If you run a photography business, then you will have all the knowledge you need around taking good pictures for a living. As this is the main skill required, that is a great thing. However, all the time you have rightfully spent honing your photography skills may mean that your IT skills are not as fabulous as they could be.
This could actually be a real barrier to being able to make your photography business a success. Technology plays a huge role in not only how people find you but also how they research which photographer to use and how they engage with you. Not using modern IT effectively will see you lag way behind your competitors, however good your pictures are.
What can you do if you do not like dealing with IT or do not have the skills needed to use it? In these cases, an IT contractor could be just what you require.
Amazing ways IT contractors can help you succeed
Here are some specific reasons why it makes sense to bring someone in to complete those IT projects for you:
- Saves time and money – the problem with trying to handle all your IT jobs yourself is that it can sometimes need hours of research to learn what to do and then additional time to do it. If you get stuck or have to go back to fix any mistakes, then that is more wasted time. Do not forget that this is time you could be out meeting new clients or actually taking photos. Hiring an IT contractor stops you wasting valuable time and opportunities to make money. They simply get on with the job at hand while you focus on taking pictures.
- Helps to keep you secure online – many photography businesses now will use digital styles of photography and store pictures taken on their own computers. This is popular with clients who like the convenience of having them emailed over or want to view them via your own website. With new GDPR laws and general concerns over cybercrime, this makes having effective IT protection key. Hiring in an IT contractor can help here as they can review your security arrangements and strengthen them if needs be.
- Review and recommend – along with looking at how your IT security can be improved, hiring an IT contractor will allow you to have an expert review your current setup. This could be from the IT equipment you use to the software packages you access or the operating system you run on. An IT contractor can come in and complete this kind of one-off project before helping to implement any recommendations given.
- Design a website to attract customers – if you do not have a user-friendly website currently, then an IT contractor can design and build one for you. It is as simple as finding the contractor you like and agreeing their fee along with the timescale. This will help you be visible online, which is how many people will search for photographers to use now.
- Fills in IT skills gap – some creative people do not get on with IT – if this applies to you, then getting a contractor in is the quickest and simplest way to solve this. If you have a particular task you need help with, such as setting up social media accounts or creating a slideshow for your website, then they can be hired to do just that. If you get a contractor who is knowledgeable about IT products specific to photography, such as photography software, then they can also help you use this more effectively for better results.
Make sure to use an umbrella company
An umbrella company simply acts as a third party that operates between you and the contractor you hire to manage their payroll. Doing this yourself is a bit of a pain and will take up time that you could be out shooting new photos. If you use an IT contractor that operates via an umbrella company, then you simply pay the umbrella company and leave them to do the rest in terms of payroll management, HMRC compliance and dealing with the contractor’s wages.
IT is an area worth getting help in
As noted above, IT is an area that you cannot ignore if you want your photography business to flourish. Many photographers though will not have the need to employ an IT person on a permanent contract. With this in mind, IT contractors give the ideal mixture of fast, expert help that is quick to access but you only pay for when needed.
