How to Find the Right Private Photo Editor: Part One

   Hi again! Last week, I talked about the 10 signs you need to outsource to a private photo editor. This week I'm going to give you a few tips on how to find the right editor for you! :-) Let's dive right in!

1.The first question you should ask yourself is: What IS your editing style? Bright and Airy, Colorful with a pop/contrast, Film style, Natural and Classy, Moody or Dark,? Do you use presets? Have you made your own preset? Do you like warmer or cooler, creamy skin tones? Maybe you need help developing a style you would like to use consistently. These are all great things to think about before you start looking for an editor. The key to keeping your creative style with an editor is to have one and to implement it. If you are still in the process of learning your creative style, I help photographers do that and some editors I know can do that too! No worries! Developing your style in the beginning can help you stay on track with the style you want.

2. Do you edit in Lightroom, Photoshop, ACR? Look for an editor that edits in the program you edit in, or a program you would be willing to try. For instance, Lightroom has an amazing Smart Preview Catalog you can send 1000's of RAW photos online and in less time than sending RAWS, which could take forever to upload, then download. It is a time saver for my business and my photography clients' businesses too! Compatible versions for Smart Previews are Lightroom 6 and Lightroom Creative Cloud. Another great benefit to smart preview catalogs is yoy are able to tweak or make any final adjustments in RAW format when you receive them back. That is ideal for keeping each photo at full resolution and not having to re edit the RAW photo or edit from a jpeg.

3. Do you shoot only weddings or sessions, or both? Do you plan on sending both? Some editors only edit sessions, some only edit weddings, and some edit both.

4. What is your budget? I always suggest for those wanting to send around 300- 700+ images to be edited to make a budget of $100-300 to pay an editor. Editors who edit in Lightroom, like myself, charge anywhere between .30-.39 per photo to edit photos. So if you hired me to edit 700 photos, it would be .30x700. That's $210. If you increase your wedding collections you offer clients by $2-300, you will always have enough to cover sending your work to your private photo editor.

5. Do you have a calendar of your booked weddings/sessions for the year? You will need to send a schedule to your editor once you try the out, and decide to move forward with a private photo editor. Having that ready beefore you contact an editor is being more prepared for that initial contact.

6. Organize your Lightroom before you send any catalogs to your editor. Make collections for specific sessions or weddings if you have multiple sessions or weddings in your catalog.

I hope this info was helpful for you if you are in search of an editor. Stay tuned for part two! If you want to make sure you don't miss the next post, press the follow button.

If you are still looking for a private photo editor, I hope you will consider me as an option! I have two full time spots left to fill. Visit: www.theprivatephotoeditor.com or Facebook.com/privatephotoeditor or @privatephotoeditor on Facebook.