If you’re a photographer looking to streamline and boost your print sales, using the right tools can be a game-changer. Efficiently managing your client galleries and automating the post-session sales process not only saves time but also has the ability to significantly increase your revenue. I’ve seen it first-hand in my own business!
Today on Keeping It Candid, I’m diving into the benefits of using innovative gallery platforms – specifically Pic-Time. The right gallery service will not only simplify your operations but also offer features designed to maximize your earnings and elevate your client experience. Whether you’re frustrated with your current system or just curious about improving your business efficiency, this episode is for you!
Keep reading for show notes and a full episode transcript.
Show Notes
Template Shop: https://simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop
Get one free month of Pic-Time: https://lifeisbeautifullondon.pic-time.com/referral (affiliate link)
Save 50% on your first year of HoneyBook: https://share.honeybook.com/Sandra
One free month of Showit: https://showit.com/referral/?referralCode=sandralibp
My favourite photography business resources: https://simplysandrayvonne.ca/resources
Takeaways
- Pic-Time is a platform that allows photographers to automate sales after a session, leading to increased revenue.
- Switching to Pic-Time can result in a significant increase in sales revenue, as experienced by host Sandra Henderson.
- Pic-Time offers pre-made automations, email templates, and seasonal campaigns to make the sales process easier and more efficient.
- The integration of Pic-Time with HoneyBook provides a seamless experience for managing client galleries and bookings.
- Affiliate links are available for a free month of Pic-Time and a discount on HoneyBook.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
01:21 Frustration with Previous Gallery Platform
03:15 Passive Income and Automation with Pic-Time
04:05 Positive Sales Experience with Pic-Time
05:01 Automation Features of Pic-Time
07:13 Integration of Pic-Time with HoneyBook
09:02 Affiliate Links and Conclusion
Take my quiz to find out what your taco preferences reveal about your wedding photography business!
Other Episodes You’ll Love
021 Taking A Look Back At 2022
049 What’s A Photography Locations Gallery? I’m Glad You Asked…
019 The Local Vendor Series with Life is Beautiful Photography
TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] Sandra Henderson: Over the last month on the podcast, I have been talking a lot about pick time because now that I am back behind my camera more regularly, it’s a platform that I am spending a fair amount of time in, and I am regularly reminded about why I love it so much. The biggest reason by far is how easy it is to automate sales after a session.
[00:00:18] Since switching to pick time. I have been able to achieve a 90 percent increase in sales revenue from digital photos and printed products in just 13 months. And today on the podcast, I’m going to tell you how I was able to make that happen.
Welcome to keeping it candid. I’m your host, Sandra Henderson, an international wedding and family photographer and business coach.
[00:00:40] I help wedding photographers use systems to build out the back end of their businesses to gain control and continue to thrive no matter what life throws their way. And on a more personal note, I’m a strong enneagram 3 wing 2 who is obsessed with tacos and my love for travelling combined with navigating chronic illness life are just two of the many things that drive my passion for all things systems, workflows, and beating burnout as a business owner.
[00:01:02] Join me every week for a candid behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like working as a wedding photographer where I’ll give you actionable steps to take your business to the next level. Absolutely no fluff here, friends. So go grab your favorite notebook and pen and let’s dive into this week’s episode.
[00:01:21] Back in 2022, I was beyond frustrated with my old gallery platform because there were so many features that they were releasing that weren’t available to users living outside the U. S. If you wanted to use these features, you had to go with U. S. printers and charge U. S. currency, which for anybody living in Canada or outside the U.
[00:01:41] S., that can really start to add up when you’re factoring in the exchange rate and shipping and things like that. I talked to the company multiple times. They kept reassuring me that Canadian options were coming soon. And they said that for a couple of years before I finally just got fed up and knew I needed to start looking elsewhere.
[00:02:01] So, after doing a little bit of research into the different options and talking to friends, I tried out PipTime and I have truly never regretted that decision. I made the switch in November of 2022, which is arguably my busiest time of year because I knew that it would be worth it, even with all that extra work on my plate.
[00:02:20] My total sales from digital photos and prints in 2022 was a whopping 250. It’s great. I’m not, I shouldn’t say I’m not complaining. It was great. I like it. Everybody can use an extra 250, but I knew that there was a lot more room to grow there. I actually had a few clients tell me that they weren’t placing orders because they didn’t want to pay the exchange rate and I don’t blame them for that.
[00:02:45] I would have done the exact same thing if I were in their position, so I needed to find a new way to do things. After making the switch to PickTime, my sales increased by 90 percent to 2, 500 within 13 months of switching to the platform. Upselling is so important, especially if you have a chronic illness because more often than not, we have fewer working hours than someone who doesn’t have health issues, but we still have the same bills to pay, sometimes even more, and we still have a life that we want to live.
[00:03:15] When you use a platform like Pic-Time, it becomes passive income to sell digital photos in print. Of course, there is a bit of work that you have to do on your part, in the beginning, to get your storefront set up, but after that, you can literally sit back and let your clients self-guide themselves through the ordering process, having their order sent directly to the printer, and even shipped directly to the client, all without you ever having to get involved.
[00:03:40] I hate it so, so much when you’re online and you see people talking about making money in their sleep because nine times out of ten, it’s absolutely bullshit. But I literally woke up last Thursday to a 110 sale. And since that client is having it shipped to their home, all I had to do was click approve the order and then it was done.
[00:03:59] And clicking the approve order button is even an option that you can turn off if you want to be completely hands-off, but I have a little bit of a trust issue with technology. And so I just want to make sure that everything looks okay before I send it to the printer. No matter which option you want to go with, Picktime makes it so, so easy.
[00:04:19] Y’all know how much I love systems, automations, workflows, and getting things just working in a streamlined and simple manner. And Picktime has so much that’s already built into it to help make that happen. There are automations that are already existing and made ready for you to just apply to any gallery that you’re sending out for things like celebrating someone’s wedding anniversary, giving them a discount as a thank you after they’ve made a purchase, for something like giving an abandoned cart discount, which you may have seen on other e-commerce sites where if they put something into their shopping cart and then they don’t purchase, you can automatically send out a discount for them.
[00:04:55] All of these are already made and live inside everybody’s Pic-time account as soon as you sign up. Hey friends, I’m interrupting this episode because I wanted to remind you that the waitlist for my brand new template shop is now open. This template shop is going to be filled with everything you need to simplify and streamline your business behind the scenes.
[00:05:14] Including things like HoneyBook smart file templates, email swipe files, Workflow processes and tutorials to help you get them built inside your CRM. So many good things are coming. So head over to simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop to get on the waitlist. You’ll also have a chance to enter to win a free bundle, as well as get a little special something to say thank you for being here.
[00:05:39] That’s simplySandraYvonne.ca/shop.
So it literally is as simple as just applying it to a gallery. The email templates are ready to go. You can change the colour and make them on brand if you’d like to, but otherwise, you don’t need to do any work at all. They also release seasonal campaigns for things like Mother’s Day, Christmas, and things like that throughout the year.
[00:06:02] So you can constantly be sending out Automated sales campaigns with just the click of a few buttons. Another thing that I do in my business is that I gift every client a 30 percent discount that’s good for 30 days when I deliver their gallery. And that discount can also be shared with their friends and family.
[00:06:19] So that gives them the opportunity once they receive their gallery and they’re getting their digital downloads to take advantage of that excitement, all the emotions that they’re feeling when they look at their photos and go and order some prints for their walls or gifts for family members and things like that.
[00:06:33] It has been really, really beneficial for my business. And outside of ordering prints and products, one of my favourite features is one that I actually use for my mini-session clients. So they are able to log into their gallery and they can choose the photos that they want included. They can have instant access to downloading those photos, and they can purchase more if they would like to upgrade their gallery.
[00:06:57] So if they want to order one extra photo, three extra photos, get the whole gallery, They’re able to do that and do the selection process, the purchasing, and the downloading, all automatically without me having to be involved. Before I switched to Picktime with the old gallery service I was using, I sent my clients their gallery.
[00:07:15] They went through and picked their favourite photos. Then they had to send me an email to let me know they were done making their selections. After that, I would have to go back into their gallery. I would have to activate downloads specifically for the photos that they selected. Then I would have to send them another email to let them know the downloads were available.
[00:07:32] There was a lot of back and forth and I really hate anything that involves a lot of back and forth emailing the clients. So switching to pick time made it so that I don’t have to do that. I have automatic emails set up to remind people that their gallery is expiring. There’s truly no shortage of options when it comes to being able to customize this for your business to serve your clients and help you make some more money.
[00:07:56] And if I haven’t sold you on using PickTime yet, one other thing that I am absolutely obsessed with is the fact that PickTime integrates with HoneyBook. I was already using both of these platforms separately before this announcement was made, so I was truly jumping for joy because they are able to be integrated.
[00:08:13] When a client books with me through HoneyBook, a new gallery is automatically created. created for them inside pick time. And once I upload all of their photos into their gallery, I’m able to see those inside their HoneyBook account as well. So it’s super cool how everything is able to be integrated and you’re able to get a more comprehensive picture and idea of everything that is going on within one specific client.
[00:08:36] I don’t know about you, but I hate having things in all the places, trying to keep track of what lives where. So having one spot where I can just go into their honey book account and I can see all the things there are quick links and access to the gallery from there. It just makes things so much easier.
[00:08:52] If you want to give pick time or honey book a try, head over to simplysandrayvonne.ca/resources, or as always check the show notes for this episode there. There you are going to find affiliate links to get a free month of pick time in addition to the free month trial that you already receive when you sign up. And you can find an affiliate link for 50 percent off your first year of HoneyBook.
[00:09:14] Next week, I am going to be back with another interview, this time joined by Kara Duncan from the Kara Report talking all about consistency in marketing. Until next time, friends, have a great rest of your Wednesday. I am off to go spend the weekend feeling really, really old because my stepson is turning 17.
[00:09:34] And I really just don’t understand how we got here so fast. So I hope that your weekend comes with nice weather, amazing weddings, great clients, and not feeling as old as I do. Are you looking for a simple, easy-to-use website platform that will help you incorporate your brand voice after you’re done listening to this episode?
[00:09:54] ShowIt is exactly what you need. It is truly the best website platform for photographers, hands down. Trust me, because I have tried a lot of them, and I’m pretty sure at least half of the gray hair on my head came from trying to navigate the horrible platforms I was using before. With ShowIt there are so many templates available that you can choose from that are geared towards the photography industry.
[00:10:17] All you need to do is implement your photos, your own brand colours, and your own copywriting. Everything else is designed for you, so instead of having to put together an entire website from start to finish, from the ground up, laying every single piece along the way, you can just pop in the information and you are good to go.
[00:10:35] The SEO strategy that you can build into every page is incomparable and the customer support is amazing. So if you’ve been feeling like your website could really use a new facelift, or if you just want to get started with your very first website, I want you to head over to my website, simplysandrayvonne.ca/resources
[00:10:52] or check out the show notes for today’s episode to get my affiliate link, which will give you one free month of show it. I promise you will not regret it. Again, that is simplySandraYvonne.ca/resources, or you can find the link in today’s show notes as well.
[00:11:11] Thank you so much for listening. You can find full show notes from today’s episode at simplysandrayvonne.ca/keepingitcandid. In the meantime, let’s connect. You can find me on Instagram and TikTok. Just search simply Sandra Yvonne. And if you’re loving this podcast, I’d be so honoured if you go ahead and hit that subscribe button and leave a review until next time.
Ever get bogged down with clients asking for photography location ideas? I did, until I created a “locations gallery” in my PicTime account. It’s a lifesaver for keeping my sessions fresh. And I get to avoid the overused default spots that get so boring after a while. Listen to this week’s episode of the podcast to hear all about it! And keep scrolling to read the transcript.
Show Notes
Template Shop: https://simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop
Get A Free Month Of Pic-Time: https://lifeisbeautifullondon.pic-time.com/referral
Takeaways
- Creating a photography locations gallery can save time and streamline the process of suggesting photo shoot locations to clients.
- Including important details about each location in the gallery helps clients make informed decisions.
- Curating a portfolio through the photography locations gallery allows clients to visualize the look and feel of their own photos.
- Using a gallery service like PicTime is essential for preserving and delivering client photos.
- Technology advancements, such as cloud storage, are crucial for safeguarding clients’ memories.
- Utilizing templates and automation tools like HoneyBook can enhance efficiency in business workflows.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Announcement
02:33 Streamlining Photo Shoot Location Suggestions
05:22 Curating Your Portfolio Through a Photography Locations Gallery
06:40 The Importance of Using a Gallery Service
07:08 Preserving Memories with Technology
07:36 Conclusion and Promotions
About Sandra
Sandra Henderson is a photographer, systems strategist, and podcast host based in Ontario, Canada. She specializes in helping photographers create strategic systems for their businesses to help them get their time back so they can spend it doing the things they love most. As an entrepreneur who also navigates chronic illness life, Sandra takes a unique approach to using systems that will help businesses thrive no matter what life throws your way.
On a personal note, she loves tacos, all things Bravo, 90’s music, travelling, and spending time at home with her husband, stepson, and two cats!
Click here to get instant access to my brand-new free masterclass!
Other Episodes You’ll Love
How AI Can Change Your Photography Business – And Your Life with Cameron and Tia
Up-Level Your Client Experience With This One Simple Question
Ghosting: Why It’s Happening & What To Do About It with Michelle Harris
TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] Sandra Henderson: Welcome back to the podcast, friends. Now, before I get started with everything that I have in store today, I just wanted to share some really exciting news. I am going to be launching a template shop. I’ve been working so hard on this behind the scenes.
[00:00:15] Over the course of this year, I am going to be launching things like HoneyBook smart file templates, email swipe files, and workflow processes that you can copy over into your CRM with a tutorial video on how to get it all set up.
[00:00:28] Anything and everything that you can use to get your business more simplified and streamlined behind the scenes. If you head over to simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop, you can get on the waitlist. And while I’m putting the finishing touches on everything, you are going to have the chance to win a free inquiry workflow template bundle when the shop launches.
[00:00:46] And you’ll also get a special little something as a thank you for being on the waitlist and for sharing this excitement with me.
[00:00:54] So I want you to head over to simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop, get on the waitlist, and I will be sharing all the details soon, as soon as everything is ready to launch.
[00:01:05] Now we’re going to get to the intro in just a second, and then I’m going to be diving into one of my absolute favourite systems in my business that you can easily build on the go throughout the year, no matter how busy you are.
[00:01:21] Welcome to keeping it candid. I’m your host, Sandra Henderson, an international wedding and family photographer and business coach. I help wedding photographers use systems to build out the back end of their businesses to gain control and continue to thrive no matter what life throws their way. And on a more personal note, I’m a strong enneagram three wing too who is obsessed with tacos and my love for travelling combined with navigating chronic illness life are just two of the many things that drive my passion for all things systems, workflows, and beating burnout as a business owner.
[00:01:47] Join me every week for a candid behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like working as a wedding photographer, where I’ll give you actionable steps to take your business to the next level. Absolutely no fluff here, friends. So go grab your favourite notebook and pen and let’s dive into this week’s episode.
[00:02:07] Okay, honest question. How often do you get emails from your clients asking if you have any ideas of where to go for photos? If you’re anything like me, you probably get asked this question by about 90 percent of the clients that you work with.
[00:02:21] The back and forth of that conversation was taking up so much of my time, which I was happy to do because I want people to have that perfect spot for their photos. But I knew that I needed to find a more efficient way to keep serving my clients without having to spend all of that time emailing back and forth.
[00:02:39] That’s when I decided to create what I call my locations gallery. Inside my PicTime account, I have a gallery that includes folders within it for all of my favourite photo locations in and around my area. And then inside each of those folders, you’re going to find a variety of photos from each location at different times of the year and different times of day, as well as a graphic that outlines important details of what to expect.
[00:03:02] So for example, when this location is best to use, whether that’s a specific time of day or specific time of year, if the location is accessible or not, if there are any travel or entrance fees that are associated with using it, and any other important details that I want someone to know before they make this location their selection.
[00:03:20] I love doing this so much because it gives my clients the chance to explore some locations that they may have never even heard of before. I’m sure every person listening to this episode can think of one specific location that’s a default go-to in your area. Whether that’s like a park or a certain monument, this is the spot that every photographer in your area goes to.
[00:03:40] It’s the default one that people who don’t know where to go for photos, they’re going to choose this spot. In my area, it’s a place called Springbank Park. It is a beautiful spot. Don’t get me wrong, but after going there 20 times in one year, it can get really old and I’m sure that you all feel that way.
[00:03:56] It just gets really boring, really creatively unfulfilling, and you just don’t want to go there anymore. So with this locations gallery, I’m able to keep things fresh by suggesting my favourite locations and honestly, I don’t even include those default locations because everybody already knows that they exist and they do not need me to remind them that it’s an option.
[00:04:17] For any listeners who are my chronic illness and disabled friends, this is also a chance for you to not include any locations that you’re not comfortable working in. So that way, you never have to deal with the extra anxiety of knowing what to expect in terms of accessibility. Another great thing about creating a locations gallery like this that you can share with your clients is that it’s a great way to help you curate your portfolio in a certain way, with a certain look or feel, while still giving your clients the option to choose their own spot.
[00:04:47] It really helps them visualize what their own photos are going to look like if they make the choice to go there. And it’s something that you can create on the go throughout busy season. Whenever you go into your gallery to upload photos to deliver to a client, select a few favourites and drop them into your location’s gallery at the same time.
[00:05:05] There are no extra expenses because you are already paying for this gallery service for your clients anyway. If you’re not using a gallery service in your photography business yet, I highly recommend that you do. I got married in 2016, so not that long ago. We are just coming up on eight years, and two years ago, I went to go and pull some wedding photos off of our USB for our anniversary, and I realized that the USB was dying.
[00:05:28] Thankfully, I was able to pull all of those photos off. It took over a day for me to transfer those photos onto my computer, and I kid you not, Once it was done, I was never able to get my computer to read that USB again. So I am so, so thankful that I was able to get those photos uploaded onto a cloud server.
[00:05:47] And it just reminded me of why it’s so important to progress with technology sometimes when it comes to preserving people’s memories. A lot of times, new computers and new laptops don’t even have USB ports anymore. Some people just use iPads, which don’t have USB ports. So it’s more important than ever to just make sure that your business is set up with a gallery service just to save your ass if anything goes wrong and make sure that nothing ever happens with your client’s photos.
[00:06:14] I highly recommend Picktime. I made the switch to using Picktime back in the fall of 2022, and I have had no regrets ever since. I have a whole episode coming up as to why it’s so amazing and how I have been able to increase my print and product sales by 90 percent since I started using it. That episode is coming out in a couple of weeks, so make sure you check back for that.
[00:06:38] If you head over to my website or the show notes for today’s episode, you can get my affiliate link. And that is going to get you one free month of pick time in addition to the one-month trial that pick time already gives you when you sign up. So you will get two free months to go and check it out and get it all set up and running.
[00:06:55] Anyways, friends have a great rest of your week and I will be back again soon.
(Outro music) Thank you so much for listening. You can find full show notes from today’s episode at simplysandryvonne.ca/keepingitcandid. In the meantime, let’s connect. You can find me on Instagram and TikTok, just search @SimplySandraYvonne. And if you love this podcast, I’d be so honoured if you’d go ahead and hit that subscribe button and leave a review. Until next time. (Music fades out)
For tips and updates follow me on Insta @simplysandrayvonne
find me on
© 2025 simply sandra yvonne. all rights reserved. privacy policy. site by multiple designers + Showit
TAP HERE
FIX YOUR FOUNDATIONS: GET ON THE WAITLIST FOR THE NEXT EDITION