Things to do in the slow season.

I feel very fortunate to have been able to photograph 11 amazing marriages begin this year, and so many other wonderful moments with amazing couples and families. However, many photographers come to their slow season, usually over the winter. I am one of them, and I look forward to this time of the year so I can get a lot of things done within my business. I look at each slow season as an opportunity to look at what did and didn’t work over the past year, brainstorm new ideas for the coming year, and continue working toward preparing my business to go full-time in the next couple of years or so. Here are some ideas for photographers to do during their slow season.

PRACTICE. I adore spending my free time practicing new skills with my photography and getting back to falling in love with the art of photography. It’s also a great time to hone new skills such as off-camera flash!
REFLECT ON THE PAST YEAR. Do some blog posts with your favorite photos. Look at what worked great and think of how to improve the things that didn’t work so great.
READ. I love to use the time I’m not using editing and shooting to read up on business books or blogs that provide me with new knowledge and ways to improve not only my business but my skills.
GET INSPIRED. Look at some famous work, read books about light, or go for a walk with your camera. Get inspired and it will lead to some awesome feelings about yourself and provide some beautiful work for you to share.
ATTEND A WORKSHOP. Workshops are fabulous. I wish I could attend more, but my teaching schedule makes it a little difficult to work around sometimes. There is so much value in attending a workshop with someone you look up to and admire. You’ll walk away feeling refreshed and excited! You can even watch a CreativeLive workshop! If you watch them live, they are free, but there are also hundreds of courses you can purchase to watch over and over again. It’s a fabulous resource!
REVAMP YOUR WORKFLOW. I occasionally create new workflows that suit my changing business and the tasks that I need to complete. It’s good to revamp these as things change in your business so that you can remain as efficient and consistent as possible.
BRAINSTORM. I’ve spent some time recently working on ways to enhance my client experience for my brides and grooms this coming year, and I’m pretty excited with what I have come up with!
UPDATE. So many times we neglect our websites and online presence. Update your portfolio on your blog and website, update your business cards, and make sure your brand is consistent across the board.
MEET-UP. Plan gatherings with other creatives, just to hang out and build your network. You can even practice new things and talk shop. It’s just great in general to meet up with other people in the industry!
TAXES. Get your yearly finances in order and ready for tax season! 🙂
SET GOALS. Something I love to do during the slow season is create new goals for the following year. It really gets me motivated and excited for working even harder than the year before!
CLEAN GEAR. The slow season where you don’t have any paid sessions for a while is a great time to send out your camera(s) for cleanings! This is the first year I will have a second full-frame camera, so I feel comfortable taking turns sending my gear out to be cleaned! It’s definitely LONG overdue!! If anyone has any tips of where to send your gear out for cleaning, share them with me in the comments as it will be my first time doing so this season!
REST. We work so hard throughout the year doing the best we can to serve our clients and still make time for our families and friends. Some of us even work another job besides photography. When a break comes, take advantage of it. Be sure to relax and read a book of your choosing. Watch a movie with your friends or families. Or even both! Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, and taking care of our bodies. After all, they’re the only ones we have and we need them to be in proper working order for the next season!

LImoncello

Limoncello Photography