January 16, 2018

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Gaby Caskey Photography

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Best Lifesaving Apps for Photographers | HoneyBook, Mile IQ + More

HoneyBook, MileIQ and other important apps for photographersIf you’re anything like me, you tend to be a little scatterbrained sometimes. Today I’m sharing some of my favorite apps and systems I use to stay organized, entertained, and on top of things in my photography business! From managing my clients and their wedding days on HoneyBook, to guaranteeing a perfect sunset for a session, these resources have worked wonders for me, and I hope they serve you well, too!


Netflix | Podcasts | GoldenHour and AccuWeather | Reminders | MileIQ | HoneyBook

1. Netflix: This one’s pretty much a given. Spending hours a day staring at your computer can be a little monotonous. I always have Netflix (or YouTube videos) playing in the background to keep me occupied. My biggest tip is to pick shows you can listen to instead of having to divert your attention to the screen. The Office is normally my go-to!

2. The Podcast App: When I’m not playing a Netflix show in the background, I looove listening to Podcasts. Podcasts are a great way for me to be inspired by other entrepreneurs, listen to educational posts from other photographers, and catch up on the latest messages from my favorite Pastors. Also, I feel like I’m being more productive when I’m listening to Podcasts, as opposed to just watching another Netflix show. The App is built-in on iPhones too! I’m planning on writing an entirely separate post on my favorite Podcasts because I found so many great ones this past wedding season since I spent so many hours in the car!

3. GoldenHour and AccuWeather: These are two separate apps but since they’re both weather related I’ve lumped them together. As a photographer, I love to shoot during golden hour any chance I get. Golden hour occurs twice a day, and is the hour surrounding the sunrise or sunset. Whenever I’m trying to plan out the time for a session or help a bride figure out the perfect time for their ceremony, I turn to the GoldenHour app. You can put your exact location into the app and it’ll tell you not only the time golden hour will occur that day, but also the direction of the sunrise/set in relation to the location and the intensity and quality of the sunset.

The next App I use a ton is AccuWeather. My favorite feature on AccuWeather is the rain tracker! It shows you when rain is going to start (to the minute!!) and the strength level of the precipitation. This App is a lifesaver on wedding days when rain is in the forecast and I have to find patches of dry periods to shoot in.

4. Reminders: There’s nothing fancy about this built-in iPhone App but I loooove utilizing Reminders. I set reminders for everything! If I get an important email or inquiry, I tend to open them wherever I am and sometimes I’m not able to sit down and write out a well-written response in that moment. I’ve found that writing out my to-do list helps me remember to actually do them, but it also gives me an incentive to complete that task so my list doesn’t get too long! I’m so lame when it comes to checking things off my to-do list haha.

5. MileIQ: This app is amazing and one of my biggest lifesavers. It’s an App that runs in the background and tracks all of your mileage. Whenever you sit down to sort through them, it shows a description of each drive (a map to show your route, the distance driven, and date) so it’s pretty easy to go through them quickly! Also, it works by utilizing a “swipe left, swipe right” feature, so all you have to do is swipe one direction for all business drives, and another for all personal drives. It automatically factors in the IRS standard mileage rate for the year, so they take care of all the math! At the end of the year you can request your mileage report and have all of your info in one place for taxes! MileIQ is available on the App store, and is $5.99/month, or $59.99/year, but you can use my referral link and receive 20% off your yearly subscription!

6. HoneyBook: HoneyBook is hands down the best thing ever for my business. HoneyBook is the client management system I use to handle everything in my business from start to finish. All of my inquiries from my website are sent through HoneyBook! From there, I’m able to correspond with the couple, send their contracts, any important files they need, and so on. Everything is stored in templates on your HoneyBook account, so sending a contract is as simple as clicking a button and then filling in the corresponding information for that specific client and their session! Also, every email, file, and Invoice for each client stays within their specific workspace, so it keeps everything extremely organized! HoneyBook also has an iPhone App, so I’m able to keep track of all of my clients and their information on the go.

HoneyBook’s main feature is the Pipeline, which is where all of your current projects are housed. It’s the home screen when you log on to your account, so you’re able to automatically see the name of each project, the date of the project, and what stage you’re at with them (Inquiry, Follow up, Proposal Sent, Retainer Paid, Planning, and Completed). The other feature I love is their Tools section (Templates, Bookkeeping, Calendar, Reports, and so on). Basically, HoneyBook makes it insanely easy to see where you’re at with each client’s project, and has all of the tools necessary to efficiently serve them! The QuickBooks integration is so helpful whenever it comes to bookkeeping, too!

I began using HoneyBook when my business was just starting to pick up. It was helpful to set the groundwork then on how to work with multiple clients at a time! This is why I’d suggest a client management software for everyone, whether you’re just starting out or have been juggling things for years! HoneyBook is $40/month, or $400/year (averages out to $34/month), however, I have a code for 50% off an annual subscription! If you’re a creative and not using a client management software yet, I’d highly recommend HoneyBook! HoneyBook helps get your business’ workflow back on track and lets you better serve your clients!


I hope you’ve found some new resources in this post to implement in your business this year! With tax season coming up, HoneyBook and MileIQ are seriously lifesavers when inputting all of the numbers! We’re only a few days into 2018 so make sure to start tracking your miles, clients, and income through whatever resources work best for you! These have worked great for me, and I hope they’ll be beneficial for you this upcoming wedding season!

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