Spring Break is over for most campuses around the country, which means these next 2 months are all about managing your time effectively in order to maximize your productivity and profitability. College campuses are vibrant, dynamic spaces where timing is everything. Whether you’re covering events, doing portrait sessions, or capturing the everyday life on campus, here’s how you can streamline your scheduling and management processes to make the most out of your college photography gigs.

1. Utilize Online Booking Systems

Implementing an online booking system can significantly streamline your scheduling process. This setup allows students to book their sessions directly according to your available slots, reducing the back-and-forth communication typically required and minimizing scheduling conflicts.

• Calendar Integration: Ensure your booking system syncs with your personal and business calendars, as well as any family calendars you need it to cross reference (you’d hate for your calendar to tell a student you’re available to shoot right during your daughter’s dance recital!). This integration helps avoid overbooking and helps you manage your workflow more effectively.
• Reminders and Confirmations: Use a system that sends automatic reminders and booking confirmations to reduce no-shows and last-minute cancellations. If you’re new here, you may not know my preferred choice of online scheduler is 17hats!

2. Stack Your Shoots

One of the most efficient ways to manage time is to schedule stacked shooting days for your grad sessions:

• Stacking in the Morning: Sunrise sessions at sunrise are always popular, especially as the weather turns warmer. But knowing how to shoot your Campus 1-2 hours after sunrise will let you sneak in a 2nd session, which can totally make it worth waking up early for!
• Stacking in the Evening: Sunset sessions are a photographer’s dream, right? But the “harsh light” look is so in right now, and having a late afternoon window available can let you double up your sessions at the end of the day, making each trip to campus worth twice as much!

3. Edit Near Campus

Ideal session times also happen to be ideal TRAFFIC times. I avoid this by editing from the go-to Starbucks for students at my local college campus (either after a morning session, or before an evenign session). This often cuts my drive time in half, allowing me more time to work on my edits and emails!

Conclusion

Managing your time efficiently in college photography isn’t just about squeezing as many shoots into your day as possible; it’s about smart scheduling, leveraging technology, stacking shoots… and even avoiding traffic! By adopting these strategies, you can maximize your productivity, increase your profitability, and still maintain the high quality of work that college students are paying you the big bucks for!