I'm so excited to welcome you to another episode of the Business Journey Podcast, because today we're talking about what to do after your mini sessions are over. I'm diving into my favorite workflow tips for after your sessions. We've talked a lot about how to plan and prep for them, but what do you do when you head home? How do you manage all of the images and clients you had the chance to work with? Today, we're going to break down how workflow tips for after your mini sessions! Before we jump into all of that, though, I wanted to let you know about my Free Minis Class! This class dives into what many sessions are and how to structure them right so that you can maximize your profit. And then we talk a ton about marketing. You can check it out at HERE.

Wait a day to start processing your photos.

Honestly, coming home from photographing a bunch of minis and then jumping right into post processing is kind of overwhelming. So, I recommend waiting a day to get into all of your editing. They're long days and sometimes things go really well - and let's be real, sometimes they don't. But waiting a day allows some of that emotion to cool so that you can be in the right headspace to edit your images (or send them to your editor!). Back them up as soon as you get home, but don't start culling or editing in that moment. Trust me!

Organize your files well!

Hopefully I can explain our system well to you.... but, when we start organizing files from our mini session, we put all of our mages on a hard drive. I have one master folder for that set of mini sessions. Always put the location and the date! Then, inside that master folder, we have three more folders. A "Capture" folder which is where all of the RAW files will go. Next is a "selects" folder, which will have any images we choose as the final images for our clients. And then finally, we have an "Output" folder, which is the final edited images. Within those folders, I have a folder for each family. I label it by the number session they were of the day (1, 2, etc.) and then mom's first and last name... so the file name might look like: 1-Rebecca Rice when I'm all done. This helps me keep everything in order so there's no confusing who is who!

Batch your work.

Once you've got all of your folders set up and the photos dumped into the "Capture" folder, it's time to batch your work. By that I mean, sit down and cull all of your photos at the same time. Edit them and deliver the images at the same time to your clients. By doing each family individually, you're not really maximizing your time. Instead, focus on one type of task at a time. I've found I'm a lot more productive when I can do everything at once, for example: I cull in PhotoMechanic. It's a one time purchase and it's amazing because it's SO much faster to cull through images - and more efficient. Then I go into Lightroom and edit everything and then do one sitting where I prep the galleries in Shootproof.

Write out your workflow.

There's two purposes to having your workflow organized. One, it gets it out of your head and makes sure that your entire team knows what's going on. If something happens to you or you need help, how do you explain to someone where everyone is in the process? Have a written list so that it's easy to follow, no matter who's helping you. The other reason that you need to organize your workflow is to ensure that every client gets the same experience. I've talked about Trello before - but we use it for our team and every session has a checklist so that we make sure we know what's going on! PS. Don't forget - in Behind the Lens, we actually share our EXACT workflow and Trello board with you so that you can get your workflow organized today!

There you have it! Four easy tips to master your workflow after your mini sessions. Running a profitable and successful business is really about organizing yourself in a way that works for you. Creating systems that can be easily replicated at high volume is important and the best way to make sure you make it through your busy season in one piece! I hope these tips help you this year with your mini sessions!

Links Mentioned in the Episode

+ Behind the Lens

+ Free Minis Class

What We Discussed

Wait a day to start (2:53)

Organize your files (3:59)

Batch your work (6:58)

Write out your workflow (8:38)