Welcome to my new home on the web! I’m so glad you’re here! After months of uncertainty, prayer, planning, and learning, I’m ready to share the next step for my business. Today is a day of CELEBRATION. And what better day to do that than the first day of my birth month?!

I sat down to write this post and I ended up writing FIVE POSTS. Yeah, I can be a little wordy sometimes. 🙂 I know there may be a lot of questions, so over the next 5 days, I’ll be sharing personal posts about my journey with Kingsbridge Photography, what led me to this point, and why I want to be a Private Photo Editor. Stay tuned for that! Today, I want to introduce you to my new endeavor: Christi Johnson Creative!!

As many of you know, Matt and I recently relocated to Mountain View, California for his job! I can’t believe we’ve been here for 3 months already! When we moved, I had no idea what kind of work I would be doing. I wasn’t sure if I would continue photography, apply for a job, or start something new. I’ve spent the last 3 months discerning what my goals for the future are and what’s right for me at this stage of my life. After a lot of journaling, countless conversations, and MANY prayers, I decided to start a new business as a Private Photo Editor!!

What is a Private Photo Editor?

That is a great question!! Most people that I’ve talked to automatically assume that I’m a photo retoucher, because that’s what they think of when they think of editing! But photo retouching is a very different process! Photo retouchers usually focus on removing blemishes, background distractions, or airbrushing. They don’t edit in the style of the photographers they’re working with, they just remove distracting elements. Photo retouchers are GREAT. I’ve used them often in my work when I couldn’t quite edit something out perfectly.

In contrast, a private photo editor is someone who comes alongside a busy photographer to help them with the edits they are already doing. The editor learns the style of the photographer, and the photographer sends them their images they want edited. Instead of retouching a few images in the collection, a private photo editor edits the entire gallery just as the photographer would! This frees up the photographer’s time to do something else instead of editing!

There are all kinds of editing styles. There’s light and airy, dark and moody, and everything in between. Some people like warmer tones, some people like cooler tones. Some people like really bright colors, some like them muted, and some like their greens one way, while others like them differently. It’s very personal because it’s their art, and it usually reflects their personality. Photographers usually shoot differently based on their style, but a lot of what they want is achieved through editing. You might be thinking, “wait, so if it’s really personal, why would anyone want someone else to edit for them?” Great question!!

For photographers, the editing process is the longest portion of their workflow with their client. Editing can take HOURS. But for many photographers, it’s usually not the most profitable part of their business. Some photographers simply can’t take on anymore shoots (highly profitable) because they can’t fit that extra editing (not as profitable) into their schedule. If they could teach someone to edit like them and outsource that process, then they could use those hours to work on tasks that are more profitable! Or they can just use them to work on something that they love doing!

A lot of photographers love taking photos and working with their clients, but they don’t necessarily love editing. Some certainly do! But some hate waking up on Monday and having to think about editing ALL. THOSE. PHOTOS. that they took over the weekend. So…they may work on other things before they actually get around to editing. By outsourcing their editing, they could not only get their edits back faster, they can also use that time for the parts of their business that they love. Some photographers really love editing but again, they just don’t have time for it all! They want to take on more profitable endeavors like shooting, educating, and marketing, but they’re drowning in editing. The cost of outsourcing is minimal compared to the value that they could bring back into their business with that extra time.

As a private photo editor, I will work with photographers to learn their style. I’ll get inside their minds and try to think like them! With each client, I’ll have a questionnaire asking them about their editing process, and I’ll also pick their brains via a phone call. We can even do a screen share video call and I can actually watch them edit! I’ll study their process meticulously. They’ll send me their culled images from their shoots, edit a few pre-edits for me, and then I’ll do the rest. Explore the home page of my website and my FAQ to see more of what the process looks like!

Introducing Christi Johnson Creative

Starting today, April 1, 2019, I’m officially OPEN FOR BUSINESS! No, this is not an April Fool’s Joke! It’s real, and I couldn’t be happier! I am looking for both wedding and portrait photographers that edit in Lightroom and want to experience the freedom that outsourcing can bring to their business. I can’t wait to begin serving my clients! If you know of anyone exploring the possibility of outsourcing, please send them my way! In the coming months, I’ll be writing more posts explaining my vision, my process, and why outsourcing can be a profitable option for photographers.

I could not be doing this without the help of Melanie Moss! She is a Private Photo Editor in Greenville, and she’s been the absolute best mentor. She’s given me so much PRACTICAL information about the outsourcing process that is going to be INVALUABLE for my business. More than that, she’s given me the CONFIDENCE to actually make it happen! Thank you so much, Melanie!! If you don’t know Melanie, than you need to check her out!

Tomorrow’s blog post will be about how Kingsbridge Photography got its name, followed by why I wanted to build a personal brand. Stay tuned!

– Christi