How many of you have thought, “I would really like to start outsourcing my photo editing, but I have no idea where to start?  Or, “What should I look for in a private photo editor?  Don’t worry, I’ve got you!  In this post, I will walk you through 4 steps to get you ready to start outsourcing your photo editing with a private photo editor and what to look for when hiring a private photo editor.

Step one:

What do I need to look for when hiring a Private Photo Editor?

My biggest advice for what you should look for when hiring a private photo editor is first, experience and then testimonials from their clients.  As a photographer myself, I get that it’s not always easy to hand over your images you worked so hard on.  It’s also not so easy to trust someone else to edit and take care of them like you do.  However, you need to remember, a good Private Photo Editor does this day in and day out, so they are VERY experienced at this and have incredible attention to detail sometimes even better then you may.

Also, finding an editor that has the same style as you isn’t always necessary.  I see this a lot when people are looking for an editor, they look for someone with their same style because they think it’s necessary when finding the right photo editor.  It’s not though.  In fact, with us, we work with all kinds of styles from light and airy, clean and classic, hybrid, true to color, moody, etc…  Why are we able to do this?  It’s because of our editing process and communication with our clients that make it possible.  To see for yourself look at this interview we did with our client Dawn Photography and then this interview with our client Valorie Darling and see how different they are in their editing style.  We are able to match to their unique style because of our editing process as well as our editing skills.

I pointed this out because you don’t need to ask to see a photo editor’s work or their clients work because all you will be seeing is how they are editing in THEIR style and not what they could be doing with yours.

You want someone who will work with your unique editing style and match to your preferences.  You also don’t want your editor using their creative vision on your images, you want them to use yours.  So finding an editor that is capable of editing to your preferences is key.

You will also want someone who is very good at communicating with you and will be able to take your feedback and apply it to your editing.  One of the major perks of having a personal editor is being able to work with them one-on-one and provide them feedback that they can use for all future weddings that you send their way.  Having someone you feel comfortable with to give honest feedback is crucial when it comes to a photographer and photo editor relationship.

Step Two:

How do you go about hiring a Private Photo Editor that’s the right fit for you? Where are they and how can you find them?

Umm…  Us!  We currently have openings and would love to chat…

• You could also ask any of your photographers who may be outsourcing for a recommendation.  We get a lot of referrals from our amazing clients who love to share who they use!  That’s also a great sign they know what they are doing!
• Do a google search method of “Private Photo Editor” and several will pop up for you to look at and review.
• Going onto a photography facebook group and searching for “photo editor” and also asking for help finding a great one!  I know we’ve been found this way!
• I would also suggest searching on Instagram as well and use hashtags to find your perfect editor.  AND you guessed it, we’ve been found this way as well!

Step Three:

How to make sure you are ready to hire a private photo editor?

This is important, so put those listening ears on…well eyes… since we are reading this and not watching…I’m hilarious, right?!

Know your style:

First things first, you need to know your style!  Yep!  It’s super hard for a photo editor to understand how to edit for you if you don’t know what you want.  We do however, work with photographers to build more consistency within their set style because that is what we are so good at… CONSISTENCY!  I mean we want those photo albums to blend perfectly and cohesively when putting your images side by side with in it, and that only works when the images all match up and they are all consistent!

Be ready to outsource more than just 1 wedding:

You also need to be ready to outsource your weddings consistently.  I use that word consistently a lot but, it’s important.  When working with an editor, sending them just 1 or 2 weddings out of your season just doesn’t work and it ends up causing frustration on both parties.  We do not want that!  It’s also hard for an editor to really hone in on your style and preferences if there just isn’t enough weddings to work on and too much time between them.

In the beginning, when working with your personal editor, this is when you will provide the most feedback to them and help them to nail your editing down.  It’s the perk of having your own personal editor, being able to communicate and give all the feedback.  It’s really hard to do one wedding with feedback and then months later do another.   So when you are ready to start outsourcing I would make sure you a ready to commit to 10+ weddings so that you will get the best results from your editor.

Which brings me to…drum-roll please.

Step Four:

How do you set yourself up to finically to have an editor work for you?

Don’t forget the all important rule any time you outsource… make sure to budget for it!

Increase Your Pricing:

The easiest way to budget for a Private Editor would be to add the cost back into your pricing structure.   You would be surprised at how small of an increase it is and most couples that inquire will not even notice the small increase.  You guys, I’m talking about a 3-5% increase.  That’s it.  Really!  It’s the cost of doing business and you should be adding that back into your pricing.

Add 1-2 More Weddings:

Another way to do this, is if you are wanting to outsource your already booked weddings and you didn’t account for the editing costs when you booked them, you can always book another wedding.  Yep you heard me right…1-2 more wedding will usually cover the cost of a private editor. (depending on where you are priced)  AND  if you think about it further… you won’t be needing to edit that wedding either.  Sounds amazing right!

I hope you all found this helpful when it comes to hiring a private photo editor and helping you get ready to start outsourcing!  If you have any further questions about hiring an editor and what this could look like for you…email me at janelle@janellejoy.com and I would be more than happy to answer your questions!

 

 

 

 

FAQ’s about Outsourcing your Editing to a Private Photo Editor