoot tight, crop tighter.

3. Pick the right shutter speed.

In general, you’ll want to freeze the action, so your shutter will need to be fast. If motion blur is desirable to help convey the story or set the mood, a slower shutter speed may work, but you’ll still need to ensure your shutter speed is fast enough to prevent camera shake.

Pro tip: Your shutter speed needs to be greater than the focal length of the lens. Try shooting in burst mode to ensure you don’t miss any of the action. Using strobes? Balance the flash power against flash duration to freeze the action.

‍4. Get accreditation and/or permission to shoot the sport.

Meet the sports director for the school or club, the president of the booster club, or the director of the league and get their blessing to photograph their players. You should know their needs (yearbook photos, website photos, championship photos, team photos, etc.) and be prepared to include these shots in exchange for the right to photograph the game/league/tournament.

You’ve got the shots, now get the sales.

You probably aren’t expecting to head out, take a bunch of game-day photos, and put them up for sale. While you're perfecting your shooting technique, you should also be putting together a strong business and marketing plan, including building your brand name and recognition, your customer base, and your portfolio.

‍Marketing.

1. Use SmugMug’s drag-and-drop customizability to add your brand to your website. Use sports photos in your portfolio.
2. Make sure your homepage meta description and keywords reflect what you do and where you’re located. Take steps to ensure you can be found in a Google search

At the stadium.

1. Network. You’ll likely start out photographing youth sports. Your sports-team booster club, team manager, and parents are going to be your biggest fans and referral sources, so be sure they know who you are.
2. Business cards and printed material: Create your SmugMug folders or events before games or tournaments and include the URL on your print advertising. Distribute that advertising during the game so people know where to find your photos as soon as they get home.
3. Turn your portfolio shots into print and product samples that show folks what you offer for sale. They're perfect for demonstrating how great their photos will look.
4. If you're working at a tournament or multi-game event, have a display set up on site and show the photos as they come from the field. Generate excitement and get them eager to buy ASAP! Using SmugMug print-credit coupons is a great way to ensure you'll make more sales after the tournament.
5. If you’re submitting photos to wire services, do so at halftime. Sports shooters highly recommend using Photo Mechanic software for the sorting-and-sending process.

After the game.

1. Put your CF card into a card reader and use Lightroom to import and copy the files into a folder (organized by date) on your external hard drive.
2. Use the Lightroom Library module to quickly cull all out-of-focus and otherwise unsellable shots from the set. Mark them rejected by hitting the X key.
3. Use the filter near the search bar at the top of the window to select the rejected-photos flag. Select all the photos in the filmstrip at the bottom and right-click > delete to clear out the rejected images.
4. Add keywords and metadata (copyright information, for example) to the whole set of photos using the Sync function in the Library module.
5. Use the Lightroom Develop module if minor editing, like adjusting exposure or quick cropping, is needed to get the best image possible.
6. Go back to the Library module and set the publish setting File Setting Quality slider to 50%. This keeps your proof images small so you can upload them faster.
7. Select all images to be published.
8. Use the Lightroom SmugMug publish service to create a new gallery on SmugMug and make sure you have proof-delay enabled. Having the images already selected puts them right into that gallery. You’ll be able to configure your gallery settings from within Lightroom, too.
9. Hit the Publish button and watch as Lightroom uploads your selected photos into your new SmugMug gallery.
10. Spread the word that the photos are online and available for purchase. Remember that marketing your work is critical to success. Use email and social media. Make sure you contact your liaison with the team and have them help spread the word, too.
11. Make a sale, and know which photos have been ordered.
12. Open Lightroom and navigate to the published gallery. Find the image your customer bought, open the Develop module, and edit that file for print. Repeat for each ordered image. Those images will be marked for republishing.
13. Open the publish settings and reset the Quality slider to 90% (print quality).
14. Hit the Publish button, which replaces your compressed images with your print-ready files.
15. Go to the SmugMug proof-delay page for the order and click the Release Order button.
16. Write your customer to let them know you’ve reviewed the order and sent it to the lab, and thank them for their support.

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We hope these steps outline an easy strategy to get you started on your way to success in sports photography. Have any tips of your own to share?

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