Booking page for photographers

More than online booking: running a photography business from one calendar

A shoot does not end when you put the camera down. Then come the invoice for the company that ordered team headshots, the album promised to a family and the question of whether autumn mini sessions were worth the weekend. Klendr keeps that paperwork next to the bookings, so the numbers for your accountant are ready when the month ends.

• Accounting and invoices — a PDF invoice with VAT goes out automatically after the shoot, with a due date and late fee if you want them. At month end, export every invoice as CSV or a PDF archive and pull deposits from Stripe. Your accountant still keeps the books, Klendr just hands over tidy shoot paperwork. See invoices.
• Inventory management — keep printed albums, frames, USB sticks and print packages as products and sell them on the same invoice as the shoot. Backdrop paper and props used up in a session can be set as materials of the service, and an email warns you when albums run low before the Christmas rush.
• Client records — one card per family or company with every shoot, amount paid, missed appointments and your notes, such as "likes natural light, the dog comes along".
• Analytics and reports — revenue by month, what albums and prints cost you, profit, booked shooting hours, busiest days and your top shoot types. More in analytics.
• Online booking and reminders — booking page, SMS reminders and date deposits run in the same system, see booking.

Why online booking for photographers saves your weekends

A photographer's inbox is full of the same three questions: is this date free, how much is a family shoot, can we do it outdoors. Answering them takes hours you would rather spend editing, and while you are on a shoot with your camera in your hands a couple who wanted your only free Sunday in May books someone else.

A booking page answers those questions for you. Each shoot type has a description, a price, a length and photos from your portfolio, and the calendar shows only the times you are really available. The client books in four steps on their phone, without an app or an account, and you find the shoot in your calendar with their name and phone number.

Studio sessions and location shoots

In the studio a portrait session is simple: 60 minutes on the calendar and the next client after that. On location the shoot is only part of your time, because you also drive there, look for light and drive back. Klendr has no separate travel setting, so put that time inside the service: a "Family shoot outdoors" with one hour of shooting becomes a 120-minute service, and the description says "about 60 minutes of shooting, travel included".

The booking form asks only for name, phone and email, so the exact location is agreed afterwards. Call or message the client using the phone number from the booking, and keep details like "Pirita beach, two kids and a dog, wants golden hour" in the client card notes. When the same family comes back next year, those notes and the visit history are already there.

Seasonal mini sessions on one weekend

Christmas, spring blossom and autumn leaves are the classic mini session seasons: one set, one weekend, twenty minutes per family. Create a "Christmas mini session" service of 20 minutes and use the schedule for separate dates to open exactly those days with exactly those start times, for example 10:00, 10:30, 11:00 and so on. Outside those dates the service simply has no free times.

Then tell people. An email campaign from Klendr goes to all your clients or to a selected group with a link to the booking page and an unsubscribe link at the bottom. For clients who prefer messengers, copy your free times as text and paste them into WhatsApp or Instagram. As slots fill up, the page only ever shows what is still open, so two families never get the same 10:30.

A deposit to hold the date

Photographers lose the most when a booked weekend date is cancelled at the last minute or the client just does not turn up. With Stripe you can take a deposit when the client books: a percentage of the price, set once for the whole account, for example 30%. If the appointment is cancelled, the deposit is refunded automatically, and the freed date goes back on your page.

If you prefer not to charge in advance, the other mode saves the client's card and charges the percentage only when they do not show up. The rest of the price you take on the day or with a PDF invoice from Klendr. Both modes are described in payments.

What a photographer gets in Klendr

You can check the next shoot from your phone in the browser or in the Android app from Google Play.

• Booking page with your photos — every shoot type with portfolio images, price and length on klendr.me/your-name for Instagram, your website and Google profile. See the booking page.
• Reminders before the shoot — a confirmation right away and a reminder the day before by email and SMS, so nobody forgets their outfits. More in notifications.
• Calendar — day, week and month view, blocked editing days, holidays, schedule for separate dates and dragging a shoot to another time. Details on the calendar.
• Google and Apple Calendar sync — shoots appear next to your private plans on your phone.
• Website embed — booking form on your portfolio site via the WordPress plugin, Wix, Shopify or Tilda.

Sample photographer price list in Klendr

This is how shoot types look on a photographer's booking page. The length includes travel and setup, so the calendar never squeezes the next shoot into your drive back.

Prices are examples for the Baltics; each photographer sets their own.

How to start online booking for your photography

1. 1
   Sign up

   Create your account in a few minutes and test it for 14 days free, with no card.

2. 2
   Add your shoot types

   Add studio, location and mini sessions with price, a portfolio photo and a length that includes travel.

3. 3
   Mark when you shoot

   Set your shooting days, block editing days and holidays, and open mini session dates with exact start times.

4. 4
   Decide on a deposit

   Turn on SMS reminders and choose a deposit or a no-show fee for date bookings.

5. 5
   Share the link

   Put the link in your Instagram bio, on your portfolio site and in your email to past clients.

Questions about booking software for photographers