Project management software for photographers can help you variety of things to stay on track – from task management, to assigning tasks to people you’re working with, to setting due dates and goals, and much more.
In its simplest form, project management tools can help you stay organized and create checklists for the things you are needing to get done.
Why do I need project management tools for my photography business?
Project management software brings organization, clarity, data, and planning for your various tasks and projects as a photography business owner.
We contribute much of our success, both in business and in our personal lives, to using project management software to help get more organized. One of the major reasons for this is because as active business owners, we have the responsibility to wear many different hats in our businesses, and it is virtually impossible to remember everything we have to do without having it clearly laid out somewhere.
While the idea of using a “project management software” might be something that conjures up images of employees at a large corporation sitting around a stuffy desk, we promise it is easier and less scary than it might initially sound if you’ve never used one before!
If this is you, don’t be alarmed by the information overload that you might experience if you tried Googling “project management software” before and came up with too much information.
We did a lot of the research for you, as fellow photographers and business owners, and have compiled a short, yet valuable, list of our recommendations.
In our list of recommendations, we tried to primarily prioritize not only the popular choices on the market, but options that offer free versions so you can test them out for yourself at no additional cost.
7 Project Management Software for Photographers – Our Recommendations
As you go through our recommended project management software for photographers list, keep in mind that there is no objective right choice.
It’s about finding the right fit for you and how you operate, perceive things, and function with your business.
The biggest differences between these project management tools is going to be the user interface (UI), so finding one that resonates with you and your working style will be a major part of this decision process!
Now, let’s look at some of our favorite project management softwares for photographers!
Asana:
- Features: Task lists, project timelines, team collaboration, file sharing, progress tracking, integrations with popular apps.
Asana is our preferred project management software, and is the one we use for our photography businesses, as well as staying on track in our personal lives and with the work we do with Shoot and Thrive!
The name of the game with Asana is simplicity.
At its core, this platform can feel like a glorified checklist, but it can do a lot more if you have more specific needs including things like workflow automation and different board set ups (like the use of Kanbans) to help you visualize things better.
Asana offers a comprehensive free version that is worth checking out and test-driving, and you may find it even suits your needs without a need for a paid plan.
Trello:
- Features: Kanban-style boards, customizable workflows, task assignments, due dates, file attachments, integrations with other tools.
Trello offers a great visualization for your projects if you like the kanban-style approach to organization. It’s easy to learn and utilize while also offering valuable assets like automation and easy software integrations to aid in your project managing activities as a photographer. Because of this, the software is very flexible and customizable, but doesn’t lose its ease of use.
One of our favorite features in Trello is the ability to visually organize our tasks, which can help keep us motivated to get things done!
We have used this project management tool extensively in our work with our brand and website designers, and quite liked it!
Trello offers a free version, so feel free to test out the software yourself at no cost if it interests you!
Monday.com:
- Features: Customizable workflows, project tracking, team collaboration, file sharing, time tracking, automation.
Monday.com is a bit different in that it has some capabilities that would be found in a customer relationship manager (CRM), like tracking customer communications easily, however, in the end it is more of a project management tool.
It works great when working with several employees as performances can be easily analyzed, providing valuable data on the efficiency of a team. And additionally, scheduling and delegating are made easier with this software.
Like many of the options on this list, Monday.com offers a baseline free version as well for those who want to try it out before making a larger commitment.
ClickUp:
- Features: Task management, project tracking, goal setting, time tracking, collaboration, document management.
ClickUp is similar to Asana, but offers a more generous free package to their users, including up to 100 free automations per month.
Additionally, ClickUp provides various view models for your project management; in addition to the board, list, and calendar views shared with Asana, ClickUp provides table, map, mind map, and custom views.
While ClickUp offers a ton of features that many other softwares do not, this can be a downside. For some small businesses, these features aren’t needed or utilized, making the software a bit of an overkill for what you’re trying to get done.
The good news is that if ClickUp sounds like it could be a good fit for you, they have a free version that you can try to see if it feels like the right fit for you!
Basecamp:
- Features: To-do lists, file sharing, team messaging, schedules, document storage, client collaboration.
Basecamp offers a very simple and straightforward system for project management.
Your projects, tasks, and schedule can all be located on the same screen, neatly organized and easy to interpret. This ability makes Basecamp an ideal choice for those who like a more minimal and simplistic approach to their project management.
It offers integrations with third-party apps and valuable insights on performances and other data from your PM activities.
A unique feature of Basecamp is their invention of Hill Charts. These provide a way to see the status of tasks and projects, not just in terms of completion but in terms of uncertainty and progress through different phases.
Basecamp offers a free version with quite a lot of features and capabilities so don’t be shy if you want to test this project management software out!
Notion:
- Features: All-in-one workspace, customizable templates, databases, note-taking, project management, task lists, collaboration tools.
Notion is a great project management tool, particularly for creatives like us.
It offers a wide range of features and a level of flexibility that can be a treasure, but also comes with a challenge of learning the ins and outs of the software. It lacks certain app integrations and mobile compatibility that is found in other selections, but depending on your goals, this may not be an issue.
Notion’s approach to organizing tasks and orienting their users around their boards and channels is different than other software previously mentioned and may be something that you are interested in and could benefit from. It all depends on how you like to operate and function.
Notion has a free version that allows for a lot of access across the app.
Smartsheet:
- Features: Spreadsheet-like interface, project and task tracking, Gantt charts, automation, reporting, collaboration tools, integration with popular apps.
Smartsheet, as the name may suggest, uses a visual approach that mimics spreadsheets.
While this may sound unappealing to some, others thrive in this sort of atmosphere as it makes organization very logical and straightforward.
Smartsheet also provides incredibly powerful automation capabilities and a variety of features when it comes to performance tracking, data visualization, and collaboration with others.
What is the difference between a Project Manager and a CRM?
You might hear the terms “project manager” and “customer relationship manager” get thrown around, and at face value it might seem like they have a lot of similarities!
Project Management Tools (PMT) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools can be simplified like this:
- PMT: a digital, virtual to-do list to keep on top of the things you need to get done
- CRM: a home base for your business to store all client data and communication
Both are vital for a business.
Business owners need a solid project management system to stay on track, organize objectives, and plan both the routine day-to-day tasks while also plotting their bigger, long-term goals.
We use project management tools in our photography businesses to help us itemize all of the different things we do in our businesses. As you might know, running small photo businesses often means we end up wearing a lot of hats – from branding to marketing and sales – so having this organization system in place can go a long way.
CRMs are necessary to stay on top of your functions that involve your clients, like invoicing, contracting, communication organization, etc. This is something we dive deeper into in this article: XXXX.
In practice, some project management software might include some aspects of a CRM (like Monday.com), and on the other side some CRM’s might include some project management things (like Honeybook with it’s task list). Still, using a full featured tool in both categories is generally going to help you run a more productive business!
Conclusion
Project management is a necessary function of any business, but finding the right tool for the job as a photographer can be a bit tricky.
Photographers often think and operate differently than corporate office workers, and as such may require different needs from their project management softwares.
In this article, we highlighted some of the key project management softwares that are available for photographers to use to help you get clear on what’s available. While each option has its strengths and weaknesses, there is only so much one can learn from reading reviews and watching YouTube videos.
Sometimes the best course of action is to try out the softwares for yourself, and thankfully most of the options on this list offer free versions that can give you a good sense of whether or not you would like to use the app full-time.
Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all option when it comes to finding the best project management software for photographers, or entrepreneurs as a whole. Some options are more visual, like Monday.com, whereas Asana is less so. Depending on how you operate and function, you may prefer one over the other. Think less from a “right-or-wrong” approach to this decision and more from a “what works best for me?” perspective.
If you still feel overwhelmed or unsure as to what option would work best for you, feel free to join our Facebook group where questions like these can be asked. Our community of fellow photographers can offer valuable insight and recommendations beyond what we wrote here.
If this article was helpful, or if you have more questions, feel free to check out our full business for photographers course suite. We dive into the details and various other elements associated with understanding and streamlining project management in our course Systems & Processes for Photographers, too!
Chris is a SEO professional with a passion for helping photography businesses succeed online. With years of experience in the industry, he has a proven track record of increasing website traffic, improving search rankings, and driving revenue growth for his clients.
Be the first to comment