From enquiry to invoice: your workflow as a photographer

Where do you lose the most time as a photographer? Usually between shoots. Here is how to keep the route from first enquiry to paid invoice clear.

Taking photos is only part of the job. Around it is a whole route: a client asks for something, you send a quote, you schedule the shoot, you deliver the photos and you send an invoice. If something goes wrong somewhere, you only notice when a client asks where their photos are, or when an invoice has been outstanding for months.

A fixed way of working helps. These are the five steps, and what to look out for.

1. The enquiry

An enquiry comes in by phone, email or a message. Record every contact moment with the client straight away, with the date and what was discussed. Then you still know three weeks later exactly what someone wanted, and you see at a glance which enquiries are still waiting for a reply.

2. The quote

A good quote is quick to make once you have set up your products and packages properly: a portrait shoot, a corporate assignment, an album, extra retouches. In the quote you pick them and add the date and the details. Standard texts for the introduction, the closing and your terms save typing them every time.

Let your client view and accept the quote online. Then you do not have to wait for a signed PDF, and you know straight away that the date is booked.

3. The planning

After approval the quote becomes a project. Schedule the shoot in the calendar, with the photographer and the room, and keep track per project of what still needs doing: checking the location, sending a mood board, a reminder the day before.

4. The delivery

Deliver the photos in an online album in your own style. Your client picks their favourites and requests a retouch if needed, straight from the album. A project is only really done once the shoots, the retouches and the invoices are finished.

5. The invoice

Invoice from the project, in one go or with a deposit and a balance. A deposit on approval secures the date and prevents last-minute cancellations. Let your client pay online or with the QR code on the invoice, and keep track of what is outstanding. If an invoice is overdue, send a friendly reminder in time.

Why this saves time

The difference is not in one step, but in the transitions. When the quote becomes a project by itself, and the project the invoice, you never type anything twice and you forget nothing. In Apertur Studio every step follows on from the previous one: the start page shows what is under way from enquiry to invoice, and what needs attention today.

In short

Record every contact moment, work with fixed products and texts, let quotes be accepted online, invoice from the project and keep track of what is outstanding. Then your admin takes a few minutes per client, and you have more time to take photos.