How do you know if you are ready for outsourcing?
If you missed PART ONE go check it out.
Guess what? I believe the number of weddings you have booked is NOT the best indicator of whether or not you are ready to outsource. Say what?! You’re probably thinking wait Marcie isn’t the reason to outsource because you are slammed and can’t handle all the editing? Yes and no.
In my experience, the most successful editing client has refined their editing style and has consistency in just about everything (shooting, culling, style, workflow). If they have a gazillion weddings in addition to being really dialed into their style then woohoo double whammy! But if a photographer has the same number of weddings and has not refined their editing and shooting style fairly well, then it will be often be a struggle for both the photographer and editor. The editor will have a really difficult edit to undertake with all the inconsistencies. The photographer will receive images back and not love the results because they have not communicated visually or verbally what their style is. And maybe they don’t know what they want, which is totally fine! However, I would strongly suggest focusing on nailing your vision and how you edit in Lightroom before you rush into outsourcing.
I do want to mention presets because that is an important subject. I am a huge believer in presets, especially when using a private editor. There are going to be similar changes you make to your images all the time in order to keep your consistent style. Most often you would use an original or modified preset that you purchased. They can also be created by you, although sometimes it is a little trickier to pull off when applying them to a variety of images.
In short, have a defined editing style! If you have a large number of weddings that is awesome, but you don’t have to in order to be a great fit for outsourcing.
In part three, which is the last of this little series, I will let you know the two best ways to prepare for outsourcing to a private editor!
If you missed it, check out PART ONE!
You can read the next and final post now! PART THREE
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