The reports that StudioCloud produces are quick, simple, and are exported as a pdf and printed if you choose.  It’s SO nice knowing how much we owe Uncle Sam wihtin a few clicks, or figuring out what time of year our studio is the busiest, or even how many enagegements, weddings, or lifestyle sessions you’ve booked so far.

Bottom line…..highly recommended. 

Don’t forget to recieve $5 off your first month use this promo code:

haskins101

I really cannot imagine how we went for so long without some way of keeping track of sales, leads, appointments, and most importanly our clients.  It took me showing up at the wrong location for a Life Session to finally do something about it.  I’m writing this right now hoping that you will avoid the mistakes that I have made.

In my quest for ultimate organization, I came across several management systems that all had their pro’s and con’s.  Successware just wasn’t an option because of the price.  Tave looked appealing, but wasn’t pretty enough.  Shoot Q probably would have gotten me, but I could’nt wait 6 months for them to start accepting new clients.  I need something that day.  I then came across Studiocloud.  Now this…this is pretty!  I’m a very visual person, and Studiocloud blows me away.  It runs on Adobe Air, and can be ran as a desktop application, or in a web browser.  Everything about the software is customizeable, from backgrounds to the logo’s on invoices.

Most importantly, it keeps you organized.  A contact form can be generated to place on your web server, so that when new clients submit an inquiry, it automatically make them a “prospective lead,” in the software.  Any furter messages sent to your email address, will attach itself to the appropriate client. When you click on a client, it shows all the email correspondence.  That feature right there was one of the biggest things that caught my attention.  Along with keeping track of leads, the calendar function is pretty sweet.  You can schedule, create an invoice, and email the client all within 1 step.  Studioclouds workflow aspect of the software is pretty amazing.  It keeps me on track with exactly where I am at with each client.

More features include generating reports on exactly who owes you money, and can be exported to pdf and printed on the spot.  Whole client lists can be printed with addresses which is helpful when sending out mass mailings. It also keeps track of expenses, sales, products, and services. It’s also really helpful to know in one click how much you owe Uncle Sam. Other cool things are the ability to have your clients update their own information, and to be able to log in to a mobile version for those who are constantly on the go.

All in all, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been with Studiocloud, and I really cannot reccommend them enough. For $25 a month, you really cannot go wrong.

*Bonus* – Use coupon code haskins101 and get $5 off your first month!

Being self taught, I have happened upon many techniques that allowed me to develop an extremely efficient post-processing solution. I can fully edit 1000 photos in about 20 minutes using Adobe Lightroom, and today I will explain the process behind it. If your still using Photoshop for your post processing, that’s fine. Just know that what your doing is building a house with a hammer, when you should be using a nail gun. Also know that this is not possible with Photoshop. Looking forward to the comment box being full of naysayers. I’m referring to the actual editing process. Mind you I do give some extra lovin to the photos that go on the blog, however for the sake of this tutorial I am referring to the rest of the photos you have left to edit after picking out your favorites.

Edit 1000 photos in 21 minutes. Join me on a Magic Workflow Ride. Will you?

Before we begin, it’s imperative that all of your photos be the same exposure. You’ll have to shoot in Manual mode to achieve this. Take a test shot, stop up or down as needed, and leave it there. It does’nt matter if it’s slightly under-exposed, or over-exposed. The important thing is that they are all the same exposure. If you shoot in Av mode, then this process will mostly likely not work for you. It’s easier to batch correct a series of 25 shots, then to edit each one individually.

Our video starts out in Adobe Lightroom with 1050 RAW files from my recent engagement session. I’ve been lazy and haven’t opened Lightroom since Sunday. Immediately after getting home, I “5-Star” my favorites (noted with 5 stars), to post on the blog the day after. Those “5-Star” photos are what we’re going to refer to as “Keyframes.” Those Keyframes are going to guide you like interstate signs. The process is extremely simple.

After you have selected your ultimate favorites, your ready to being the editing process. Highlight the first Keyframe photo, shift click the rest of that series, then click the “Sync Settings” button. Using your Keyframe photos, shift-click-edit the remaining 1000 photos. This should only take you about 20-25 minutes. The video does a much better job of showing you what I mean. There is no sound, just the process itself.

I hope this helps those of you who are opening each and every file in Photoshop.

Click the link below for the video. It will open in a new window. The video runs in real time, and is 21 minutes long. You don’t have to watch the entire thing, just enough to grasp the techniques that I mention here today.

How to edit 1000 photos in 21 minutes.

**Nick Haskins is the author of, “How to edit 1000 photos in 21 minutes.” He has helped many photographers by providing efficient work flow solutions. Visit his site at http://www.haskinsphotography.com/site**