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Virginia-based photographer top 5 things I can’t run my business without (besides you!)

This one’s for the photographers! Today I’m sharing the top 5 things I couldn’t run my business without as a Virginia-based photographer. Besides you, of course!

headshot northern virginia photographer
Fluttering Shutter Photography

Please note: these are all referral links, and most have bonus offers for using them.

Professional Photographers of America (search referring member: Blaire Ring) – this is my general liability insurance and equipment coverage. They also offer a ton of continuing education opportunities, discounts to other companies, business resources, and data loss protection. PPA is priceless.

Carrying general liability insurance is important for photographers for several reasons:

  1. Protection against Accidents: General liability insurance provides coverage for accidents or injuries that may occur during a photography session.
  2. Equipment Coverage: As photographers, we work with valuable equipment and shoot in various locations. General liability insurance can protect you against accidental damage to the property of others, such as a venue or client’s property.
  3. Client Disputes: Yikes. But it’s always better to be prepared!
  4. Venue Requirements: Many event venues and locations require photographers to carry liability insurance before allowing them to shoot on their premises. By having general liability insurance, you can meet these requirements and expand your opportunities to work in various venues.
  5. Peace of Mind: Running any kind of business involves inherent risks. General liability insurance provides peace of mind by mitigating those risks, allowing you to focus on your work and creative pursuits without worrying about potential accidents, damages, or lawsuits that could have a severe impact on your business and personal finances.

Backblaze – complete and total UNLIMITED computer cloud backup. Backblaze is also priceless.

Having cloud-based, automatic computer backup is crucial for photographers because:

  1. Data Protection: As photographers, digital files are our most valuable assets. Accidental data loss, hardware failure, theft, or natural disasters can lead to irreversible damage or loss of those files. Cloud computer backup provides a secure offsite storage solution that protects your data from such risks, ensuring that your work remains safe and accessible.
  2. Redundancy and Reliability: Cloud backup systems typically utilize advanced data replication techniques. This means that your files are stored in multiple locations and mirrored across different servers. This redundancy ensures that even if one server or storage device fails, your data remains intact and accessible.
  3. Easy File Recovery: In case of accidental file deletion, system crashes, or hardware failures, having cloud backup simplifies the process of file recovery, minimizing downtime and allowing you to quickly resume work.
  4. Remote Access and Collaboration: Cloud backup enables remote access to your files from anywhere with an internet connection.
  5. Peace of Mind: With automatic backups, your files are continuously protected without requiring your active involvement.

Session – online scheduling, contracts, and payments. They also have the best customer service. Session is relatively new and they are constantly improving.

ShootProof – online client galleries for viewing/ordering primarily, but also contracts and invoicing when needed. ShootProof provides secondary cloud-storage for my digital files.

Image Salon – I use them for advanced PhotoShop editing. These people are magicians! There is nothing they can’t do.

And a bonus:

Mailchimp – all of my emails and that cool thing where you sign up and get a free copy of my visual style guide.

A couple of other things that don’t have referral bonuses but I still love them just the same: ProPhoto managed website hosting, because I do NOT have the time or knowledge to keep this ship sailing on my own; Canon Professional Services, because if I don’t have reliable equipment I don’t have a Virginia-based photographer business! (See what I did there? I’m being told I need to work my keywords in to my blog posts for SEO more, by Yoast which I can’t successfully blog without.)

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Hi! I'm Blaire.

I'm a beach bum from New York, living life with a cup of coffee in one hand and a camera in the other.

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blaire@secondavephotography.com

Blaire is a premier Northern Virginia photographer serving: Great Falls; Fairfax; McLean; Arlington; Vienna; Clifton; Alexandria; Ashburn; Oakton; Chantilly; Round Hill; Hamilton; Aldie; Herndon; Haymarket; Manassas; Springfield; Bristow; Sterling; Broad Run; Purcellville; Reston; Gainesville; Burke; Leesburg; Falls Church; Warrenton; Lovettsville; Centreville; Dunn Loring; Waterford; Paeonian Springs; and Washington DC.

 

Specializing in lifestyle newborn, family, and maternity photography.