Spending that much time managing clients basically means freelancers are missing out of 20% extra profit, because that’s time allocated away from client deliverables and towards administration. Today, we’re here to talk about Bloom.io, a CRM (customer relationship management) platform that frees up your time, so you can increase billable work hours, and look way more professional while you do it.

Why Are CRM Platforms Useful for Freelancers?

Photographers and freelancers learn to wear so many hats, and also use so many different tools. We use one tool for our website, another to capture leads, another to track leads, another to communicate, another to send proposals/invoices, another to sign contracts, another to track tasks, another to process payments, another to deliver images, etc, etc.

This leads to a disconnected system which becomes a massive time drain, especially for busy freelancers running photography businesses, copywriting businesses, website design or other deliverable-based services. While you may have run into solutions like Honeybook and Dubsado, I found these platforms to fall short in their user interface, and how they were difficult to learn to use.

Recently, I was introduced to a new platform called Bloom.io, which is doing something different. From what I can tell, it’s the only marketing-CRM that gives you very powerful tools not only to manage existing clients but to acquire new ones by giving you some pretty insane lead generation tools.

Who Is Bloom.io For?

Bloom is incredibly easy to set up and is perfect for photographers and freelancers running side-gigs, all the way to automating large studios.For the new photographer, you can launch your website, portfolio, and all your lead generation and contract templates are there to get you going. For the established pro, you can use Bloom to automate your already working system, freeing up your time for things that matter the most to you like personal time, or spending more hours behind the camera instead of behind the computer. So the short answer is it’s for everyone.

Key Features Of Bloom

1. An interface designed for visual learners.

When you log into the Bloom.io CRM platform for the first time, you’re presented with a streamlined guide of what to do to get up and running along with several embedded “how to” guides for additional help. Working through them was a breeze and once that’s done, the layout is simple and easy to navigate making managing your business a breeze.

2. Sign contracts and send invoices like a professional.

How you invoice your clients is part of your brand experience. Here are some ways in which Bloom stands out.

• Payment integrations with Stripe, Square, Paypal, Zelle, Venmo & Cash App.
• Add contracts to invoices.
• Fully supports multiple currencies and international users.
• Quickbooks integration.
• Retainers, discounts, tipping, & recurring invoices.
• Incredibly beautiful client experience.

3. Live Website Chat Widget.

(This feature when paired with the mobile app is amazing.) This feature alone was worth the price of admission for me. I’ve been able to communicate with potential clients while on the road, on set, and anywhere that I at least had cellular access! The ability to respond like a text message and send as a chat or email to the lead is kind of unreal and incredibly useful for those fast-turnaround bids.

4. Revolutionary forms that do the selling for you.

(You can practically automate everything!) I’m still diving into this section of my setup. It’s kind of overwhelming having never used a system like this before, but it’s really laid out well, especially if you have your info and contracts ready to go already. In the next few weeks I hope to have my system completely automated and cannot wait to see how it works with my clients.

5. Built-in client image galleries & proofing tools.

Many professional photographers use digital client galleries instead of an online drive like dropbox or Google. Instead of paying for a separate tool, Bloom has this entire feature-set built right into the CRM! At this point, they only support digital downloads, so if you rely heavily on print fulfillment, you’ll want to keep your 3rd party image sharing solution.

6. Full suite of business tools.

Bloom also includes a scheduling tool replacing Calendly, contract signing replacing Docusign, automations, lead management tools, and even a website portfolio builder if you don’t already have a website. It works well if you’re just starting out or already a seasoned business.

7. The price is right.

(You can try the system for free with a 7-day trial!) Bloom.io is an incredibly affordable CRM solution for photographers (and other freelancers). After your one week free trial, you can roll into a $13/month plan and always upgrade from there. Even with the full-platform it’s on par with an Adobe Subscription.

Conclusion

There are a lot of CRM tools out there, but few that Ii’ve seen have been as easy to dive into and get rolling as Bloom. While I’ve only scratched the surface of what you can do on their system, I’m already in love with it and will be spending a lot of time over the next few weeks expanding on my automation, packages, and contracts. All so that I can make my website a one-stop-shop for all of my future work, freeing me up to spend more time face to face with my clients.

Another thing I’ve loved is their 24-hour support. Anytime I had a problem on my end, or with a feature that I felt could be added, the support team was there and ready to help. In fact all the things I mentioned as a feature request have already been implemented in the system!

If you’d like to give Bloom a try, it comes with a free 7-day trial and as an added bonus, they’re giving our reads a $4/mo offer for the first 4 months if you use this link: https://bloom.io/slrlounge

Do you use any other CRM tools? Which are your favorites and why? Be sure to let us know what you think if you’re already a user of Bloom (past or present), and if you decide to give them a try for your Photography business.

“We are looking forward to seeing what filmmakers will create with Audiio Originals.” said Audiio Founder & CEO Josh Read. “This initiative is a natural next step for us as we aim to bring incredible music to filmmakers and creators around the world.”

Launch Details

When: The Audiio Originals will launch on July 31, 2023.

What: The initial release features a diverse selection of over 20 songs across various genres, from hip-hop to modern cinematic compositions. The company says that each track is crafted based on current music trends, catering to a wide array of needs – from powerful commercial anthems for advertisers to captivating compositions perfect for dramatic entertainment content.

Where: To get started, explore their initial release of the collection of Audiio originals here.

The Producers

The Audiio Originals producers comprise a talented and diverse group of music industry veterans, including Max Corwin, Joshua Silverberg, Faded Light, J Scott Rakozy, Outland, Laim Back, Yellen, and Que Parks (with more artist announcements to come). These producers boast an impressive track record, with their music previously featured in campaigns for esteemed brands such as Nike, Range Rover, Under Armour, Starbucks, MTV, and NFL. Notably, Que Parks recently had his song selected to promote Showtime’s hit series “Billions.”  The goal is to continuously attract top-tier talent to curate a high quality, diverse range of music.

About Audiio

Audiio continues to add new features that move the needle and push the company forward.  For example, a few years ago, they launched a membership for a lifetime of sound effects and this year, they announced their mobile app and SafeSync.  SafeSync is currently available and the mobile app is coming soon.

Audiio has emerged as a global leader in music licensing, providing content for over 1.5 million projects by top filmmakers, brands, creators, and agencies across 180 countries. Their team collaborates directly with music publishers, major labels, and independent artists, ensuring a continuous influx of relevant and sync-worthy talent. For a single affordable price, Audiio users can download unlimited content to sync in numerous films, videos, or media projects. Their impressive portfolio includes licensing songs for projects ranging from NFL Super Bowl advertisements to small non-profit organizations, showcasing their commitment to serving a wide range of creative endeavors.

ShootProof Discount

Before we get started, we need to disclose that we do receive affiliate payments if you sign up with our affiliate link. However, we have not received any compensation or any free accounts from ShootProof. This review is our unbiased experience with the software.

After writing this review, we reached out to ShootProof to ask them for a discount for our users. They kindly obliged.  Please use the following:

• Website: Click Here
• Discount Amount: 20% off monthly plans for the first 12 months of subscription
• Discount Code: SLRLOUNGE20

ShootProof Review: What Is ShootProof and What Sets Them Apart?

ShootProof is a rather unique “proofing” website (they’ve grown into so much more than that). They’re not supported by commissions or setup fees, and every level of account has access to every feature. I was thankful to not have to upgrade my service to get this or that feature. Instead, all I had to check was whether or not my quota of images would be enough for my business needs.

When you sign up for ShootProof, you can choose from one of their 4 plans ranging from 100 images for free to the unlimited plan for $50 per month. After that, you can customize the look of your proofing site, setup a custom domain name, create price lists for print orders, and much more.

If for any reason you decide that you need more or less images on your plan, you can always upgrade or downgrade your account easily and instantly through your studio control panel.

ShootProof Review: My Workflow with ShootProof

One of the biggest things that got me hooked on ShootProof was the ease of adding it into my workflow as a Portrait and Wedding Photographer. After photographing a session, the first thing I do is cull my images. While removing any shots that are not up to my standards, I rank the images 1 to 3 stars. Images ranked 1 go to my ShootProof gallery, Images ranked 2 will get featured on my Blog, and Images ranked 3 get added to my Portfolio.

The Lightroom Plugin

Once I’m happy with the images, I upload them to ShootProof via their super handy Lightroom Plugin. This plugin is one of the best that I have used for uploading to a web service. I can create and add albums to the event gallery right from Lightroom without ever having to go online. It is a huge time saver and a big selling point to me for ShootProof.

ShootProof Review: Online Gallery

Of all the online galleries I’ve tried, ShootProof offers one of the best. The reason for this is how easily it is to setup, share, and use the galleries. Furthermore, they look absolutely fantastic, which adds value to my brand. ShootProof’s online galleries allow me to custom design the gallery to match my brand without having to code anything. On the client side, clients can mark their favorite photos and even order directly through the sales page I’ve set up. The galleries also give me download control with the option to allow or deny client downloads. Some photographers don’t deal with print sales (although they should), and prefer to deliver digital files. This makes it easy to do that.

Last but not least, one of my favorite features is how the galleries integrate with ShootProof’s portfolio website. We’ll cover that in more detail below.

ShootProof Portfolio

With ShootProof’s Portfolio Website, you can showcase your public ShootProof Galleries in a fully self-branded portfolio that you can add directly to your website.  All you need to do is create a custom subdomain via ShootProof and add it to your site. The portfolio site keeps it simple and features an About page, Contact page, and Homepage. The layouts are also clean and elegant. If you don’t already have a website, you can use the portfolio to showcase your work and share with prospective clients.

ShootProof Review: Print Ordering

Another great selling point for ShootProof is their Print Ordering system. In your studio control panel, you can create price lists and attach them to different galleries. Shootproof has partnered with twelve different professional printing labs around the world for print fulfillment, including the following:

• Miller’s
• WHCC
• MPix
• Bay Photo
• Black River Imaging
• Richard Photo Lab.
• More

If you do your own prints, or have another printer that you prefer, simply select to self-fulfill your orders. Going through one of ShootProof’s partners, however, allows your clients to order directly from the gallery. The prints will then be shipped directly to them (or you, depending on how you set it up). If you opt to take care of the prints yourself, then you will receive an email with the print order and the client’s information.

Studio Management Software

I mentioned previously that ShootProof offers a robust studio management feature. If you’ve ever explored studio management software, then you know that different solutions cover the full range, from simple to complex. The learning curve can prove subtle or make you feel like you need to hire a tutor. ShootProof’s solution definitely lands on the easy-to-use side, but not because it’s any less powerful than it needs to be to help get the job done.

As you can see in the image above, ShootProof’s studio management solution offers a plethora of features. These include access to contracts, invoices, an automated payment system, lab integration tools, various user settings for team members, and automated communication tools. Since I started plugging these features into my workflow, I’ve found that nothing beats doing everything under one roof. I’m especially grateful for how easy it is to use.

My photography business is small and requires minimal management. Still, I can see how this software would take the hassle out of managing these tasks for a larger studio.

[Related: 5 Online Proofing Tips To Improve Your Client Experience]

ShootProof Review: Final Thoughts

ShootProof’s system is easy to setup and even easier to use. It literally took me about 10 minutes to get mine going. I was even able to setup a widget on my WordPress-powered website where clients could enter their email or password and be automatically directed to their proofing gallery. It’s just so simple and convenient that I can’t believe I ever did it differently.

If you’re in the market for a great proofing website that gives you the power to maintain your branding and even manage your studio, then I highly recommend that you check out ShootProof.

• Site Management WordPress Plugins
• Workflow WordPress Plugins
• Social Media WordPress Plugins
• Photo Gallery WordPress Plugins

Note: This article was originally published in 2014 and updated in 2022.

Site Management WordPress Plugins

Here are the Best WordPress Plugins for Photographers when it comes to site management.  A few of these, such as Akismet, Yoast, and Broken Links Checker are considered must-haves, while others like Gravity Forms and Duplicate Page should be used when appropriate. If you feel that I’ve left out some important ones, feel free to comment with recommendations in the comment section of this article.

Auto Image Attributes From Filename With Bulk Updater

As we mentioned in our article on the top SEO mistakes photographers make, adding Alt text is an important part of image SEO.  Instead of having to type in specific alt text each time, this plugin automatically adds image attributes such as Image Title, Image Caption, Description And Alt Text from Image Filename. The plugin can update image attributes for both new images and existing images in the media library.

Aksimet

The Akismet WordPress plugin ships with WordPress 2.0 and later by default, but make sure you activate it and input your API Key. If you’re tired of all of that comment and trackback spam, Automatic Kismet (Akismet for short), is your no-brainer solution. If, for some reason, you don’t have the plugin, you can download it here

Yoast SEO Plugin

Workflow WordPress Plugins

Here are the WordPress Plugins for Photographers that can help you in your workflow.  However, they may not be necessary depending on your particular workflow and client management system.

Booking Calendar

Give your clients an easy way to see when you are available and to contact you about shooting. This plugin give your website a simple booking system that your clients can use to setup shoots with you.

Gravity Forms

This is actually a paid plugin, but Gravity Forms provides a look and feel that the other free form plugins just won’t provide. If you have any kind of form on your site, whether it be a contact form, an album order form, or any other form, Gravity Forms will give it sleek functionality and aesthetics. With conditional fields (fields that appear only when a certain other value in the form is selected) and validation (functionality that does not allow the form to be submitted unless certain forms are filled out correctly) these forms are worth the small price.

A functional alternative to this plugin is Contact Form 7, which is not as intuitive to set up but offers enough features and community support to get the job done.

Editorial Calendar

I don’t know about you but I am always starting new posts for my blog and scheduling them ahead of time. This plugin makes it easy to visually see when your posts are scheduled and drag-n-drop to make changes to your publishing schedule.

Social Media WordPress Plugins

Social Media is one of the most effective forms of marketing for photographers.  These plugins help you integrate your social media accounts with your website and make your content easier to share on different networks.

Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed

Instagram is still a critical portfolio of a photographer’s work and an important marketing tool.  This plugin displays Instagram posts from your Instagram accounts, either in the same single feed or in multiple different ones.  Related Reading: How to Make Instagram Reels with Photos

Social Snap 

Social snap is a powerful WordPress plugin that helps make the sharing of your content easy.  Here are the primary features:

• Allow visitors to share your posts and pages.
• Display social links that automatically display followers counts.
• Automatically post on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn when you publish new posts.
• Analytics
• Automatically post old posts on social networks.
• Click to Tweet
• More

Remember to also read our article on how to How To Get Facebook Mobile To Upload Your Images In High Quality.

Weblizar Pin It Button On Image Hover And Post

Pinterest is a great platform for discovering the work of photographers.  This plugin makes it easy for your users to pin images from your website.  Read our article on Pinterest marketing for photographers for more information.

Photo Gallery and Slider WordPress Plugins

Below are the best WordPress Plugins for Photographers when it comes to photo galleries.  You likely won’t need more than one Photo Gallery WordPress Plugin.  So experiment with the following plugins and choose the one or two that you need for your blogging and content creation workflow.

Slider Revolution

Slider Revolution is a powerful and popular plugin for creating stunning and dynamic sliders, carousels, and other interactive content for websites. It offers a user-friendly interface that allows users to create and customize their own sliders and presentations with a wide range of features and options, including animations, transitions, and special effects. Slider Revolution is highly versatile and can be used for a variety of purposes, such as showcasing products, displaying images and videos, and highlighting key content on a website. It is compatible with various web platforms and has become a popular tool for web designers and developers who are looking to create engaging and visually appealing content for their websites.

Modula

The Modula Plugin checks all of our boxes for a photo gallery WordPress plugin in terms of aesthetics and options. It speeds up our blogging workflow by makes image spreads easy-to-create and modify. This ultimately results in a better overall display of our images and better storytelling. See our full Modula Review

NextGEN Gallery

NextGEN Gallery is a WordPress plugin that allows you to create lookbooks, image galleries, and slideshows. With this plugin, you can easily add images and videos to your website, and re-arrange them into albums. You can also customize the look and feel of your galleries, and add social sharing buttons to make it easy for visitors to share your content. NextGEN Gallery is a great way to showcase your photos and videos, and add some personality to your website.

Enviara Gallery

Envira Gallery is a responsive, user-friendly WordPress gallery plugin with the following features:

• Drag-and-Drop WordPress Gallery Builder
• Custom themes for each WordPress gallery
• Gallery Templates
• Responsive Mobile Friendly
• Albums & Tags
• Social Media Integration
• Ecommerce Store
• Watermark & Protection
• Slideshow & Fullscreen
• Deeplinking & Pagination
• Video Support

SlideDeck

This is the ultimate WordPress gallery/slideshow plugin. Not only is it completely SEO friendly, but it is also completely Responsive. That means that it will work on any sized screen. In the age of tablets and smartphones this is a must for photographer websites.

What do you guys think? What other great WordPress plugins did we leave out? Leave a comment and let us know about any plugins that you use on your photography website.

Music is responsible for setting the tone of your film or video. So if you’re serious about creating something that speaks to your clients and audience, you want to be sure you get the right song. In this post, we’ll share with you a list of some of the best music licensing sites, offering up a ton of royalty free songs & sound effects for your next project.

List updated Feb 7th, 2023

Epidemic Sound

Having launched in 2009, Epidemic Sound is one of the “old blood” of music licensing companies. They’ve got a massive library of songs available covering a plethora of genres covering everything from the mainstream market to some more obscure indie genres as well. You can license tracks a single at a time, but they also offer a subscription service which seems to be based off of your monthly YouTube channel views. Meaning, if you’re just getting your channel started, it’s a great option for you!

Artlist

Artlist.io offers a yearly and monthly subscription instead of a per song licensing fee. Given you can download at will with this subscription, if you’re creating a ton of slideshows or videos, this is the ultimate resource for you!  Here are their pricing plans this year:

Social Creator – Perfect for any type of social media content creator.

• Covers all your own social channels
• Yearly: $9.99 per month ($119.88 billed annually)
• Monthly: $14.99 per month

Creator Pro – Covers everything from personal to commercial projects

• Yearly: $16.60 per month ($199 billed annually)
• Yearly: ( Music & SFX): $25 per month ($299 billed annually)

Teams –  Build your creative vision, together

• Yearly starting at $28.20/month billed annually.
• Admin tools, easy management. Unlimited creative assets, unlimited downloads
• License cover up to 7 team members
• 15% discount per user

Audiio

Audiio  was launched in 2020 by former Universal Music Group artist Clay Jones and industry friends. Audiio.com has had over 1.5+ million licensed tracks downloaded by subscribers and is serving customers in more than 100 countries.

Unique Features:

• Lifetime Plan – One of the only Music Licensing Platforms with an unlimited lifetime plan.
• SafeSync – Helps avoid annoying copyright claims.
• Mobile App – Browse music for your next project from anywhere.
• Sound Effects Catalog – Download sound effects (in addition to their music)

Read about Audiio’s recent announcements here.

Musicbed

Musicbed comes loaded with practically any genre and style of music you can think of! Featuring mostly independent bands, composers, and musicians, Musicbed brings these indie creators music to the masses in a very affordable licensing rate. So much so that they have a reputation for having one of the best audio libraries in the market! Musicbed offers song licensing in both a per song purchase or subscription membership levels.

Soundstripe

LIke the previous entries in this list, Soundstripe operates on a subscription model instead of a per song licensing system. Everytime you download a song, you get a single-use license. Meaning, you can use it on your project for as long as you want, even after you cancel your membership. You can get unlimited music access for as low as $11.25 a month!

ALIBI Music

ALIBI Music, launched in 2011, features an extensive library of some 300,000+ professionally composed audio files, including stems, alt versions and cutdowns. With fresh, relevant music that’s frequently updated and tracks structured specifically for storytelling, it’s no wonder ALIBI is a trusted partner to top players in the film, television, advertising and video game industries. The company also features affordable subscription plans for indie creators and small businesses.

Recently, ALIBI unveiled a powerful new website and Adobe Premiere Pro extension loaded with intuitive search tools like the Power Player, tap tempo and negative search to help find the perfect tracks.

Tunepocket

TunePocket is a royalty free music subscription library that offers affordable, one-click music licensing solution for video creators. You can choose between the unlimited download subscription and pay-as-you-go membership with no recurring fees. With all-in-one royalty free license you can use the music in personal and business projects, including vlogs, promotional videos, advertisement, social media ads, film, documentary, games, presentations, events, monetized YouTube channels, as well as paid freelance work.
Get 10% off any new plan and take advantage of unlimited royalty free music download from $7.50 / month (billed annually.

Commamusic

Commamusic boasts a premium stock music library at affordable licensing rates. This is backed up by the fact they own every track in their library, promising royalty free music with zero copyright claims! Commamusic seems to be a monthly subscription based service with rates as low as $12 a month, but, they do offer a premium “large company” services that requires a customer service contact to get started should you need something a little more big budget and scale.

Premium Beat

Premium Beat is part of the Shutterstock family, meaning it’s one of the larger marketplaces out there. Housing a large selection of both classical and modern audio tracks, quality is more important here than quantity. The interface is easy to navigate making it very easy to find the very specific niche song you’ve been looking for for your project! Licensing is available in two levels (Standard & Premium) where the base is limited to web-based/non commercial and the premium level is for everything else.

Triple Scoop Music

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting the founder of Triple Scoop Music a few times over the years and his site happens to be a favorite among a lot of photographers out there. With over 45,000 hand-picked songs and over 2,000 independent artists, you’ll be sure to find the perfect song to make the very best first impression with your project. Triple Scoop offers several subscription packages ranging from Podcast only all the way up to commercial use, as well as the ability to grab single songs under various licensing models.

Songfreedom

Looking for something a little more mainstream & recognizable in your music licensing? SongFreedom may be for you then! Featuring recording artists like Jason Mraz, Christina Perri, Jason Derulo, and Regina Spektor along side of a massive library other tracks. There’s something for everyone at Songfreedom. The catch however, is you can’t license the music here to make a music video, and additional charges apply if you use them for commercial use. So be sure to read the fine print!

Marmoset

Based in the Pacific Northwest, Marmoset boasts a roster of “rare and emerging independent artists” with a library of songs that seem to be aligned exactly in sync with the budding cinematographer. Marmoset lets you search it’s song library by mood, vocals, story, character and more. Effectively letting you find the perfect track for the tone of your project project. The licensing is broken down into some pretty specific use cases based on personal, commercial, and small business projects with respective pricing and usage rights for each.

Musicvine

Music Vine has a couple of cool new search features for filmmakers, allowing searches based on style categories to match the tone of your scene. Things like Production Type, Movie Genre, and Footage Style are some of the options to filter/search by. Giving filmmakers a much more comprehensive view of the songs available to them to best match their projects. Songs you download have multiple license types available to ensure you get the coverage you need.

Pond5

Primarily known for their stock video clips, Pond5 also has a substantial music collection and sound effect library as well! You can search their library of over 900,000 songs and while they don’t offer any free tracks, you can pick up a song as you like without any need of an account. You can search by Price, Public Domain, and Non P.R.O. tracks so you can avoid having to pay performance royalties. However, with their membership plans you can also download tracks from a “pre-curated stock music library” and use in perpetuity.

We hope you find this list helpful and you can find the right music source for your next project. Let us know if we missed anything by leaving a comment below and we’ll keep this post as up to date as possible. If you have any other recommendations, please comment below with your favorites!

Read the Full Press Release from Sony;

New Live Gallery Feature for Socially Distanced Live Events

Visual Story Version 1.1’s new Live Gallery feature allows professional event photographers to meet the growing demand for remote participation during the actual event. This enables the photographer’s clients to share photo galleries with their friends, family and colleagues, to then view photos of their event, such as a wedding, corporate, school or sporting event, in real-time to create a more immersive experience.

[Related Reading: Sony Introduces Three New High-Performance G Lenses to its Full-Frame E-mount Lens Lineup]

Live Gallery helps simplify a professional workflow by allowing Auto transfer while shooting with a compatible Sony Alpha brand camera[ii], automated image selection using AI, and applying edit presets to all images within a live gallery at the same time. Live Gallery viewers can also like specific photos, which the photographer can use to choose final image selections to deliver to their client.

Upgraded Selection Options

The newly updated Visual Story app also now includes an object detection filter to easily locate images focusing on specific items such as a cake, food, tableware, and jewelry. The photographer can also choose images that are only included in a live gallery or those with likes.

[Related Reading: Sony Launches New “Visual Story” App for iOS That Organizes Images and Offers Client Collaboration Automatically]

Compatibility and Availability

Visual Story Version 1.1 is available now for iOS in the App Store for free and is compatible with select Sony cameras including Alpha 7C, Alpha 7R IV, Alpha 7S III, Alpha 9, Alpha 9 II as well as Alpha 7 III (updated to firmware version 4.0 or later), Alpha 1 and FX3i.

Sony’s new Visual Story is available to download for free HERE, and development on additional platforms is under discussion.

Learn more about Visual Story HERE

Check Pricing & Availability of Sony Products here

Adorama | B&H | Amazon

[Related Reading: An Inside Look At ‘Format’ As A Website & Portfolio Platform For Photographers]

Below is a quick outline of some of the key features from Workflow:

• Password-protected client galleries
• Branded file transfers of up to 10GB
• Organizational tools like contact management and project notes
• Integrates seamlessly with Format’s flagship Portfolio function

Read the full press release here;

Format, the leading website-building platform for photographers, today announced the launch of Workflow (Starting tomorrow, February 26, 2021), a new suite of easy-to-use tools designed to help members run a professional photography business. Workflow operates as a productivity and communication tool for photographers to better manage their time, expand their client base, and provide a heightened level of client experience.

Workflow’s user-friendly tools enable photographers to impress clientele with visually appealing, password-protected galleries that simplify collaboration on proofing. It also allows for branded file transfers of up to 10GB, provides sharable galleries housing unlimited images, and assists photographers in staying organized with contact management, labels, and project notes. Workflow integrates directly with Format’s existing platform, making it easy for users to seamlessly navigate between their Portfolio and Workflow.

In order to mitigate some of the financial impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Format is offering one year of its Workflow Pro membership free to those who register between Feb 26 and March 31. “Workflow is the meeting point of creativity, business, and client relations that the industry has been waiting for,” said Lukas Dryja, co-founder and CEO of Format. “Our mission is built around the idea that photographers should be focused on their craft, not worrying about the backend components that drive business operations. By simplifying and streamlining their business hub and providing beautifully designed client-facing interfaces, photographers can provide better service, manage their rolodex, and elevate their careers to new heights. 

[Related Reading: These Companies Are Helping Photographers During The Coronavirus Crisis (UPDATED)]

“The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives of hardworking creative professionals across the globe, and the photography industry is no exception,” said Dryja. “Format is committed to supporting the photography community as it works to get back to business in the coming months.”

Format’s inaugural offering, Portfolio, launched in 2010 and supports more than 445,000 sites in 190 countries. Currently hosting over seven billion images, it is trusted by some of the world’s most renowned creative professionals to showcase their craft and grow their business.

“Format provides the simplest and most straight-forward way to manage a website that I’ve found, leaving me more time to focus on personal projects and client’s requests,” said Mark Tipple, photographer and Format member.”

To learn more about Format and sign up for a Workflow membership, please visit www.format.com or www.format.com/workflow-photography-studio-management.

About Format:

Format simplifies how photographers run and grow their businesses around the globe. Thanks to its focus on beautiful design, user-friendly interface, and best-in-class customer support, Format has helped build more than 445,000 sites and shared seven billion images across 190 countries. Format’s two product offerings – Portfolio and Workflow – elevate photographers’ business development for novice professionals. Portfolio features online galleries, custom domains, and social media and video integration. Workflow, launched in 2021, supports business functions that add a level of professionalism and sophistication to a photographer’s client-facing work. Format was founded in 2010 by Lukas Dryja and Tyler Rooney in Toronto, Canada.

The companies new software is built on a proprietary Artificial Intelligence that’s meant to be a digital assistant to help you choose your best images based on 4 parameters;

1. Sharpness
2. Noise
3. Emotions
4. Closed Eye Status

On top of this, the new Photo Culling App has to cull modes;

1. Whole Culling
   • This mode figures out the best photos by scoring against the four parameters mentioned above: sharpness, noise, emotions, and closed eyes. The user can then set a score threshold, and the app will recommend that any images below that threshold be deleted.
2. Similar Culling
   • This mode organizes similar images into groups and identifies the groups first and second-best images. The rest of the images from that group are then marked for culling.
     • Canon’s official “example” of this says if you have 20 photos, (10 photos of a dog, and 10 sunset photos), the app will automatically sort them into two separate groups and identify the best dog photo and best sunset photo of the bunch.

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On top of these key features, the app can also show the total number of images has on their phone, as well as the amount of storage that’s being used/available right on the app’s home screen. It can also automatically categorize and put your images into folders/albums that will be based on events and dates dynamically throughout the year. If you have an excessive amount of images in a particular album, the app will also suggest you review & delete the excess shots.

Read the App Info from Canon Below;

• Easily Find Your Best Photos
  • Photo Culling will help you organize your photo library and find your best photos in minutes. With two culling options, Similar Culling and Whole Culling, you can find your best photo out of a group of photos or group similar photos. Simply select the photos you wish to cull and let Photo Culling take care of the rest!
• Delete Duplicate or Unwanted Photos
  • Photo Culling thoroughly analyzes your library, finds similar or low-quality photos, and suggests which photos to keep and which to delete; helping to save you time and space on your device. Our advanced technology makes it easy to find your best photos and delete any duplicate or unwanted ones in minutes – while still allowing you to be in total control!
• AI Technology
  • PHIL is Canon U.S.A.’s unique computer vision AI engine. PHIL is used to detect the photo score using AI technology, to show how good or bad the quality of your photos are. PHIL has several models to score photos, with five of those models being used in the Photo Culling app; grouping with similar photos, sharpness, noise, emotion, and closed eyes. Powered by PHIL, Photo Culling finds your best photos, allows you to get individual photo scores, and set your threshold level. With our AI technology, you can quickly and easily cull through a high volume of photos to find the best!

I’ve not tested out this app myself yet, but I’ll be giving it a shot this week. In the meantime, if you have used, or are planning to, please let us know how it worked out for you in the comments below. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

The Canon Photo Culling app is available from the Apple app store. After a 3 day trial, you can use the app on a subscription basis with the options of $2.99 per month or $14.99 for the year.