Almost two years ago, when my husband received the opportunity to move us from Wisconsin back to Pennsylvania, we quickly accepted and packed our bags! Over that time, I traveled back and forth to Wisconsin to continue to photograph the weddings that I had already booked through 2018, and my associate photographers were still photographing weddings as well. I was also struggling to figure out what I wanted to do, career-wise, now that we were starting to settle back in PA.
One day, Jim suggested that I start a photo editing business, and I immediately dismissed the thought. Between traveling, being a work from home mom, and editing images for myself and my associates, it just didn't seem like I could devote the time and attention to properly serve other photographers. Since then, both myself and my associates have photographed our last weddings with Alison Kundratic Photography, and I realized in my newly acquired down time that I really missed editing!
For starters, editing images for me didn't start when I became a wedding photographer. My very first job when I graduated from college was working at a newspaper as a photographer and photo tech. A lot of my job was spent at the computer, color correcting images for print. Then, when I decided to go back to school to learn more, I took as many photography classes that I could, and spent even more time working in both the physical and digital darkroom. At that time, I began photographing weddings and sessions, and when we moved to Wisconsin, I continued to expand my photography business.
Things were going wonderfully -- I was booked solid, had associate photographers, and had more work than I could ever have imagined! But, all that time spent editing really affected my personal life. I had zero time for my friends, my family, or myself. I tried working with a large editing company to outsource my associate photographer images for a while, but I spent more time fixing them than I would have if I just edited them myself in the first place. Then, my friend and (at the time) associate photographer, Leslie, started coming to my home to help me edit. And, I also began working with a smaller editing business in Pennsylvania, who helped apply my presets and color correct my images so all I had to do was tweak them a bit before sending them to my clients. It was such a time (and life) saver! But, I realized that I wanted to shoot less so that I could edit more, and I started taking on less shooting opportunities so that I could do so.
When I really needed it, outsourcing helped me reclaim my time and my life. And now, I am excited that I have the opportunity to serve other photographers with their editing needs! If you're thinking about outsourcing your editing, and are searching for someone to build a relationship with -- who cares about you, your brand, and your images -- please get in touch. I'd love to help you continue to grow your business and reclaim your time!
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