The Exact Tools I Use to Run My Photography Business (And Why I Chose Them)
If you have ever opened your bank statement and done a double-take at how many software subscriptions were silently draining your account, this one is for you.
I am a photographer AND a web designer who works exclusively with photographers, which means I think about business tools constantly. Not just from a "what works for my studio" angle, but from a "what actually makes sense for photographers" angle. So when I sat down last year and really looked at my own tech stack for Erin Turner Photography, I wanted to make sure every tool was earning its spot.
Here is exactly what I use, what I would change if I were starting over, and where I think photographers tend to overcomplicte things.
The Full Stack
Squarespace — Website
This one probably surprises nobody coming from me, but I practice what I preach. My photography website is built on Squarespace, and it handles more than just the pretty pages.
Squarespace covers my website, my blog, email marketing, scheduling, and invoicing all under one roof. For photographers who are currently paying separately for a website platform, an email marketing tool, and a scheduler, this is the consolidation move worth making. The design flexibility has come a long way, and the SEO foundation is solid when you set it up correctly.
If you are on Pixieset, Wix, or a patched-together WordPress situation and paying separately for scheduling or email marketing, Squarespace alone could simplify your stack significantly.
If we build a website together, you can save 20% off your Squarespace Subscription
Cloudspot — Galleries, Contracts, Scheduling, and Invoicing
If I only had my photography studio and nothing else, Cloudspot would be my client management home base. Full stop.
Cloudspot handles gallery delivery, client contracts, scheduling, and invoicing all in one platform. That is the kind of consolidation that actually moves the needle on your monthly expenses. Instead of paying for a gallery delivery platform over here and a contract tool over there, Cloudspot wraps it all together.
I genuinely love it for the photography side of my business. The gallery experience is beautiful, clients can navigate it easily, and the back end does not make me want to close my laptop and stare at the wall. If you are currently on Pic-Time, Pixieset galleries, or piecing together contracts through a separate system, Cloudspot is worth a serious look.
HoneyBook — Client Management
Here is where I will be honest with you: I use HoneyBook, but my situation is specific.
I run three separate businesses, and HoneyBook lets me brand each one independently under a single account. That means I am paying once for what would otherwise be three separate subscriptions. For me, the math works and the setup is already done, which means switching costs more than it saves at this point.
But here is what I tell photographers who ask me about HoneyBook: if you are running one photography studio, you may not need it. Cloudspot covers enough of the same ground that you could potentially skip HoneyBook altogether and simplify your stack without losing anything that matters to your client experience.
Do not pay for overlap. That is really the whole point. (You don’t need Honeybook if you have Cloudspot)
Flodesk — Email Marketing
I use Flodesk for my photography email marketing, and if you have been in the photography space for more than five minutes you probably know why. The templates are genuinely beautiful, the workflows are intuitive, and it does not require a marketing degree to set up a welcome sequence.
The flat rate pricing is also photographer-friendly. You are not penalized for growing your list, which is a real thing to consider if you are actively building your audience.
One note: if you are already on Squarespace and not doing heavy email automation, Squarespace Email Campaigns could cover your needs and eliminate Flodesk as a separate expense. But if you love Flodesk and use it well, keep it. Do not cut tools that are actually working just for the sake of cutting.
Google Calendar and Google Meet — Inquiry Calls and Consultations
Both free. Both excellent.
I schedule all of my inquiry calls and design consultations through Google Calendar's appointment booking feature. Clients get a clean link, they pick a time, and it drops straight into both of our calendars with a Google Meet link attached. No third-party scheduler required, no extra monthly fee.
Photographers tend to overcomplicate this one. Unless you have a specific reason to pay for scheduling software, the free Google tools handle it well.
Lightroom — Photo Editing
Not much to say here because this one is not really up for debate. Lightroom is the industry standard for a reason. The catalog system, the export workflow, the ability to sync edits across a session, the mobile app for quick culling, all of it works.
I use Lightroom Classic for the full editing workflow and occasionally Lightroom mobile for on-the-go culling after sessions. If you are newer to photography and trying to decide between Lightroom and Capture One, either can work, but Lightroom has the wider support network and more tutorials available if you ever need help troubleshooting.
Buffer — Social Media Scheduling
I use the free version of Buffer to schedule content for my photography Instagram and Facebook. That is it. Free tier, batch scheduling when I have time, done.
I am not going to oversell this one. Social media is not my primary marketing channel for photography, which is exactly why I am not paying for a robust social scheduling tool. SEO and word of mouth do the heavy lifting. Buffer just makes sure content goes out consistently without me having to remember to post it manually.
If social is a bigger part of your strategy, there are paid tools with more features worth exploring. But if you are scheduling a handful of posts a week, free Buffer works fine.
The Takeaway
Here is the simplified version of everything above:
Squarespace covers website, blog, email marketing, and invoicing
Cloudspot covers galleries, contracts, and client management
HoneyBook only makes sense for me because of the multi-business situation
Flodesk is worth keeping if you use email marketing regularly and love the design
Google Calendar and Google Meet are free and sufficient for call scheduling
Lightroom is non-negotiable
Buffer free tier handles basic social scheduling without the cost
The goal is not to use the fewest tools possible. The goal is to make sure every tool you are paying for is actually earning its place. If you are paying for four platforms that could be replaced by two, that is money that could go toward education, gear, or just staying profitable.
If you want help auditing your own tech stack and figuring out where the overlap lives, that is exactly the kind of thing I dig into with photographers inside The Brand Darkroom. Start with the free Website Audit Checklist and see where your biggest gaps are.
Erin Turner is a photographer and the founder of The Brand Darkroom, an SEO and web design studio built exclusively for photographers.