Here is some stuff that I use in my photography business. For the full list check out this page on Rick McEvoy Photography website.
Website hosting – Bluehost
You need someone to host your website. You can use the same company for your domain and hosting, but I was advised to separate the two. I am not sure why to be honest, but I did and this has not done me any harm.
I use Bluehost for my hosting. And let me tell you very quickly that Bluehost have the best customer support that I have ever come across. They have quite literally saved me from complete website disasters on numerous occasions and have guided me through the transition from Squarespace to WordPress.
And I hop on the chat with them once a month and they backup all my websites.
This is my affiliate link for Bluehost who I can not recommend enough.
Website adverts – Ezoic
Ezoic have an arrangement with Income School, who I will get on to next. Ezoic have dedicated success managers who guide you through the process of getting ads on your website.
Ezoic use AI to maximise the earning capacity of websites. I am new to this but like getting my monthly payment from Ezoic, even if it is modest at the moment.
And this is my Ezoic Affiliate Link.
Business Development – Income School
Income School run a course called Project 24, where if you follow their processes you could earn a full-time income in 24 months.
Income School is full of fantastic resources, including the Income School Community who have helped me out endless times and have also provided trustworthy, knowledgeable people who I pay to do things I am not able to do that saves me bags of time.
If you want to earn money from your website then Income School Project 24 is well worth a go – sign up using my affiliate link.
Business Development – Convertkit
I am new to this. This is to develop my email list. I will write about this once I know what I am talking about but. And Convertkit is free to start with which is good. And their support is also excellent.
If you want to grow an online business, you need an email list. Trust me I have this on good authority.
And they have helped me do things that I really do not have a clue about!
So if you want to start an email list check out Convertkit using my affiliate link.
Software
To run a photography business you need to be able to edit photos. This is the only editing software that I use.
Lightroom
I have used Lightroom since release 1.0. I subscribe to the Creative Cloud Photography Plan which costs me £9.98 per month. And I am more than happy to pay for that.
If you subscribe to the Creative Cloud Photography Plan using my Affiliate Link I will get a commission and you will get my eternal gratitude.
This is subject all of its own – check out my website for lots more by putting Lightroom into the search panel.
But one thing I will tell you is that every photo I have ever taken is in a single Lightroom Catalogue.
Photoshop
I use Photoshop to remove things from images edited in Lightroom. That is it. I do not understand Photoshop to be honest and am happy to stay in Lightroom.
Not that Photoshop is not a wonderful thing, I guess that I am just not clever enough to use it.
And best of all if you get Lightroom on the Photography plan you also get Photoshop included – even more of a bargain!
Luminar 4
I wrote a blog post about Luminar, lamenting the fact that I had not had a chance to play with Luminar 4. They got in touch, gave me some one on one training, and gave me Luminar 4 for nothing.
I then became a Skylum Affiliate.
You can buy any of their software using my affiliate link here– even better enter my own discount code MCEVOY and you will get £10 off your purchase.
I use Luminar 4 to replace skies using the completely awesome AI Sky Replacement Tool. This is one less thing I have to battle to do in Photoshop which is good.
And this tool is really so good I can do architectural shoots on cloudy days and transform the images super quick after.
Excire Search Pro
I was approached by Excire Search to trial this product, and I am an affiliate member, so if you click on my affiliate link here and buy Excire Search I get a commission. I have written about Excire Search Pro on my photography blog.
Excire Search Pro is a super-clever Lightroom plug-in that helps you find photos quickly in Lightroom. And I have over 80,000 images in my Lightroom Catalogue.
Podcasting
A great way to get people to know you is to start a podcast. I am doing this at the time of writing so this is new to me. I have taken the advice of Pat Flynn and signed up to Buzzsprout.
Podcast Hosting – Buzzsprout
Pat Flynn recommended Buzzsprout and that is good enough for me. I will update this entry once I have my podcast up and running. Which I have done. Check out my Photography Explained podcast or go to the Photography Explained Podcast website.
I am now a Buzzsprout affiliate – click this link, sign up and I get a commission.
Holidays
We all need a holiday. I am a TUI Affiliate – book a holiday using my TUI Affiliate link and you should save some money and get a nice break somewhere nice!
I hope that you have found this page helpful and informative, and that you now know which resources can help you with your photography business.
And don’t forget to check out my gear page for all that good stuff that I use.
Summary
I hope that you have found the information in this page helpful. Affiliate programmes are a way of helping people like me provide free advice and training, so any support is gratefully appreciated.
And don’t forget you do not pay any more by using my affiliate links.
