Between client meetings and shoots, most of our evenings are pretty well shot. We love what we do and that makes it easy to give up our margins for the biz. Has anyone had success telling people, "Our regular business hours are 8-5" and then keeping it at just that? I think it may just be the nature of the industry. Our clients are working normal biz hours and then photography is something you have done the other times of the day or week. This would seem to be even harder for those of you doing this full time and have kids. Any thoughts on how to reign this in?

I agree...

bite me!

you'll give up your evenings to take my picture and like it!

LOL, too funny Ben!! In case YOU didn't notice, I was the one who had a free evening last night

I always figure- most dentists or other doctors that people go to, only have regular business hours (some do have a few late nights) but people take time off to go, why because they have to and becasue it is not something they are doing EVERYDAY or every week or month for that matter.
It can be a tricky situation. As for me. I split the days up: Mondays and Fridays I have late afternoon- evening hours, Tuesdays and Thursdays I have morning inot early afternoon hours and Wednesdays I am off.

Mondays and Fridays: 3:30- 8pm
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 8:00-2:00 pm.
Saturdays are usually busy with weddings etc.....

Take an evening or two and make them for you and your family only!

yeah, i've been trying to figure out a normal schedule for a while

always seems to be something to do, someone to meet...and it's always an "exception"

I really like the suggestion to say that you can make client meetings M/W/F, but Tuesdays and Thursdays are totally business free family time maybe with tuesdays being kid night and thursdays being mom&dad date night.

of course, i'm mostly single, so all free evenings are "OSP nights"

This is what my husband has been after me to do for years now....everything I try ends up fizzling. I'll be watching this thread to see what others have figured out.

But, being a wedding photographer is easy money....didn't ya know???

I thought poker was on Wednesdays?

That would be my suggestion, only make certain evenings available. Peoples, if they really want to hire you or be photographed by you, will figure out a way to meet your schedule. Of course, if you are really busy, then you run the possibility of things backing up on you.

What do we do? bend over backwards to whatever schedule fits our customers best

I too often think to myself "what is wrong with this picture? I am almost 40 and I am right back where I started when I was 17 at my first job: working evenings and weekends!"

I like your office hours, Tawnya. Seems like a pretty good compromise. Don't think I would want to have Friday night office hours, though. Do you have a studio outside of your home?

After having a complete breakdown last month (trying to balance everything) I finally implemented a business schedule and have informed my current clients as well as new ones. So far, no one has questioned it yet, I can see the difference in my stress, and I know that alone will be reason for me to stick to my guns.

I think most of us feel that since we don't have a studio with doors to the public, we need to have flexible hours. I wanted to end that with my clients, b/c they were abusing it. I wanted set hours that I can tell people so they have an expectation of when I'm available. If I say I'm done at 8pm but return an email at midnight, I'm sending mixed messages (and my clients have ran with that). I'm tired of having to explain why I didn't return their Friday night email until Sunday or Monday. My new hours set out their expectation for them.

I also do appreciate that photographers shouldn't be a strict 9-5 type of business, so I tried to be respective of my client's schedules as well. So my schedule is:

Mondays and Fridays - off
Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday - 10am - 8pm
Saturday - available
Sunday - available

Within those "on" hours during the week, I have my own mini-schedule which includes many tasks non-photography related such as picking up children, going to gym, doing laundry, etc - so I'm not "working" 10 hours straight, but I am available for clients should the need arise. I work late nights and weekends too, but just don't offer that info up to my clients anymore.

Sorry Jillian, I couldn't resist...what does "mostly single" mean...is that like being "mostly married?" LOL

Yeah, I am having the same problem. This is what I keep telling myself I need to do..

I need to set up strict (but flexible if I want them to be) hours. Have one or two evenings that I am available in the evening. Then, whe someone calls, I can let them know what I have AVAILABLE. If the evenings fill up first, they might have to wait for an evening appiontment, but a day appointment is available this week. They can make that decision. The other thing that I had trouble with last fall was that if it rained and I had a session booked, I didn't have anyplace to reschedule them because all my other nights were full!

And how about getting those brides to get married during your m-f working hours so you can have then weekends off too!

Well jen and myself have been trying to put a schedule together for some time now and still we haven't as of yet set it in stone but what we have so far is the building blocks for what we soon hope to expand on.

9-6 mon threw friday, saturday is pretty much available most of the day if we aren't out shooting. Sunday we try not to schedule anything cause that is a our time for family and to recharge a bit before the week starts up. I was able to cut my hours down this week at my full time job which I'm stoked on and that will jelp with setting a schedule up. Its gard though cause most of the time we don't follow what we have so far and we either find ourselves up late editing or just getting ready for the week and answering emails late at night instead of sleeping or spending time with each other. Hope we can get this down someday soon but its a start for us, a exciting one at that.Oh and we also have 4 kids with all of this as well so weeknights are pretty much gone but hopefully not for long.

i think it's kind of the opposite of being "mostly married"

This is quite an interesting thread, I really have a hard time limiting my time and organizing it. I spend whatever whenever doing school work, editing pics, answering emails I don't have a routine for that at all, people also tend to get ansy if they don't get replies to emails within that next day, but why, I don't know. Sometimes we're just busy, we do work and take care of a family.. I'm going to keep my eye on this thread for sure. I read that blog on wedding photographer being an easy money job, that was hiliarious, plus the comments were even better!! Thanks for sharing!!

HI hi hi Nate!

I have a policy... all portrait sessions happen on Mondays and Tuesday evenings. It's even in my wedding contract.... all engagement sessions happen on Mondays and Tuesdays and not from Memorial Day Weekend to the 4th of July

Just my 2¢

Definitely agree with setting business hours, just as if you operated a studio. But make one night with evening hours for meetings. So if they really want those evening hours, they'll have to plan ahead to get on that calendar! And offer "after hour shoots" by appointment only for an additional fee (actually all shoots are by appointment only, but you know what I mean). If they really want you and need that off-hour, they'll be willing to pay or make it work otherwise.

Hi Vanessa~

I do have a very small office space for meeting clients (I may have to let it go- as I am not sure I want the extra expense right now.) I say that I have office hours- but is just by appointment- so it is a scheduled time- I don't just sit down there. I do have that option though because I do not book anyhting on Saturdays- except weddings, and there are lots of people who are looking for a Friday night or other "weekend time" The other reason is that my husband teaches a Weds. night Bible study and I have no babysitter- so it is better for me to have Friday nights available for appoinments.

It is hard to balance time and not getting carried away with things. I have really been trying to work only during my "scheduled time" rather it is for a session or editing. The other thing I do is have set times I check and or respond to email. Instead of always checking (still working on this one) I will check in the am- the midday and evening. And I respond to all my emails at one time (a set time) that way I do not interrupt my workflow etc......Obviously OSP does seem to get in the way just a bit every now and again.

Having a family and running a business (well two- my husband is also self employed) if very tiring and time consuming. Even when we are "off" our brains are consumed with work stuff- how can it not be, when we run the two? I wish it were easier at times- but I really cannot complain (well I guess I can) but we are both doing what we love!

Bobbi, every time I go to your blog I just get lost in it, I mean lost in myself just oohing and aaahing over how cool it is and how fun you and Mikey make life seem.

On the scheduling note, funny how this works, but I am not available to meet people on weeknights because I work in NY on weeknights. People WILL find the time to meet with you. If they like you enough to make that first call, and you say, "here's my availability to meet with you..." they'll do what they have to do to make the meeting. So just set your hours and all the other "not available" hours are just that -- not available.

I'm finishing my masters degree at night right now...so everyone is forced around my hours. When I do this full time, I'm going to only have two nights a week where I am available for shooting. I think if your clients are used to you having a set schedule from the beginning then you don't have the crazy weeknights.

Are you really claiming a victory?? Not only did I get to ruin one of your weeknights, I got to spend time with 2 beautiful women (is it creepy to call another man's wife beautiful?) while you sat at home and watched dancing with the stars.

Who is this guy? Did he have a bad experience with a wedding photographer?

I was taught to say something nice, and if I can't it's better not to say anything at all, but I'm having a hard time with this guys blog.

But when I look back to his first post, I think he said it best when he wrote: "I am not an expert, just a hobbyist, so don't necessarily believe everything you read here as the Gospel Truth."

I am struggling with this also. I have decided to hire someone to help me out, but the problem is turning over work to her. I figure if I can limit the amount of computer work I do (entering in quickbooks, editting, etc...) then the evenings will just be about shooting and I can limit which evenings alittle easier.

Great suggestions everyone.

My husband works full time at a golf course and owns his own lawn care company so needless to say, the spring/summer is a crazy time for us. Last year I about lost my mind trying to schedule sessions and finding a sitter for my son on any given day at all different times. This year I have decided that Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturday's I will be available all day. Tuesdays, Thursdays are spent being a mommy and Friday nights are family or date nights. Sundays as needed.

I love what I do but I love being a mom and being sane even more. So, this schedule or something similar will have to work for me.

Now, if I could just come up with a set time to be on OSP! My word! I feel like I am on here all the time!

This is something that I've been struggling with and I've developed a few ways to make it work for me...

• Schedule your free time FIRST
By starting off with a schedule for your FREE time, you'll have more control over your work time. It also helps knowing that you've already set aside time for yourself or your family in your schedule, so that you don't feel like they're last on the plate. It also helps you be more productive, knowing that you have something to look forward to. My husband and I like to work a lot, but we make sure that we schedule our together time, and then drop everything in order to make it happen.

• Counter-balance
If you decide that it's OK to meet clients after 5 pm, limit which night(s) of the week that's OK and take your personal time in the morning. If you decide that Tuesday and Thursday are OK for meeting clients in the evening, than let people know that they are welcome to meet you on Tuesday or Thursday evening. Tell them when it's best for YOU, don't let other people decide your schedule based on what's best for them. If you tell a client that the next open date you have to meet is three weeks from now, they'll realize that your time is important and either find a way to meet you earlier, or work around your schedule.

• Know How Much Time It Takes
Often times we simply do not have a good understanding of how much time something takes. We might estimate that we spend 3 hours editing a shoot, but during those three hours we need to take a break, or eat, or do something else in order to help get through the editing- so we need to factor that time in as well. The best way to track your time is to create a project log- record the starting and finishing time on each project. If you can do this solid for 2-4 weeks, you'll have a realistic expectation of how much time each project will take you. Once you know how much time each project takes, you can take a better look at your schedule and realize how much work can reasonably be completed within a certain time frame.

• Set Limits to What Comes In
Often times we are overloaded and overworked because we aren't setting limits on the work that's coming in. Once you know how much time everything realistically takes, decide how many shoots and meeting you can handle each week in order to give yourself the time you need to process those shoots and meetings. If it takes you two days to process a shoot, and you know that your administrative work takes a full day, and you only have 5 working days, than you know that you can't reasonably schedule any more than two shoots in a week , unless you plan to hire more people or you don't mind getting behind. If you know that it takes you 3 hours to respond to email, and 3 hours for a client meeting, and you're only planning to work 8 hours, than you know that you might not have enough time to start and finish another project that day. You can still take as much work as you want, you just have to control the rate at which it enters your schedule in order to give yourself the time you need to get the work done.

• Know your distractions
Each person has certain things that distract them, and certain times when they are more likely to be distracted. Often times our distractions are connected to procrastination. Procrastination comes in several forms: you might feel like you don't have the necessary tools, environment, or information to begin or complete a project, you might dread a certain task and put it off because you don't like it, or you might have other more important things on your mind that keep you from concentrating. Start to recognize and define the things that distract you. I actually keep a list of my distractions- which are often related to thinking about other things I need to do. By writing down the thing that is distracting me at the moment, I am able to clear my head and get back to being focused. I then give myself time a time to deal with those distractions so that they will not take away from something else I need to do. Sometimes distractions are just for fun kind of distractions- like reading message boards . In this case, I allow myself to put just for fun distractions in the personal times of my day- like during lunch or breakfast. Knowing that I've allowed myself time to enjoy the things that distract me, helps me put them off when I need to be focused.


I'm not saying I've mastered all of this, or that I'm in any way perfect. I do know that it's something I've learned a LOT about over the last year because it has seriously affected my business and personal life. Of course there are times when you break your own rules, so you make a note of it and why it happened, and then you learn something more about yourself that helps you in the long run.

hmmmm..... I smell a photolovecat post coming on...

Now, where did Mr. Turtle go once he started this thread?...

Oh... I thought of one more.....

I decided to start setting aside days for certain tasks. For example... Monday is mail day... which means anything that needs to be processed when it comes to mail, such as products getting sent out, or checks getting recorded, or thank yous getting written, happens on Monday. That way, when mail comes in during the week, I don't let it distract me because I already know when I've set aside time to deal with it.

Hey Anne, what are you doing tonight?

I would looove to go to Indy to see my favorite people, but I've set this night aside to be with my hubby.

Well at least my ranking is clear....

Hubby
Timco
Me

Anne,
I am always amazed at your wisdom! This is great!

One little thing I do right now, since I actually have the opposite problem in that I work during the day and cannot answer emails until after 5PM, I send out an auto response that states my "hours of availability" and that I will get back in touch.

Maybe once your "work day" is done, set up an auto response...that way it will reinforce your hours of availability to your clients.

Just a suggestion! Good luck getting it all sorted out!

Thanks everyone for the excellent input. It has helped a lot.


As a result of this however, Ben you should get your images in time for the bambino(a)'s first birthday