I know I was technically alive before smartphones were a thing, I was born in 1986.  However, I can’t imagine life (let alone running my business) without the luxuries this technology affords me.  How did I function without Google maps?  Oh yeah, we had actual maps.  Anyway, I don’t want to go back.

Google Calendar & Keep

I would never know where to go or who to be without google calendar.  I use Tave for client management and it integrates directly into google calendar so I have all my shoots automatically scheduled for me.  I also love that it does the same for my zoom meetings.  My favorite thing about google calendar though is the seamless nature between desktop and mobile.  I have tried other calendar apps and Google calendar is just the best.  I also love that when I book a hotel or flight it automatically populates based on the email confirmations.  It’s just the best.  Google Keep is basically a better version of the notes app.  I can make notes and checklists from my computer and they magically appear on my phone and, even better, my watch.  I use google keep for shot lists and timelines for weddings.  Throughout the day I check off section of day and I have a very quick reference when someone inevitably asks me “what time is the ceremony” or “what time do I need to be dressed”.  It’s also fantastic for quickly checking of family shot lists.  I ask my clients for specific lists for family formals and I can quickly check them off as we go directly from my watch.  It’s incredibly!

Trello

Trello is the mother of all To-Do lists.  It’s the only way I can sort and prioritize my tasks in different cards.  I have different cards for “ASAP”, “Within a week”, “On-Going”, and “Long Term Projects”.  I also keep running lists for social media ideas and inspiration.  It’s been a bigger blessing since I hired my assistant because we can keep track of who is doing what at any given moment.  Again the ease of navigation between desktop and mobile is stellar.

Sunseeker

This app is used for location scouting and it has seriously upped my ability to anticipate difficult lighting situation.  The 3d feature allows you to turn your camera on your phone toward the sky and it will tell you where the sun will be at any give time.  This is CRUCIAL to scouting locations for the “First Look”  or other key moments.  You may have nice open shade at 10am but 2pm may be a whole nother story.  I also love it for seeing where the sun will be setting.  We are always in a hurry on wedding days, so knowing where the sun will be exactly at golden hour helps me decide where we should go for portraits.

Spotify

I love music.  I literally listening to Spotify right now as I type this, specifically a swing dance playlist.  I have varied taste in music.  You will find playlists in almost every genre of music, but I’m heavy on Americana & Broadway.  I know, two vastly different genres but two I love so much.  My favorite feature of spotify is the “Discover Weekly” playlist where it will show me music spotify thinks I will like.  I also used to love (when I was a runner) the running feature that will find a playlist based on the cadence of your run.  I love technology.  It’s great to have on the fly at photo shoots too so if my couple feels awkward we can play their favorite songs and get them loosened up.

Tile

So, being an ADHD creative I loose track of things sometimes.  Almost never permanently, but my short term memory is sometimes a frustration.  However, I have developed systems to help me keep track of the most important things.  I use a combination of the Tile app and Airtags to keep track of things like my keys.  I also have an airtag and a tile on my SD card wallet and hard drives.  I have *knock on wood* never lost someone’s photos or video, probably because I have literal nightmares about it and have triple backups for everything and a very specific system to keep me from misplacing precious memories.  However, things like my debit card I’m less concerned about.

Apple Pay – Technically on my apple watch

This one isn’t technically an app, but I no longer can live without apple pay.  As previously mentioned, I am often without my debit card.  Having payment on my phone that is widely accepted most places was a GAME CHANGER.  I don’t know if you have ever tried it, but it is also so much faster than swiping a card or using a chip.  I could never go back.