Photography Business software

[pastorchrisk]

Does anybody know of any good buisness photography software that is cheap or freeware? I am looking for something that will let me create checklists, manage events and client info and billing.

Thank you!
Chris

[vwpilot]

Not free, but if you have a legit business spending a few bucks on software that will help that business shouldnt be a problem.

I use Fotobiz, www.cradoc.com which also comes with FotoQuote which will allow you to make quotes, turn those quotes into invoices and give you pricing information for hundreds of kinds of jobs and usages. It will also handle all your invoicing, recievables, client lists, write letters to clients, write out usage rights on invoices, manage stock libraries, has a calendar and even lets you put your equipment into it to keep track of all that stuff including serial numbers, values, insurance, etc.

Its a great program and very worth the money if you are trying to run a business, even a small one. I dont use half of what it can do, but just the client database, invoicing and price quoting are worth the price, all the other stuff is just gravy.

[naqs]

If you are meaning photograph software like Photoshop... I also use ACDSee Pro which is a photomanager, That is really good. But if you are talking about business software I wouldn't have a clue I just use my brain, the internet and Microsoft Office for making Invoices and sending emails...lol

[Vegas Poboy]

There is a few on the market, try going through Shutterbug or one of those types of publications they have Vendors advertising all the time. I use Quickbooks Pro, then downloaded templates of the net for photographers and tweaked them to my own specs.

[ssim]

Have a look at this thread. (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=237078) It is apparently new software and, imo, has some room for growth and changes but might be worth it for anyone that wants to get something they can grow in to.

[vwpilot]

Yeah, but that is something hosted online, its not software you buy and keep on your own machine. So you are at their mercy for backing up all your info and its a monthly fee of $15/month.

What happens when you have a business for 10 years and all your info is on there and it goes under? What happens when you have a business for ten years and have been paying $180/year for ten years? You could have commissioned someone to write your own personal software for that kind of money.

Buy something, keep it local and you can always have control over your data and upgrade, change or do whatever you want whenever you want.

[physed]

I use a program called Photobyte. It was included in a book called Photography Focus On Profit. It does cover most of what you need to keep track of in a photography business.
I found it at Borders, you can get it at amazon.com

[ssim]

Yeah, but that is something hosted online, its not software you buy and keep on your own machine. So you are at their mercy for backing up all your info and its a monthly fee of $15/month.

What happens when you have a business for 10 years and all your info is on there and it goes under? What happens when you have a business for ten years and have been paying $180/year for ten years? You could have commissioned someone to write your own personal software for that kind of money.

Buy something, keep it local and you can always have control over your data and upgrade, change or do whatever you want whenever you want.

I didn't say I agreed with it. I actually posted in that thread to say I didn't. It is available and it is to each their own to make determination if they agree with the concept of it.

[pastorchrisk]

I agree with VWPILOT. I would rather spend the money and own a copy of the software than be at someone elses mercy. Also, I will look for the photobyte software too. Thanks everyone!
Chris