resources
My favourite
Here's all the tools & resources I use to make my life + running my business easier
Btw some of the links below are affiliate links meaning I make a small commission when you buy stuff using these links. You don't get charged any more so it won't make a difference to you, all it does is put a tiny bit extra money in my pocket so I can buy more toys for my already very spoiled pup :)
Showit
Studio Ninja
I use Studio Ninja as my CRM and it’s honestly changed the way I run my business. It does pretty much everything including contracts, invoices.. I love that everything is in one place for me and my clients, and I’ve had loads of clients tell me they were super impressed with how easy it was to book! Studio Ninja do a 30 day free trial and you can get 20% off your first year if you use the code BIZI477X2Q247A
Showit is a drag and drop website builder that gives you full creative freedom over the layout and design of your website, all without a single line of code. Oh and it also hosts your website! All you need is a domain name and Showit does the rest. They have an amazing help section with tons of step by step guides to help you design your dream website, and the Showit staff is super helpful and always ready to help. If you use my link you can get a month free on your subscription!
SOftware
Pictime
Quickbooks
I use Quickbooks for my bookeeping, it syncs with Studio Ninja which is great, there's a phone app that can track your mileage for you and most if not every accountants will know how to use it! If you sign up using my link you can get a £50 Amazon voucher :)
Probably the best gallery provider on the market! They offer unlimited storage so you don't to worry about having to pay extra as you add more and more galleries, and they have an amazing automated sales system that can help you sell lots of prints without lifting a finger (just need to set it up of course!) Use code N2RPCV to get one month free
She Creates
the way
Building a storybrand
Whether you're just starting out or have an established business you need to buy this book to gain clarity in the message you deliver to your customers/clients! I read it in two days and it completely changed the way I see and run my business.
This one is more of a motivator kinda book, it gives you all the hope and confidence you didn't know you needed to pursue your dreams and turn your side hustle into a full time job. It's inspiring, it'll cheer you up and push you to take your business to the next level!
Books
Profit first
When you do you taxes at the end of each year and see £xxxx in the 'profit' box, do you ever wonder where that money is? It's gone isn't it, you've already spent it... If this sounds familiar then you need to read this book! It'll open your eyes and give you a simple system to pay yourself first so you actually make a profit...
noise cancelling headphones
Loupedeck editing console
This has been one of the best investments I've ever made, it's basically help cut my editing time in half! Rather than have to tweak each setting one by one with my mouse I can edit with both hands. There's tons of different dials that match Lr settings and they're all fully customisable!
The best headphones to block out loud neighbours, barking dogs, roadworks outside your window etc. They're a bit on the pricey side but SO worth it, they're super padded and comfy (I'm picky when it comes to headphones as I wear glasses and if too tight they give me a headache!) and the sound quality is out of this world!
Office stuff
Camera Desk mount
Standing desk
This is what I use to set up my camera for Zoom calls! I also bought a Ulanzi quick release mount so I can mount my camera in seconds rather than have to screw it on everytime.
I've invested in a standing desk + treadmill so I can 'workout' while working. And it's bloody amazing. This desk is perfect, it's quick and easy to set up and makes it super easy to switch between sit/stand height
NAS hard drives
NAS
These are the internal hard drives we've purchased to put in our NAS and they've been amazing!
To back up all our photos + videos we've invested in a Synology NAS. This bad boy is basically capable of re creating the data in case of a drive failure (it's set up in RAID5) so we don't have to worry about losing any photos/footage.
Sony 85mm f/1.8
Sony A7 IV
Equipment
for photographers
This is my main camera for both photo and video and it's AMAZING! I'm saving up to buy another one and replace my old A7 iii next year...
My favourite lens for portraits! The bokeh on this is amazing and it's super sharp and quick to focus. It's fairly big and a little on the heavy side but that's to be expected for an 85mm lens.
Samyang 24mm f/2.8
Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8
My number one lens, I shoot 80% of the day with this lens at weddings! I could probably shoot an entire wedding just with this lens. Now the lens itself is really good quality, sharp, fast to focus and bright. It's not cheap but affordable compared to some other 50mm lenses.
I bought this lens to go travelling and get some wide angle landscape shots but I also use it at weddings. It's super handy to fit a whole room/building if in a tight space and I use it for wide shots with the couple when I want to give a sense of scale. It's sharp, fast to focus and super small and light!
Phone mount
lens changer
If you ever find yourself wishing you could carry an extra lens on you but don't have pockets or a safe place to carry it this is the tool for you. It's pretty easy to use, you just need to put your spare lens on one end and when you want to switch lenses take the lens that's on your camera off, put it on the lens change, take the spare lens off the lens changer and put it on your camera!
This is a great tool to grab some behind the scenes videos on your phone! It attaches onto the hot shoe mount and allows you to mount your phone either vertically or horizontally.
Godox X2T-s trigger
Godox V350s flash
If like me you switched to Sony/mirrorless to give your poor back a break from the heavy weight of a full frame DSLR then this is the flash you need. It's small and light but packs a punch and considering I only really use during the first it's perfect for what I need. And it's affordable. No need to fork out hundreds on a Sony flash!
If you buy the Godox V350s flash and want to pop it on a light stand and trigger it from a distance you'll need this trigger.
Macro Extension tubes
Sandisk sd cards
Little trick of the trade for those who don't want to fork out £1000 for a macro lens... Macro extension tubes on your existing lenses do the trick! There's no loss of quality as it's a tube, no glass or anything in the way, they're super easy to use and can reduce the minimum focusing distance of your lenses until you can pretty much see the fibres on a piece of clothing. And they're super cheap!
These are my favourite SD cards, they're fast enough, fairly cheap, often on offer and do the job.
rotolight neo 2
ronin rs2 gimbal
Equipment
for videographers
If you like your films to be smooth AF this is the tool you need! Greg started using a gimbal in February 2020 and it completely changed the look of his films (for the better!). This is the latest model and it has all sorts of super handy features, well worth the price.
This is the video light Greg uses when it gets dark at weddings, usually during the first dance and for sparklers. It's super easy to use, you can adjust the brightness and temperature with the dials on the back, and it's pretty powerful for its size. It also comes with an AC plug so you can stick it on a tripod and plug it in and not have to worry about running out of battery.
Variable nd filters
Rode Go II wireless
Microphones
Great for shooting in bright sunlight without having to increase the f stop and lose background blur. This is a set of 2 filters, 2 to 5 stops and 6 to 9 stops so they'll cover most if not all situations. Quite a bit cheaper than the PolarPro ones and excellent quality with no colour cast!
These little mics are great, the sound quality is really good and they're super easy to use. They come with 2 microphones so it actually works out quite cheap!
Sony tx660 microphones
These microphones are small and thin, perfect for sliding into a pocket during the ceremony and speeches as back up audio. They're cheap so you can buy loads of and chuck some back ups on tables, and the sound quality is good. Most of the videographers we know swear by them!
v90 SD cards
If you're shooting 4:2:2 10bit 4k footage at 100fps you're going to need to invest in some v90 cards, normal SD cards won't be able to handle the footage otherwise. These ones are a little cheaper than the ProGrade ones and work just as well!
