Tax season is finally over and I thought it would be fun to do a quick rundown of my best business expenses of last year. After tracking my expeditures using an accounting software, I learned a lot about my spending habits. I find that the purchases where I have done my research and weighed their pros/cons tend to be the most beneficial to me in the long run. I’m getting more mindful of this and can already see the improvement in my business expenses so far this year. I want to be very clear that when I say “best”, I do mean the best for me and my business. I recommend you do your own research if you’re looking into any of these products seriously and draw your own conclusions.
○ Nikon 35MM F/1.4: I wrote a review on this lens almost a year ago and I still think it was one of the best lens purchases I’ve made to date. It’s been a lifesaver several times in low light wedding situations and it’s my favorite lens to take on vacation. I’m glad that I saved up for this one!
○ Stellar Phoenix Recovery: We don’t always have control when it comes to technical difficulties and that “Card Error” message is like a punch in the gut, especially when it involves client photos. This was a unexpected purchase for me last year, but my last chance at recovering an entire session worth of photos. Needless to say – it worked! Stellar has some mixed reviews on the web, but luckily, it worked for me. I hope you’ll never find yourself in the same precarious siatuation!
○ Photojunction: Discovering Photojuction – a free desktop album designer – was probably the biggest win for my business! Before then, I absolutely HATED designing albums in Photoshop. It was so tedious and time consuming. Photojunction made album designing fun and effortless. Even though you can create your own templates, I decided to invest in pre-made album templates from Templates for Photographers. With dozens of beautiful and classic album spread options, all I have to do is pick the one I want, drag and drop my images already uploaded into Photojunction onto the T4P premade templates and I can create beautiful spreads in minutes…or even seconds! This gave me my life back and freed up hours that I would have spent in front of the computer.
○ Red Leaf Boutique Basic Lighting & Photography Guide: I find that investing in education is an absolute must to stay competitive in this business. I found myself trying to avoid shooting in certain light conditions because they weren’t the easiest to work in. However, that’s not always possible and it can be limiting. After reading this guide, I gained the confidence to shoot in any type of lighting condition and still yield great results. They wrote it in a very simple and structured manner that made it easy to follow and understand. If you’re struggling with getting “things right” in camera, I highly recommend this guide. Lots of great advice for shooting in all types of natural light environments.
I’d love to hear what made your “Best List”. It doesn’t have to be photography related, just something you love and can’t live without.
Leave it in the comments!
Amy - Thanks for all the great tips, Maddy!
Tiffany B. - I do this type of list about once a year for my business. For me it’s about finding my materials (paper, adhesive, bubble envelopes) at good prices. I also try and invest in a class or online class/book each year or every 6 months. I find it so helpful to read about other small business owners or how they solve their small business problems. I really enjoyed reading “The $100 dollar startup” by Chris Guillebeau. Learning a new skill or a different approach to something is always good for the brain!
Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - My best investments have been educational in the last few months. I’ll have to check out that book! Thanks for the suggestion!