We often get asked what we use behind the scenes here at SEOtographer so we’ve decided to compile a list of our favorite resources and tools for photographers and put it all in one place.
Ask anyone who knows us, we don’t shill for anyone. While this list does have referral links attached to some of the items, we’d list every single one of these products without the kickback because we believe in them that much.
Finally, this list is ever-evolving. If a product starts to lose quality or something better comes along, we’ll update our list accordingly.
So here it is, our favorite resources and tools for photographers, all in one place.
Our Favorite Things By Section
The Best Image Resources For Photographers
A great graphic designer is worth every bit of coin they charge, but sometimes it’s just not in the budget. These are my image tools that I use on a daily basis.
Canva makes creating social media, blog, and other marketing graphics a breeze. It allows you to stay organized, design from any web browser (or app!), and has a plethora of built in stock images and other handy assets you can use to create your next big graphic. Canva can mostly be used for free but it’s premium version is well worth it’s cost at $9.99/month.
Link | Canva
MockupPhotos
Creating quality mockups can be time consuming (and expensive). MockupPhotos makes it really easy by allow you to select your mockup, uploading your image, and then exporting a complete mockup in a high quality jpg, png, or pdf file all for the low low price of free, no catches. Yeah, I don’t know how they do it either!
Link | MockupPhotos
The Best Actions, Presets, and Plugins For Lightroom and Photoshop
Luminar 4
As a nerd, I absolutely love talking about technology and the future. I truly believe Skylum is on to something with all of their artificial technology that they’re putting into their software. Luminar 4 is absolutely the easiest way to swap a sky automatically. If that’s not enough they’ll soon be releasing LuminarAI which they promise will truly change the game of portrait (and landscape) photography.
Link | Luminar 4
Best Social Media Tools For Photographers
Social media is all about saving time. The less time on social media, the better, right? These tools
Later
Available for free (or a premium version if you need more), Later allows you completely schedule your Instagram posts. It’ll save your captions, hashtags and has a ton of power user tools to take your Instagram-game to the next level. Seriously, if you’re posting manually on Instagram, stop it. Just stop it. Use the link below to get 10 extra posts per month!
Link | Later
The Best Food & Drink Options For Photographers
A photographer has to eat, right?
Walmart Grocery Delivery
I have no problem saying I despise walking into a Walmart. In fact, I haven’t done it since 2016. When COVID hit we wanted a safe way to get our groceries and walking into a store in the state of Florida seemed like a suicide mission. We went through and tried everything. Amazon Fresh, DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Instacart. We found out most services, even after paying a monthly (and per delivery) fee, they’d also add a premium to every single item. A 2 liter of soda normally priced under $2.00 was would be priced at $3.50.
Walmart is the only place that has a reasonably price structure. You’ll pay $9.99 for the monthly membership and entitles you to absolutely zero delivery fees all month. 2 single deliveries per month more than makes up for the monthly cost. All items are priced the same exact price they are in the stores and all you have to do is add a tip and you’re set. You can also get your delivery as soon as an hour for an additional fee or just wait 2-3 hours for the free delivery.
So while yes, I wish there was a better option than Walmart, their offering can’t be beat.
Link | Walmart
Tovala
Tovala has been our favorite thing of 2021, and it’s not even close. It’s a meal box service with a twist. You grab their their specialty oven (it’s often on sale for $100ish) and when your boxes arrive there’s almost zero prep. Seriously, it takes under a minute a meal to prepare them for the oven which usually involves opening the cardboard box, pulling off the film, and throwing it in the oven. Then you just scan the barcode that came with your meal with your oven and it cooks it perfectly… every time. We have literally never had a bad meal come out of that oven and the food is top notch. You get to choose from steak, pork, salmon, and chicken and all the meals are high-quality and the serving sizes are portioned perfectly.
I know it seems like I’m hard-selling but Tovala really has changed our lives this year. When my wife was in the hospital and lost the use of her arm for two months, cooking with cast irons and heavy pots and pans was completely out of the question. Tovala came through and kept our bellies full.
Using the link below will get you $50 in free meals too!
Link | Tovala
Postmates
I can only guess how many times Postmate has come to the rescue after a long day of sessions or just that untimely moment when the wife and I was hungry enough to be angry but not motivated to actually cook something. So if somehow you don’t know how it works. You install the App on your mobile device, you find a local restaurant, choose your food, customize it, and a (usually) nice driver drops it right at your doorstep. Oh, and because 2020 is pure madness, they do have contact-less delivery so you don’t have to worry about a plague-bearer sneezing in your mouth during the handoff. Use my code to get yourself $100 in freaking delivery credit. That’s like 20 orders worth of free delivery!
Bonus Pro Tip: Postmates also delivers wine and other alcohol. You’re welcome.
Link | Postmates
The Best Clothing & Apparel For Photographers
Clothing is incredibly important and overlooked aspect for a busy photographer. You not only need to look your best for your clients and their event, but you need your clothing to be functional so you can output your best work. Here’s a few suggestions from brands and companies I’ve found over the years.
MeUndies
Alright, it may be weird for a photographer and SEO guy to suggest underwear but hear me out. For those long 12 hour wedding days, it’s important to keep your downstairs gear as well maintained as you do the gear in your camera bag. I’ve personally searched long and hard for the best underwear that worked for me and MeUndies was the clear winner. Exceptional quality material that’s breathable while controlling that wedding day moisture that’s sure to plop up on the hottest of wedding days. I’m a plain design kind of guy myself but they also feature over 50 colors and designs so you can get what works for your own personal style.
Link | MeUndies