Trello really is an incredible tool for entrepreneurs (and especially photographers!) to stay on track, organized, and productive. But how do you actually get started with Trello if you’re brand new to the platform? 

No matter your photography niche, you can stay incredibly organized when you use Trello. As far as project management tools go, this one is seriously one of my favorites. For photographers, taking advantage of this tool is a no-brainer! 

And luckily, you don’t have to figure out how to get started with Trello on your own. I’m here to support you! 

Why Is Digital Organization So Important as a Photographer? 

As photographers and entrepreneurs, we have a TON on our plates. From long-term projects in various stages to short-term to-do list items, keeping track of everything can get a little tricky. 

But when you create efficient workflows, you’re able to be successful and never miss a deadline. Everything you need will be right at your fingertips. 

Since photography is highly personalized and every client has different needs, you need to be able to stay organized! That’s why I think all photographers should get started with Trello. You can create standardized templates for what stays the same, and then customize them to accurately reflect each new client or project. 

Having templates is important because it can house all of those common, repetitive tasks in your business and whatever’s unique to a specific client.

You can track standardized tasks like: 

• Pitching new leads
• Answering inquiries 
• Hosting discovery calls
• Creating proposals
• Sending contracts
• Invoicing
• Creating shot lists
• Planning a photoshoot
• Editing photos
• Delivering photo galleries to your clients

From there, you can tailor the workflow to fit any unique parts of the project, client needs, or hiccups along the way. But you’ll feel way more organized, and at a glance, you’ll be able to see what’s happening on various client projects, both short- and long-term. 

When you learn how to get started with Trello, you’ll also be able to offer a consistent customer experience! You can provide way better service when you aren’t running around frazzled, trying to remember what this client needs and what you’ve done. 

You’ll be more efficient, less overwhelmed, and ready to focus on what you’re great at (and what moves the needle forward in your photography business).

What Is Trello? 

The first thing you’ll need to know in order to get started with Trello is what it actually is! Trello is a tool for visual collaboration so that you can organize your projects in a flexible, visual, and organized way. 

Inside of your Trello board, you’ll be able to create a series of lists. Inside each list, you’ll see a bunch of cards! You can drag and drop cards from one list to another, so it’s super visual and easy to navigate. 

Trello is really user-friendly. And one of my favorite parts of Trello for photographers is that it’s flexible and open-ended. You can add strict deadlines if you want, but you can also use it like a digital board filled with sticky notes to keep you organized. It’s up to you! 

Get Started With Trello By Knowing The Basics

To get started with Trello, you need to understand some of the basics of this powerful organizational tool. Here are some of the most important features you’ll need to know about! 

Labels

Labels are simple and easy to use but pack a powerful punch. You can add a pop of color and clarity to your Trello board by labeling your cards. The way you use labels is totally up to you—you can use them for specific types of projects and tasks, prioritization, or even for specific clients. 

That’s right—the labels you use are totally customizable to you and your business’s needs. You can either color-code your labels or just use them as keyword tags. 

Power-Ups

Power-ups are a super unique feature of Trello. These are app integrations that bring you additional functionality as you get started with Trello! 

There are hundreds of power-ups available, so you’re definitely going to find what you need in order to feel more productive. 

Repeating Cards

If you have repetitive tasks every week, month, or another time period, you can use the Card Repeater tool! This tool automatically creates Trello cards for your repeated tasks…which takes one more thing off your plate. 

Once you set up a schedule on your card, Trello will handle the rest and duplicate it at the right time! 

Advanced Checklists

Inside Trello, all of your cards will come with checklists. You can break one project or task down into multiple subtasks or detailed to-do lists. But if you want an upgraded experience, you can use Advanced Checklists (this is only available on paid Trello plans, not the free version). 

With this feature, you can assign specific tasks to members of your team, add due dates to individual subtasks, and see checklist items on your calendar. As your business grows, this will be a helpful feature to have in your toolbox. 

Butler

Once you get started with Trello and set up your boards, workflows, lists, and cards, you can automate as much as you’d like using Butler. This is like a little robotic sidekick that will help you automate your business (no coding skills needed!). 

You can have the Butler tool run a number of automated actions on your board. This will be super helpful as you grow! 

How To Get Started With Trello

There’s a lot to love about your photography business—and a lot to manage, too. 

From pitching new clients to your branding strategy to all those active projects on your plate… it’s all too easy for the bits and pieces of your business to end up scattered. 

But as frustrating as it is to click through folder after folder looking for the same things over and over again, there never seems to be time to give everything a home.

Très Trello is a plug-and-play framework I’ve developed to help you house all those scattered resources, plans, and middle-of-the-night ideas. Trello is easy to jump into, effortless to maintain, and proven effective in my own successful photography business. You’ll be able to organize your entire biz in no time flat!

With this resource, you’re going to be able to: 

• Reach your goals in record time. 
• Remember to follow up on your pitches
• Create a smooth plan every single week
• Stay on top of creating content for your business
• Keep your clients happier than ever
• Brand your business really easily

When I started my food and product photography business 8 years ago, I thought I already knew a lot about staying organized. 

But when Frenchly Photography took off, I found myself being pulled in a lot of different directions. Sure enough, all my resources, files, and business assets were wandering off into different directions, too! Then I stumbled across Trello. It was a lifesaver as I juggled my brand assets, a million ideas for new content, and the client work that fueled it all.

Months of trial and error later, I had an army of Trello boards keeping my business organized and my sanity intact! Now I’ve created Très Trello to share those boards with you—plus a few I wish I had created for myself way back when—in one easy-to-access workspace.

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Ready to get started with Trello? These tips will make it easy to dive in and start feeling more organized in your photography business.